He lived in the pulpit, he died in the pulpit

He lived in the pulpit, he died the way he lived!

Friday night, The Reverend David Brown, Jr. died.

The Reverend Brown was the pastor pastor of nine congregations in Louisiana and Mississippi, died Friday night during a religious service at the Calvary Baptist Church in West Monroe.

He was singing a song preparing for a sermon to be preached by another minister when he suddenly collapsed.

Last year Brown was featured nationally on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) as one of the nations last surviving "circuit pastors." The broadcast, shown around the nation, featured Brown's role as a man who pastored multiple small congregations across Northeast Louisiana and in parts of Mississippi.

Brown was a self described country preacher who had a powerful pulpit delivery, some said that could have expanded his ministry beyond rural Louisiana if he wanted. However, Brown always explained that his mission was to bring the word of God to the area he was assigned by God to cover.

He remained faithful to that calling for over three decades.

He has officiated so many funerals and marriages that he couldn't count them, worn out two dozen cars, and preached thousands of sermons to "God's people in the rural."

"If everybody goes to the big city, who pastors the country folks?" Brown once said about his ministry. He died as he lived... in the pulpit.

This passage from Revelation says it all, Revelation 2:10 "... be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."

So we live on earth, so we continue to live with Him.

Everybody is praying for everything; does God get spam?

Too much Spam in my inbox; does God get Spam?

I get plenty of email everyday either from business, church or personal connections. I also get nearly 500 spam emails everyday; those are the ones that get through my primary spam filter and end up in my delete box. They are time consuming, nonsensical and frivolous. Some are even insulting. It gets to the point that certain names or addresses are automatically blocked because they are always spam.

Since God hears and answers all prayers, is it possible that we flood our heavenly inbox with spam prayers?

A spam prayer is one in which we ask God to do what we can do ourselves. When we ask God to visit the sick but we don't; help the poor but we won't or to create more love in the world but our hate list hasn't diminished; those are spams prayers.

Then sometimes we can be a nuisance; with frivolous prayers. We pray that the water for our coffee will be hot or that the train won't stay on the track too long. We pray for grades when we have not studied; or that that we are not pregnant when we have not abstained.

Some pray that that their favorite singer wins American Idol.

There are people who sell trick prayers guaranteed to get instant results. There are groups that offer mass prayers for jobs, money, luck, sex, and victory. It all goes up to heaven.

Mixed in there somewhere are our real prayers and concerns.

Wouldn't it be a shame to pray so many frivolous nuisance prayers that heavenly spam checkers tag our prayers as those coming from that person in Louisiana or California or New York that sends up prayers for money, cat food and winning lottery tickets. -Spam box!

I'm sure God gets spam, but He has no spam box. He hears them all and answers.

Spam prayers, though, seem to be a waste of His time.

Here's an interesting thought from Jesus himself in Matthew 6:7-8.(Msg) It says, "The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need."

I think it best for me to be selective with my prayer requests. I'll prayer about the big things, I won't bother God with the little things, He knows them all anyway.

When a prayer appears before the throne with my name on it, I would hope it is moved to the top of the pile and not shuffled to bottom with all of the spam of the day.

That's my prayer anyway! (Lol)

Why do we take pictures of ourselves with our cellphones?

New trend: Taking a picture of yourself with your cellphone.

Have you paid any attention to the grown number of self portraits appearing on social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook? Increasingly there are photos of individuals taking pictures of themselves with their cell phones. Some even stand in front of mirrors to capture themselves taking a picture of themselves. It could be a very high self esteem that prompts such actions; it could also be just a touch of vanity.

Most of us are happy with ourselves. Occasionally, someone comes along and wants more hair than they inherited or eyes foreign to their DNA. However, generally we are pleased with our appearance.

Some have gone a step further; they are not simply pleased with themselves they have fallen in love with their own appearance. That's when we have an inordinate number of photos of ourselves. We jump on every photo that someone else is taking; and when that is not enough, we take our cellphones and take dozens of pictures of ourselves.

No matter how well I appear to others, I'm often very disappointed with my own self portrait. I see too many flaws in my personality; too many weaknesses, too many insecurities in areas that should be secure.

A true self portrait forces us to look deep into the mirror and observe closely what we see.

When the mirror is God's word. our reflection usually reveals distortions of which we are not proud. We won't post that picture for anyone to see. The one we want to post is the glamor shot that hides our flaws.

Rather than taking a picture of myself with my cell, I'd probably do better taking a long hard look at what I see, then try to correct as many of my obvious imperfections.

James 1:23-25 "Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror,
walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.
But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action."

I'm rather pleased with my 61 year old appearance, but I'm not pleased with the man in the mirror; that guy has too many flaws.

She was the bad driver, but he got the ticket

She did wrong, he got the ticket; a case of injustice.

Have you ever been the victim of an unjust decision? Most of us have. It's not a great feeling.

Yesterday our bus driver began negotiating at right turn in a busy Atlanta intersection. As he swung out a woman decided to squeeze pass the bus as it turned. Her move resulted in a fender bender. She apologized to the driver, saying she thought she could make it through the tiny space between the bus and curb. She was very polite, apologetic and humble. When the police arrived, both accounts were told but the officer gave the bus driver the ticket.

The driver was stunned. The lady was surprised because she fully expected to get the ticket. She drove off smiling, leaving our driver frustrated because he felt himself the victim of an injustice.

Injustices may come on a small scale in the case of fender benders or in larger situations such as racial discrimination, intimidations or unfair practices. All injustices, whether large or small, leave victims.

We are surrounded by injustice but we are encouraged to remain just ourselves, remaining firm in our faith.

Habakkuk 2:4 "Behold, ...the just shall live by his faith."

It was an injustice, but our driver is strong. He is a man of faith.

So, Lebron made up his mind, so what about us?

Lebron made up his mind, we must decide things, too!

The nation waited anxiously last night for basketball star Lebron James to announce whether he would stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers or make a move. For seven years he was loyal to Cleveland bringing major dollars to the team but always falling short of his goal to own a championship ring. Since he is a free agent, decision time loomed. He narrowed his choices to six teams then switched back and forth between choices keeping the nation on edge.

Last night he made his choice, he chose to move to Miami and play with the Miami Heat.

Life is about choices. We choose whom we play with; we choose our own team.

There are many who make choices about whether to choose to live a Christian life or one that is contrary to God's will. We choose the high road or the low road. Some of us switch back and forth between the two without really making a choice.

We have to choose a team because all of heaven waits our decision. LeBron James' basketball choice was made in line with his personal goal. He left $30 million on the table to do it.

We have to make choices in line with our goals as well. Some choices are hard and may cause us to leave a lot on the table but they are necessary to get where we are trying to go.

The world has made us an offer.

God has made us an offer, too, backed up by the blood of Christ and confirmation of the Holy Spirit.

1 Kings 18:21 (MSG)Elijah challenged the people: "How long are you going to sit on the fence? If GOD is the real God, follow him; if it's Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!"

Make your move.

They named me the barbecue king? Even I laughed!

They named me King of the Pit. Me, the barbecue king? Ha, Ha!

Sunday, our church celebrated the 4th of July with a worship service followed by a big barbecue. All persons in attendance were treated to plates of barbecue ribs, chicken, baked beans, salads, etc. The men of the church participated in the annual "King of the Pit" contest to determine the congregation's barbecue king. There was also a potato salad contest as well.

I entered the contest for the fellowship. I barbecue once in every blue moon. I don't really consider myself very good, probably passable. I set up my pit the day before and relaxed while I barbecued my portion of ribs and chicken. I read my bible, knocked out half of a watermelon and basically relaxed. Then I mixed my sauce. I like sugar, cat sup and other items added to the off the shelf brand of sauce I use. I bathed my little rib and chicken samples in my sauce.

If a part of the meat didn't appeal to my eye, I added more sauce on it.

After the worship they presented me with a trophy as the "King of the Pit"

Who me?

I wasn't trying to win. I was just having fun. They said it was tasty and neck and neck with the first runner up, but I won.

They said the difference was my sauce.

I thought the honor was suspicious, especially since my wife was named potato salad queen. They insisted that the judges didn't know the names of the contestants and the results were real.

The runnerup's meat was just right, tenderized and perfectly cooked, but it had no sauce. Just a touch of sauce would have made the difference.

I guess life is the same way. We are all a little singhed, tough to swallow at times and not really pleasing to ourselves. However, terrible we see our lives we are often not judged by our overcooked or singhed edges but by the fruit of our spirit and the labor of our hands.

That may make the difference.

There is a bible passage that tells about our "sauce" Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

I don't think I'm the King of the Pit by any means, but I did have a mighty tasty sauce!

She believes in God but not in a personal way.

She believes in God but not in a personal way.

I recently shared with a brilliant young lady who is going places in life. She obeys the law, is climbing in her career and has great prospects. She was exposed to faith training as a girl but has since adopted a different views. She told me that she believes in God but not feel that God is personal.

I told her that she will change that view when life sends her scrambling for the God of her youth for nurture, strength, protection and guidance.

In my 41 years of ministry I have encountered many who share this belief. They believe in an all powerful creator of the universe, but their belief stops there. They feel no need for worship, fellowship with other believers or study of His word. They especially reject any formalities or limitations that may be associated with anything beyond a simple belief in a divine creator.

They believe in God. That's enough for them.

That works fine until we need God to respond to our life situation but our lack of faith keeps Him at a distance.

I believe that God is a person and is personal. As such, God loves: creates, destroys, angers, cares, rewards and punishes, saves, forgives and blesses. Since God is personal, we each have our own unique ID through which he identifies with us, hears us, guides us, correct us and opens doors for us.

Only those who believe in a personal God pray, otherwise prayer is a useless exercise because God does not take calls from mere mortals unless He's personal.

The trick in life is to allow God to be personal with us. In our thoughts we commune with Him and share our aspirations. In return He shares with us through inspiration, spiritual epiphanies, and teachable moments. When we pray we invite God into our business. Once invited God encourages, strengthens, inspires and renews. He also troubles us when we break or bend His rules; He works on our conscience.

It is the personal God who answers our prayers, lifts us when we we down, and gives us that second or third chance to get it right when we have failed.

Believing in God is the first step of faith. The second is to open the door of your heart and invite Him in. He knocks and waits for the invitation.

Revelation 3:20 "I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I'll come right in and sit down to supper with you."

When call on Him, we open the door and let Him in. That's when our lives change for the better.

Those who know Him personally begin to live fully functional, happy, blessed lives that meet life's challenge with the confidence that the God they believe in knows them personally and will hear their prayers and direct their paths.

Would you pay your enemies to you allow you to fight them? That's what we are doing!

Are we paying our enemies to let us fight them?

A surprising report in the Wall Street Journal this week noted that $3 billion in cash money, shrink wrapped and loaded on pallets, has been shipped to Afghanistan. Much of the money goes to private security firms who pay off U.S. enemies to allow shipments of supplies into the country so that U.S. soldiers can turn around fight the same people we paid off.

Sound crazy?

Maybe so, but there are some in Congress who keep sounding the alarm that young men and women that we know are thinking they are supporting freedom but in actuality are dying so that we can continue lining the pockets of the big guys who run the corrupt government of the country.

Speaking before Congress yesterday, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio raised the specter of the $12 billion shipped in pallets from the United States to Iraq just after the Bush administration's "shock and awe" bombing campaign.

"Vanity Fair reported in 2004 that 'at least $9 billion' of the cash had 'gone missing, unaccounted for,'" he noted. "$9 billion."

Kucinich continued: "

Last week, the BBC reported that 'the US military has been giving tens of millions of dollars to Afghan security firms who are funneling the money to warlords.' Add to that a corrupt Afghan government underwritten by the lives of our troops
 ... And now reports indicate that Congress is preparing to attach $10 billion in state education funding to a $33 billion spending bill to keep the war going.

 Back home, millions of Americans are out of work, losing their homes, losing their savings, their pensions and their retirement security.

"We are losing our nation to lies about the necessity of war. Bring our troops home. End the war. Secure our economy."

The thought of so many have lost lives, suffered maimed bodies and destroyed futures so that the rich can get richer is frustrating.

Our only hope is in God. He doesn't like war and wants to see all war end.

Micah 5:10 says, "The day is coming" —GOD's Decree— "When there will be no more war. None."

Those who profit from war won't like that; but right now they appear to be cleaning up and pocketing billions.

God's word lingers: No more war. None.

A man with three birthdays, really four

I'm a man with three birthdays, really four!

I celebrate three birthdays. My father told me that my birthday is June 22nd. My driver's license and birth certificates list June 28th. My mother told me that my birthday is actually June 29th. She said she knew the birth certificate date was wrong but was in pain and just signed it anyway. When I lived with my father for a short time, I celebrated June 22nd. Of course, when I was with my mother for a short time, I celebrated June 29th.

That me makes a man with three birthdays, only one of which is correct. To get the right one, I celebrate all three.

There is another birthday that is not celebrated with a party, cake or candles. That was the day that I was born into the kingdom of God.

I joined the Tabernacle Baptist church in 1957 and was baptized. I was "born again" into the kingdom of God on Friday, August 12, 1966.

This idea of being born again is addressed John 3:3-5 "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
So, I have all of these birthdays to celebrate, but only one of them counts.

The Boogie Man didn't get me although they said he would

I was afraid of the Boogie Man; he never showed up.

My father's home was next to the cemetery. I slept in the back room only about 15 feet from a row of tombstones that were harmless in the day but struck fear in my heart at night.

In my room, the wallpaper was loose and hung from the wall in places. However, at night the room was dark. I was alone and it seemed that someone from the graveyard was looking in the window. The hanging paper seemed to breathe. I was terrified because I was told that when I did wrong that the Boogie Man would get me. I remembered I was supposed to feed the chickens that day and didn't. I was terrified that for punishment the Boogie Man would get me. I hid my head under the covers and would not move. I was too afraid to go to the bathroom; I wet my bed. I believed that the Boogie Man would get me if I came from under the covers.

The next day I looked out the window only to learn that the graves had not opened. The wall paper still hung and that there was no one lurking in the bushes. The boogie man didn't get me.

For many years my actions were controlled by the threat that the "Boogie Man" would get me if I strayed.

The Boogie Man" is the composite of everything that we fear. He's the unseen character that lurks behind every bush, corner and turn, looking for a chance to prey on us.

The fear of failure or ridicule stops many from gaining the opportunities they should have in life. They are afraid of the Boogie Man.

God has promised to be with us in every situation. We are constantly told to have no fear as we daily work in his will. We should never be dismayed, overly frustrated or afraid.

Isaiah 41:10 says, "Fear not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

When God shows up the Boogie Man disappears.

Are Boy Scouts crooked because they desire to be straight?

Are scouts bad because they are straight?

In recent years the Boy Scouts of America have been shunned by many people in the nation because it desires to limit its membership to young men and women who are "morally straight." Scouts also pledge themselves to be "reverent" and to respect the religious beliefs of others. That has rubbed gay groups across the country; suits have been filed, one of which reached the Supreme Court. The court ruled the scouts are a private organization and have right to be "straight."

So, across the nation scouts have been tagged as bad people and millions of dollars in donations have been lost because scouts "discriminate" against gays.

This month the City of Philadelphia lost a case in which it tried to evict scouts from their headquarters unless the scouts reversed their "morally straight" position. The city lost.

Scouts are holding their ground around the world. They teach young men to lead morally pure lives not only sexually but also in matters of family and public decorum.

The bible encourages us to be morally pure in every area of life; it is what God expects.

1 Timothy 5:22 says "Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.

Three cheers for the Boy Scouts, who still choose to be straight even if it is not politically correct.

Chasing storms? Not me; they chase me

They chase storms, I try to stay out of their way.

A van passed me recently; it was beautifully painted "Storm chasers." It sported several pieces of equipment that indicated that chasing hurricanes, tornadoes and windstorms was the nature of its business. Storm chasers seem to enjoy the whole idea of being in the middle of a storm with cameras rolling at full blast to record its every movement. They enjoy the thrill, danger and the sudden adrenalin rush and of course, the science. Sometimes the storms they chase catch up with them and overtake them.

I do just the opposite. Like most people I don't relish storms, whether they are hurricanes or the storms of life. Instead of chasing them, I'm usually trying to go the opposite way. I'd get fired from a storm chasing job.

When it comes to storms, believers have the joy of knowing that our savior can speak to the storms of our lives and command their silence. He can still the winds and ways.

We don't have to chase life's storms they will chase us without fail. When they do, our faith points us to Jesus, to speak to the situation.

I am reminded of this truth when I read, Mark 4:39-40 which says, "And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?"

Storm chasers enjoy the chase; I enjoy staying away.

The President praised gay fathers, then took it back

The President praised two-father families, how can that be?

Yesterday, in his Father's Day Address, President Obama praised the fathers of America, past and present, for serving as the role models. His address included words of praise for those who serve as role models and mentors for youth. However, two phrases in the address, were disturbing. He praised "two father" families and those who are showing our daughters how to be fathers.

I read it. Then, instantly I saw that others read it, because web shares were moving it around the world quickly, This morning, yesterday's message has been completely rewritten to hide what was said yesterday; the phrases that obviously endorse the gay and lesbian agenda were omitted.

It was removed, but not before the damage was done. Nothing the President says goes unnoticed.

I like President Obama personally, but I am uneasy about his willingness to use the bully pulpit of the White House to promote the Gay and Lesbian agenda, inclusive of gay marriage and endorsement of the homosexual lifestyle.

Make no mistake Gays and Lesbians are American citizens. They should be afforded every right enjoyed by every American citizen, unabridged. There should be no laws that discriminate against them for exercising their lifestyle choices.

However, the nation has no requirement to endorse, encourage or promote the lifestyle choices of individual groups of citizens.

Sexual expression is designed for the marital relationship between a man and a woman. Homosexual behavior is outside God’s created intent and desire for us.

The moral tone that God has expressed on the subject of homosexuality is reflected in many passages such as 1 Corinthians 6:9 "Don’t you know that those doing such things have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who live immoral lives, who are idol worshipers, adulterers or homosexuals—will have no share in his Kingdom."

Even though Americans have the right to engage in the homosexual lifestyle, it should not be encouraged or endorsed by the President of the United States.

It's good the President took back his endorsement of two fathers, but it never should have been given in the first place.

"You just like your daddy"; Compliment or insult?

You just like your daddy! Is that an insult or a compliment?

There are many who don't celebrate Father's Day because their memories of father are not flattering. To some, father is just the name on a child support check, a blank line on a birth certificate, or a weekend visitor, but not a loving presence.

This thinking is reflected in many popular songs over the years. Lowell Folsum started it all with a song called "Tramp" in which he criticized his father severely but praised him for being a lover. Otis Redding and Carla Thomas later came out with their version of "Tramp" with Redding saying he had no money, bragged much and had little but he too was a lover.

Joe Tex also sampled Lowell Folsum's song with a popular song called, "Papa was too." In it Papa was projected as a man who was poor, wouldn't work and "covered the holes of shoes with the daily news." His redeeming factor? He was a lover.

Most memorable is the hit by the Temptations: "Papa was a rolling stone" a song that depicted papa as a man who moved from woman and very irresponsible and unstable, but he too was a lover.

Those song paint a dreary picture of fathers. They characterized as no counts whose only asset was their ability to make love and babies. Many today have the same image of their fathers.

But along comes Luther Vandross who lifted the spirit of millions who have fond memories of their fathers when he produced, "Dance with my father again." He painted a picture of a loving dad who cared for his daughter and loved his wife till death.

They were beautiful lyrics:

Back when I was a child, before life removed all the innocence
My father would lift me high and dance with my mother and me and then
Spin me around �til I fell asleep
Then up the stairs he would carry me
And I knew for sure I was loved
If I could get another chance, another walk, another dance with him
I�d play a song that would never, ever end
How I'd love, love, love
To dance with my father again

The ultimate depiction of a father's love is this:

"For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

No matter how many bad attributes fathers have; they all have a few positives,too. We are a summary of of everything all that father is or was; both the good and the bad.

It's those positives that endear us and make some yearn to "Dance with my father again."

Grits in one minute, what about an 8 minute sermon?

One minute grits, now the 8 minute sermon!

I was really amused to read that the Pope has recommended that all of the Catholic Church's priests and deacons shorten their sermons, called homilies, to 8 minutes. The Pope reasons that people have short attention spans, so priests should get to the point quickly. He made their job even harder because he also recommended that their sermons address the issues and concerns of the day; all in eight minutes.

One priest in Ireland took it one step further. He has cut the sermon out altogether. He offers his parishioners a full 15 minute worship, without the sermon; attendance doubled.

Eight minutes won't won't work among evangelicals. It certainly won't work among traditional Black Baptists like myself. It sometimes takes us 8 minutes to read the text and say, "The Lord has been good to us; better than we have been to ourselves."

An eight minute sermon? What will that do to the people who can only sleep at church? It will ruin their sleep! Those who send texts during the sermon won't have enough time to complete their conversations?

On the other hand those who actually come to hear a word from the Lord could be cheated. They blocked out several hours for their worship experience, the highlight of which is "A word from the Lord." Some drive long distances, wait in traffic and undergo severe weather for the expressed purpose of hearing "The Word." Obviously, there are times that they are relieved to receive a "quickie" but most prefer that their minister would give them a full serving.

In many black rural churches a deacon will yell out, "Take your time, Reverend, take your time."

Somehow the appeal of the 8 minute sermon is lost on those who truly want to hear an inspired message from heaven. These are the faithful who come to worship and praise, but dare not leave until they learn from God's watchman, the thoughts God has put on his heart for them; however long it takes.

They are like the people in Isaiah 21:11-12 who asked, "He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come."

We all want to hear from the watchman who stands on the wall of our future, what will the night bring; is there hope for the coming morning?

Wouldn't it be a shame if just before the pastor came to the part of the sermon that offered us hope and inspiration that he looked at his watch and said, "Sorry, 8 minutes have passed; that's it for today."

8 minutes sounds like a great idea, but on second thought won't serve any purpose whatsoever.

When the quickie becomes what's regular then the next alternative is to have no word at all.

Some would like that..

I wouldn't.

If it's still there after four hours- ha ha ha-hee hee

Have you seen the disclaimers on TV ads? They are hilarious!

TV ads often carry some type of disclaimer or warning. Sometimes the disclaimer is longer than the commercial.

When you think about it, many church members have disclaimers on their godly relationship. Our official commercial says, "I am a Church member. I believe in God. I am a follower of Christ."

Then the disclaimer comes:

"The faith I talk about on Sunday may not be reflected in my everyday living so any recordings or videos of what I say and do cannot be made without my written permission. Be advised that my actions are subject to change without notice. If any of my actions resemble actual Christians, living or dead, it is purely unintentional.

I can be washed in the blood but hand washed only in water warmed to my pleasing. Handle me with care and do not expose me to any situations that may bend me, fold me or otherwise get on my last nerve.

I am a Christian but this claim is void where it is prohibited or unpopular. You must accept me on an "as is basis" without any warranties expressed or implied.

Be on guard when you hear me speak because some of you may find my language objectionable with explicit lyrics, so parental guidance is advised.

I am able to show love in limited quantities on a one time per day per family basis, but I don't always come with a pleasant attitude, some assembly is required.

I'm a church member but I don't do much, you see, action figures are sold separately. I don't pray much so I don't have much power and batteries are not included.

If your dealings with me result in rash behavior, irritating conversation or swelling develops discontinue your dealings with me for a while. I must not be placed in stressful or flammable situations because I blow easily; I must not be punctured, cracked on or laughed at or I could be hazardous to your health.

I'm saved but don't deal with me if you see that my safety seal has been broken or tampered with by the devil. Sometimes I might make you sick to your stomach, if so, do not induce vomiting and if my behavior persists remember me in your prayers.

If I promise you anything allow four to six weeks for delivery but don't expect me to help in case of flood, hurricanes, lighting, volcanic eruption, tsunami, earthquakes, oil spills or acts of God unless you pay me.

I tend to get settled in my ways so shake well before using me in any service. Being a church member is easy but being a Christian could be a challenge. If you see me acting as a Christian I am dysfunctional; if this condition exists for more than four hours, something is seriously wrong consult a physician at once.

Should we be ashamed and disclaim our faith? Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.

See you in four hours. LOL

She called the mortician and he was glad

Who encourages those who encourage others? Does anyone care about the caregiver?

A while back, there was a power outage in our city nearly everyone was powerless. We were prepared with an ample supply of batteries, candles and other necessities. We thought of the local funeral director and my wife picked up the phone and called him to inquire about his safety and to offer assistance. To our surprise he was floored by the outreach.

"In all my years of reaching out to others no one has ever asked me how I was doing or offered to help me," he said. He didn't need any help but the thought has lingered with him continuously and serves as an encouragement in lonely times, that someone does care about him.

He helped thousands of families through their grief; he inquired about and cared for them long after their mourning ended, but no one ever called back.

After many years, someone actually inquired about his well being, he was encouraged, strengthened and inspired.

We have a responsibility to encourage each other, especially those who are facing difficulties. A word of sincere interest and concern helps. That's why we are taught to encourage each other. In a way, we hold each other's hand in crises and draw strength from each other to continue.

We need a little more hand holding as we strive to survive and thrive in this life.

1 Thessalonians 2:12 says, "holding your hand, whispering encouragement, showing you step-by-step how to live well before God, who called us into his own kingdom, into this delightful life.

That one phone call to the mortician was a witnessesing moment that he has shared with hundreds of others. What would happen if thousands of us made one encouraging call a day?

Try it.

The class thug punched out the class clown, but made straight A's

What do the class clown and class thug have in common? Emotions! How successful each of them becomes depends on their ability to express and manage their emotions.

The inability to manage emotions can create a situation where the smartest boy in the class is also the class thug who punches the funniest boy in the class for being funny.

While reading the premise of Dr. Daniel Goleman's book "Emotional Intelligence" I thought about the number of smart youth I have mentored over the years who were emotionally impotent. I have seen so many smart boys who could not control their tempers or others who were academic whiz kids but could not express themselves openly or relate to other people.

Dr. Goleman contends that EQ is as important as our IQ. A smart man who cannot express himself emotionally or manage his emotions doesn't go very far. If he has risen, his demise is lurking somewhere in the near future. He says managing emotions is something that should be taught in school, especially since it is crucial to career success. He has his critics of course; they claim that there is no "right" or "wrong" emotion and such things should not be taught.

Somehow I tend to think there would be fewer fights, less violence and more creativity if children are taught, from childhood, how to express emotions properly and how to manage their emotions.

Maybe fewer people would get punched in the nose.

Emotional management is best taught to children and as they mature the qualities will exhibit themselves in every aspect of life.

Dr. Goleman thinks schools should do the training but the bible puts the responsibility on everyone who has any dealing with a child beginning with its parents.

Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

What's next? Along with our IQ we will probably get an EQ number as well.

Many who pass the IQ test may flunk the EQ, get angry, storm out of the meeting and curse out the test administrator for being so dumb!

I lost the watermelon eating contest, but I had fun!

I lost the watermelon eating contest

It was really silly, but it was fun. Several churches in our district participated in a joint Vacation Bible School last week. It ended with a big old school style picnic that featured a watermelon eating contest. The contest was kicked off by the pastors competing. We each received a slice of watermelon and were told to eat it as fast as we could leaving no red on the rhine.

When they said "go" I plunged into my melon. However, years of doing things by a system clicked in. I proceeded to eating my melon as fast as I could but I proceeded left to right making sure that I left an even path. It looked neat but it was slow. You can't win a contest when you insist that your melon be consumed evenly and proportionately across the rhine.

The other pastors knew how to win the contest. They gobbled theirs down quickly leaving me to come in last. One even grabbed handsful of melon with his hands stuffed his mouth. The believers laughed so hard they almost cried. Cell phone cameras were everywhere, pictures were being posted on Youtube and facebook instantly.

One pastor won the bragging rights as the watermelon eating King, the rest of us had watermelon juice all over our faces and drippings all over our shirts.

It was messy, but it was fun.

It was a great day in which everyone enjoyed great fellowship with the youth and some fine foods. It was hot, too but noone seemed to notice.

Those who live the Christian life are a joyous bunch. Without drunkedness, drugs or other articificial means we experience the Joy of the Lord on this side of heaven while preparing for an even greater joy on the other side.

In fact it is this ability to enjoy life in the Lord that makes the Christian life unique. It makes us strong.

Nehemiah 8:10 ".. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

I lost the watermelon eating contest on this side of heaven, so I better practice my milk and honey skills so I can be ready for the contest on the other side.

When trusting God is pushed to the side...

They pushed God to the side, then put him back!

There are two kinds of Presidential one dollar coins floating around, one has an almost invisible "In God we trust" and the other has the phrase inscribed on the face. Confusing?

In 2007 the U.S. Mint started distributing coins featuring likenesses of all of the Presidents. However, the new design rubbed a lot of people because it took the words "In God we trust" from the front of the coin and put it on the edge instead. Since no one ever reads the edge of a coin many thought it had been removed altogether. Thanks to the Internet a silent national protest began and in 2009 "In God we trust" made it back to the front of the coins.

The original idea of placing the "trust" statement out of edge of the coin and nearly out of sight is a sign of the times; we are trusting God less. It seems as though God is being pushed out of all public life and private lives as well.

However, the protest that resulted in it being replaced is also a sign. It's a sign of of what happens when people of God stand up.

Trusting God should not be a debatable concern for believers; it is understood. We must trust Him for our very being. We cannot move Him to the edge of our life experience; He demands and deserves first place.

We should trust Him for our daily needs, protection and favor. We dare not risk moving Him to the edge of our lives or even worse,out of our lives altogether.

Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

If you happen to run upon one of those dollar coins with "God" on the edge, keep it as an example of what can happen if the faithful ever lose sight of God.

Why can't we have a good time without getting whissy drunk?

He was so drunk he could not stand; so he fell and kept falling.

I tried to help a man once who was whissy drunk. He was so drunk he could not put one foot in front of the other; he fell each time he made a step. He caught my attention because he was sitting on the church step at 4 a.m. in the morning. I put him in my car and carried him home, but he couldn't walk in so I had to help him do that, too. In all of his clumsiness he kept laughing, slobbering at the mouth and holding on to a 40 ounce bottle of beer which he held high even when he flopped down on the sofa of his house.

I checked back the next day and he couldn't remember any of it. He didn't remember me bringing him home or how he got there. I asked why he felt the need to get whissy drunk so often. He said it helps him forget for a while who he has "f--ked up my life."

We talked about changing, regrouping, starting fresh. He agreed that I was right. He even promised to begin a regular worship routine and get his act together. When I talked about the Spirit of God I noticed a twinkle in his eye at the sound of the word "spirit." He smiled.

I wonder about those who can't have a good time without a drink or two or three. Alcohol is an awful crutch and a pain generator. It kills slowly and methodically as it gives its victims an escape for the moment.

I thought about that this morning as I read Ephesians 5:18 "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit"

A short time after that encounter, I saw the man again; sitting on the church step. He was whissy drunk again.

He sat on the church step but he never came inside or let God inside.

He was filled with the spirits.

When sexuality and spirituality clash

Her sexuality overpowered her spirituality; it buried the message of her song.

I saw a video of a gospel singer whose song was inspiring but was diminished slightly because her attire drew more attention to her sexuality than her spirituality and message. It may have been just show business. My wife and I concluded that she was attractive but the accents on her numerous sexual assets were a distraction. We kept wondering whether everything would fall out if she jumped one more time; we missed much of the message of her song.

Then I thought about many young Christians who are struggling to express their spirituality but don't know what to do with their sexuality. Some try to do both at the same time. That's when you see a young lady sing a powerful song but she's wearing a dress with her boobs propped up and popping out, bra less or otherwise accenting her sexual endowments. In this case, sexuality overpowers spiritual message.

Spirituality is not just praising God, it's your whole attitude about godliness, restraint, modesty and humility. It's more than what you do in praise it's what you do on other ways as well.

Likewise, sexuality is your whole attitude about sex, taboos, fantasies and values. It's more than what you do with what you got. It's your mindset, too. It's what you think about what you've got and what you wish you had.

Christians have a spiritual side but we also have a sense of sexuality. The trick is to make sure that there is an appropriate balance.

There is a scripture that says, "In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you."(Titus 2:7-8

In the world, sex sells; however in a spiritual context it is a bad sell if our goal is to witness for Christ.

President's gutter language raised eyebrows

Gutter talk sounds odd coming from the "cool" President, but

It made all of the headlines yesterday when President Obama used gutter colloquialisms to express his frustration with the oil spill in the gulf coast. It's a documented fact that many of the president of the 20th century used very rough language in private conversations with their staff members, but it's rarely spoken in pubic, and definitely not part of formal presidential interviews in front of T.V. Cameras.

But the videos made it undeniable. Obama said, ""I don't sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar, we talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick."

It's now official. The nation's leader has given his endorsement to "a--" kicking, at least metaphorically. Instantly YouTube videos appeared, cartoons were generated, editorial columns were written and school children watching news channels in a thousand classrooms were wowed!

Earlier, this year, the vice-president spoke with his microphone open and whispered in the President's ear at a news conference "this is a big fu--king deal" after the passage of the health care bill. It too was widely reported; at least it was whispered and not official.

Once the president and the vice-president are seen in public using gutter language it won't be long before the public is desensitized and it becomes common place.

Obviously the President is frustrated over the BP oil spill; yet even in frustration restraint is required.

There is a bible passage that reflects this dilemma: "Isaiah 8:21 "Frustrated and famished, they try one thing after another. When nothing works out they get angry, cursing first this god and then that one, Looking this way and that,"

When we get upset and curse it shows frustration but doesn't solve problems.

There is an old saying, "It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."

Hopefully, we've heard our last bit of gutter talk from the President. If he continues, the public could very well get angry and start looking for "whose a-- to kick."

I know what you did last night

I know what you did last night. Hmmmm

Remember the movie "I know what you did last summer?" A note from an anonymous person alerting us that our actions, thought to be secret a year ago, were really known by someone could be unsettling. Suppose such a note detailed knowledge of what we did last month, last week, or even last night were received, would we be a little unsettled.

We'd like to believe that there are some places we go and things we do that are out of the sight of those we don't care to know. Because we are human we often say or think the unthinkable, and do the unreasonable and unbelievable.

Sometimes we are ashamed of ourselves!

Then there is a mental note that seems to come out of nowhere, creeping into our dreams or popping up behind in an idle moment..."I know what you did last night. I saw it all. I heard it all... I know!"

It is a heavenly note!

There are no secrets from God, he has our lives bugged, videoed and angelically archived, dated and annotated. He knows!

He also knows what troubles us and what hurts. He knows what we pray about and why we cry. He knows everything!

There is a bible passage that tells us that he knows: "Psalms 139:4-7 You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you're there, then up ahead and you're there, too— your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful— I can't take it all in! Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? "

God knows what we did, what we are doing, what we are thinking and what we are planning. That's good to know because as I pray about something I know he hears me and will answer me in due time.

The best part is that despite what he knows about me...He loves me anyway!

He read the bible, they stood up, he read it again but they sat down

If you stand when the text is read, why not when other scriptures are read as well?

I noticed recently that a preacher opened his bible to announce his text and the people immediately stood while the text was read. It was, he said, a show of awe and respect for the sacredness of the word of God. I could receive that, however, I noticed that he read from the bible several times in his sermon but the people did not stand each time. Why were they respectful and awed only the first time the text is read but not thereafter?

I learned that it was a ritual, in a non-denominational church that frowns on rituals and ceremony.

It appears there is a passage in the bible that focuses on a point in Israel's history when the only copy of the word of God had been found after being lost for a generation. Thousands gathered around as an old prophet stood on a platform to read its sacred pages. Excited, the people stood from dawn to noon, six or seven hours, as he read every word.

The passage is this, Nehemiah 8:5 "And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:"

If this is to be a modern guide, then we should note that the people never sat when the word was read, so each time a preacher reads a passage in his sermon, should the people stand? Or closer to the text, should they stand throughout the whole sermon? If they only stand once, then the first act is only symbolic; it is a ritual.

It is not wrong to stand when the text is read. It is certainly not a sin. Neither is it commanded by God. It is a man made ritual.

It's easy for rituals and new denominational trends to begin anew, even for those who profess a dislike for tradition, rituals and denominations.

Better than ritual, I think it best that I show awe and respect for God by hiding his word in my heart and striving to live by it everyday...even if I do sit down when when I read it from my I-pad.

Why are they all up in my business?

Does it irritate you when someone meddles in your business?

You know the feeling because you have had it to happen to you.

Buy a new car and your friends are all up in your business: how much did it cost? Who signed for it? What was your interest rate. How were you able to get it that cheap when no one else could?

Get a new friend. Who is he? Where is he from? Does he have any money?

Get a new job. Who are you working for? How much do you make? How did you find out about it?

People are so nosy that when they come to your home they read your mail left on the table, try peek at your computer screen and inspect everything they see. They can't stay out of your business.

When you were young, your parents stayed in your business; they were always asking questions. They made you take your medicine, eat your food and they wouldn't let you drive because you were not old enough, and you could not date because you were too young.

Now they are old, and you're all up in their business telling them what to eat, when to take their medicine, snatching their car keys because they are too old and not approving their special friends and dates because you think they are too old.

Everybody is up in everybody else's business.

What do you do when God decides to get up in your business? You can't shut Him out or ignore Him. You can't raise your hand and give Him the brick wall.

Unlike your neighbors, when God gets in your business He can straighten it out and work it out.

There is a passage Isaiah 31:2 that says, "Still, he must be reckoned with, a most wise God who knows what he's doing. He can call down catastrophe. He's a God who does what he says. He intervenes in the work of those who do wrong, stands up against interfering evildoers."

We want people out of our business, but whether we want it or not, God will intervene and get all up in our business; always for our good.

40 Million on foodstamps, God will make a way

Forty million families on food stamps, that's a big number

This week the government announced that there are now 40 million Americans receiving food assistance commonly known as food stamps. (There are 309 million Americans in the USA) The number represents a 21 percent increase over this time last year and it is increasing monthly because of unemployment.

The food assistance program assures that families in our nation do not face starvation because of a lack of food. However, there is a conundrum. Food stamps buy food but not washing powder, deodorant or soap. With unemployment nearing 10 percent many are still hungry because they are selling portions of the food stamps to get money to keep the lights on. You can't keep the milk cold without a refrigerator, you can't boil the water or cook store bought foodstuffs in the microwave without electricity. So some sell their food stamps for .50 cents on the dollar to get enough to keep the utilities on.

It's not legal, but it's a reality. It's happening.

It seems like an endless spiral because the stamps are sold to get utilities or pay rent, but without a sufficient supply of stamps, many face the prospect of hunger all over again.

Without faith that God will make a way, it's possible for those caught in this endless loop to mentally lose it!

Those who are temporarily in trouble should not be totally discouraged; God is still on the throne. He will shake the borders of the universe if necessary to care for the industrious righteous. He has promised it and it will be done.

There is a passage in Psalms 37:25 that says, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."

Those temporarily forced to use food stamps should not consider themselves beggars but those making use of an available resource. Lift up your heads, do what you have to do to use every available resource and legal means to keep food on the table.

Don't give up, keep the the faith.

God will make a way; the righteous will not be forsaken.

The devil or the umpire stole his perfect game

He pitched the perfect game, then the umpire stole it.

Everyone of us can can can relate to what happened this week to a Detroit pitcher who pitched the perfect game, only to have it stolen from him by an admitted bad call from the umpire. Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga had pitched the perfect game against Cleveland and he was down to the final out. But a botched call by an umpire blew his chance to make it into the history books as only the 21st person in MLB league history, and the first ever Detroit Tiger to pitch the perfect game.

The umpire reviewed the video and admitted he made a bad call; in tears he apologized. The fans protested, millions watched the video on the Internet; they protested too. Baseball's great names and legends protested, but the baseball commissioner refused to reverse the call. He said mistakes and errors in judgment by umpires is part of the game and a part of life.

Perfection. We all strive to achieve it but it always eludes us. We can't ever seem to get everything just the way we want. Sometimes we make it through an entire day perfectly, then at the last minute, something goes wrong and perfection eludes us. We set a straight path the inevitably gets a crook in it somewhere.

While perfection is a goal for us, it is elusive because we are imperfect by design. We live in an imperfect world and interact with imperfect people similar to ourselves. Bad people, bad calls, and mistakes in judgment mess up our lives, whether done by ourselves or forces outside of our control.

That's a bum deal.

Our joy is knowing that we don't have to be perfect in every way. The beauty of being a child of God is that we have an honest judge who will consider our situation in the end and because of the blood of Christ, reverse our imperfections and declare us sufficient to stand before God, worthy of heaven.

2 Timothy 4:8 (msg) says,".. he's an honest judge. He'll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming."

Had the baseball commissioner in Detroit had this passage in mind, he would have reviewed the video, accepted the umpire's statement of perfection and allowed Mr. Galarraga to take his place in history as the first Detroit pitcher to ever pitch a perfect game.

Thankfully, if the devil tries to steal our perfect day, we have a loving God who will do right by us and straighten it out.

We won't ever be perfect, but God will love us perfectly.

That's fine with me.

Faith in the Word on Sunday, live against it on Monday

A politician who loves the Word but votes against; can that be?

Often politicians express openly that they have great faith in God and follow the teachings of the bible. For example President Obama claims to be a Christian but he promotes the acceptance and expansion of homosexuality in the nation and endorses abortion, both of which are repeatedly called abominations in the word of God.

The latest example of political inconsistency came this week when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she believed "The Word" (she wouldn't say the word God) should drive public policy. Here's what she said:

“They ask me all the time, ‘What is your favorite this? What is your favorite that? What is your favorite that?’ And one time, ‘What is your favorite word?’ And I said, ‘My favorite word? That is really easy. My favorite word is the Word, is the Word. And that is everything. It says it all for us. And you know the biblical reference, you know the Gospel reference of the Word.”
“And that Word," Pelosi said, "is, we have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the Word. The Word. Isn’t it a beautiful word when you think of it? It just covers everything. The Word."

Pelosi, a devout Catholic, says she believes in the Word but for political reasons she votes for abortion and promotes homosexuality, both of which are banned in the Word.

Jesus said of those who learn his words in Luke 6:48-49 "If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss."

If politicians actually put the word into public policy the nation would be a drastically different place.

He made an A in football, but failed everything else

He made an A in football, but failed all other subjects.

A young friend of mine is facing summer school again after earning grades of D and F in all of his subjects. He failed a full year of social studies, math, and science and made D's in all other subjects. However, he did earn an A in football.

The school will allow him to pass to the next grade if he enrolls in summer school for one of those failed subjects. He's tickled because he'll still get to play football in the 9th grade instead of spending another year in the 8th.

His mother wants to pull him out of athletics and focus on his academics but the coaches tell her that he is "athletically gifted" and should be allowed to play on the school's team. They are bending every rule to get him into high school so that this academically deficient student can demonstrate his athletic gifts and help the school win games.

The mother is frustrated. The son is disillusioned; he hears the coaches tell him that he can go all the way to the pros. He doesn't pay attention to the fact that nearly all NFL players are college graduates and all attended college to some length.

With D's and F's he won't get into college at all. Apparently that doesn't matter to some people, they plan to pass him along through his high school years. He will help the school win games but after he graduates, or gets too old, that's when they will dump him.

He loses.

My advice to her was to let him repeat the grade, pull him out of athletics altogether, and plunge him to a year long "catch up" crusade of special tutoring and instruction to help him get his head ready for life. It would be expensive and time consuming but by no means should she allow him to go forward without the proper academics. She didn't take my advice or similar advice from others.

Against her better judgment, the mother enrolled him in summer school to learn in a few days what he did not learn the entire year. She will also let him move into high school deficient in core subjects that will not get easier but harder. You see, the coaches convinced her that her son is athletically gifted and should not be deprived of his chance.

We have a responsibility to train and direct the paths of our children. They are children, they do not know what they need. We must train them to value knowledge, develop their talents and to apply themselves. If we don't do it when they are young, they will grow old having missed their mark in life.

This need for training is biblical. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

The young man can't see how he is being used. When he wakes up a few years from now and recognizes what has happened to him, he will be frustrated and angry with the world, his mother and his high school coach.

Many didn't remember the military dead on Memorial Day

How many actually remembered the dead yesterday?

Yesterday was Memorial Day. It was designed for the nation to pay tribute to those who died in defense of our nation. Freedom comes with a very high price, for thousands that price was their lives.

During our worship service Sunday we offered special words of tribute to the families of slain veterans. We were surprised to see the number of families touched by military service, past and present. Memorial Day to them has a special meaning.

On yesterday there were many programs, ceremonies and tributes across the nation, but unfortunately they were dwarfed by millions who did not honor the fallen in any way. There were no flags placed on the graves of loved ones in their families. No flags flown outside of homes, even though they received one at the funeral of their loved one. There were no family reflections on the life and contributions of family members to this nation's history through military service. -To many Memorial Day was just a long weekend, which many began by taking off last Friday.

Beaches, shopping, parties and chilling out; that was Memorial Day for too many.

However, each tombstone in Arlington National Cemetery and other grave sites across the nation and beside distant battlefields reminds us of the price of our freedoms. It deserves respect. I didn't serve in the military. My brother was a Marine; one of my sons was a Marine. My father in law died in the military. Military service touched our family. (My wife calls herself an Army Brat.) We talk about her father's service and document his involvement all through the year.

We remember.

Revelation 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Amen.

Why Y'all hatin on me; don't God say judge not?

Why you hatin on me? The bible says judge not.

That's what the young man said when a member of his church mentioned to him in private that the music on his I-pod and his phone ring tones were inconsistent with the testimony he gave in church. Earlier, the same church member had praised him publicly for his service in the church, his volunteerism and apparent desire to live the Christian life. That didn't matter, the young man went off!

"That's what's wrong with people, they always hatin and judging people. Don't the bible say judge not?" The young man said angrily.

In his mind, people should only tell him what he likes to hear; if there is something he doesn't like, they should not think it or speak it to anyone else.

When our weaknesses are pointed out we call that judging or hatin. When our strengths are highlighted, that's not judging.

When the member praised the young man's good points publicly he made a judgment based on what he saw. The young man had no objection because he perceived those statements as being deserved. When the same member made another judgment and spoke to him in private about his inconsistencies, he called that judging him or hatin.

In reality, the bible encourages us to evaluate the actions of those in the church, but to be careful to evaluate the actions by the same standard we would also like to be evaluated by. Evaluations and judgments based on hearsay, assumptions and perceptions may not be accurate or fair. However, if we report an observation of an action that does not call for speculation or assumption and do it in the manner that the word describes, it is not only scriptural but actually required of all believers.

When we see believers doing good things we should praise them. That calls for a judgment.

When we see believers involved in ungodly pursuits that are harmful and inconsistent with the faith, we should tell them privately. That calls for a judgment, too.

There is a phrase that follows, "Judge not..." Look at John 7:24 "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."

Then there is this passage that really makes the point, "1 Corinthians 5:12-13 "I'm not responsible for what the outsiders do, but don't we have some responsibility for those within our community of believers? God decides on the outsiders, but we need to decide when our brothers and sisters are out of line and, if necessary, clean house."

The purpose of a destructive criticism is to tear a person down. However, the purpose of a constructive criticism is to help correct and build a person up.

Unfortunately, we call anything we don't like to hear "Hatin."

I brought you in this world, I'll take you out

When your mama talks, keep your mouth shut.

The young lady was right; her mother had the wrong information. However, she tried to exchange words with her mother, rolled her eyes and then tried to walk off while her mother spoke. The conversation changed to confrontation, it became threatening, insults were exchanged, then the mother slapped the daughter several times.

Then there was silence.

Tears.

A few hours later, the mother learned that her daughter had been right about their issue. Apologies followed. Then there were more tears and requests for forgiveness.

Two lessons were learned that day. Parents should allow their children a chance to speak, uninterrupted, to explain themselves when questions arise. Situations often have odd appearances but logical explanations. Some clarifications reduces the need to argue.

The second lesson is that no matter how wrong your mother may be in an argument; "Be still, and keep your mouth shut while she is speaking and don't say one word after she has spoken unless asked." Mothers deserve a tremendous amount of respect, but they can be wrong. We must find ways to tactfully differ with them that does not show disrespect.

When there is a heated exchange between mother and child, many mothers in our neck of the woods have been known to throw down the gauntlet and say, "Keep messing with me, I brought you in this world and I'll take you out." -It's a threat spoken in tested love but carries serious implications.

Millions on our side of the track have been hit with shoes, switches, books, dishes, fan belts, straps, telephone receivers and just about anything else when we crossed our mothers and showed disrespect.They mean what they say.

Wise mothers have learned to listen to their children, treat them with respect and to act in love even in the midst of controversy and disagreement.

Wise children will always, approach mothers with respect; even when they believe she's wrong.

That's non-debatable.


Exodus 20:12 "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."

Mother and daughter learned something after they finished their argument. The daughter learned to show her mother respect but she also learned although her mother said she would "take her out" in reality her mother would give up her own life if it would save her daughter.

In anger bad feelings prevail, but love conquers all.

One bus prayed, while the other watched

One bus was seeking praise the other plays.

It was an odd sight. Two buses met on the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart last night. The parking lot is regular loading spot for those who are riding private buses to one destination or another. Last night, one of the buses was filled with people who were going to sing praises to God in Florida. Ironically, the other bus was filled with people who were going to gamble at a Mississippi casino. (The casino charters buses to outlying cities and offers them free rides to gamble.)

The riders of the first bus formed a huge circle on the parking lot and prayed fervently for a safe passage and for God's blessing for their purpose. The second group did not pray but watched from the bus windows.

It must have been an odd moment for the riders of the first bus because there were many recognized as prominent church members on the first bus, slipping away in the dark to gamble. Something should have clicked inside when they saw the people on the second bus praying while they sat snugly, comfortably and securely watching.

Both buses left the lot, one group traveling to sing and praise and another group hoping to bet money or pick a slot machine that pays.

There is a bible passage that says, Joshua 24:15 "Choose you this day whom ye will serve;... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

We all choose to ride a life bus; only one will take us to peace in the arms of God. The other is a losing bet.

We have to choose which bus we will ride.

He raped them with his eyes, was that wrong?

He didn't touch them, but he raped them with his eyes!

A young man told me that he often rapes women with his eyes. He said when he sees females whose breasts protrude or pants tightly fit all of their curves he gets excited and he imagines himself undressing them, tearing off the rest of their clothes and ravishing them. He said the women invited him to imagine what it would be like to ravish them because they dressed in ways that invited him. So, with his eyes, he raped them; sometimes as many as seven or eight women a day.

He said he didn't do anything wrong because he only undressed them with his eyes; and only those who dressed in ways that invited fantasy voyeurism. He read in the bible where sexual impurity is a sin before God, but he said he never crosses the line; he keeps himself pure. He never touches these women or takes any inappropriate actions. In fact, they don't even know they have been undressed in his mind.

He wanted to know if thinking about doing it with these women was a sin.

There is only one answer.

Matthew 5:27-28 "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

Put in that context, there are many people who are guilty, not just this young man. There are some women who are guilty as well.

It appears that our fantasies can get us in trouble with the big guy above.

God doesn't just judge us by what we do, but also by what we think. So, we must work diligently to think on those things that will be acceptable to Him.

We shouldn't dress in ways that tempt others and neither should we let reckless eyeballing plunge us into disfavor with the Lord.

He wouldn't tell her he loved her; she kept asking

He said he loved her, but didn't want anyone to know.

A friend answered his phone and spoke to one of his significant others. At the end of the conversation, she could be heard saying, "Say, you love me" to which he answered "I do." She repeatedly asked, "Say it! Say you love me." He looked at us and said, "I do." Finally, he turned his back and whispered into the phone "I love you." We all laughed; he didn't mean a word he said.

We've all seen the people who were ashamed to own their lovers in public. They are good people in private, but not in public. There are some who are not very good at the mushy stuff, but there are others who have a good reason why they don't express love in public; their secret may be revealed.

I would hate to be the secret lover, the one that is kept in the dark from the rest of the world. That's the one that hears all the words of praise in private but never in public. It should be a horrible feeling being the other woman or the other man.

Imagine how God feels when we confess our love for him in private but when we are among our friends, co-workers and school mates, we have to speak of him quietly, almost apologetically, afraid to let anyone know. It must be a horrible feeling to God to be our secret love, to be worshipped at home, privately but never never recognized in public.


Luke 9:26 says, "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels."


Soon after my friend finished whispering "I love you" quietly into the phone, his other girl appeared just as he shut off his phone.

Court benches are hard, we all have a bench

In court, everyone sits on the same hard bench

It's a humbling experience when you go to court. Everyone sits on the same hard bench, blending into a sea of nameless faces oblivious of title and position. Every one of the accused is exposed, and completely vulnerable; unable to avoid the embarassing revelations about to be revealed.

I attended a court session yesterday. A former congressman had to appear in court on charges that he pulled a gun on two black youth accusing them of stealing his wallet. I watched the Congressman, sitting on the last row in the court to avoid being noticed. I also watched as he tried to justify pulling the gun. They were not the suspects. He was wrong.

Police didn't jail him because of his status. He missed two other trial dates because of his status. Unable to avoid it any longer he stood before a judge, stripped of title and prestige to answer for his acts.

Standing in front of the judge, he plead No Contest to his charge.

One day each of us will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. It will be a humbling experience that will prove to be an equalizer. Our positions, titles and influence won't matter. When our record is read and the highlight video of our life is replayed, we may have to plead "No contest."

I thought of a bible passage that says, in Romans 14:10-12 "...for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."

Like the Congressman we may plead "No contest" or "Guilty" but unlike him our hope is in Christ's promise to intercede on our behalf to get the final sentence -"Forgiven."

I spill, you spill, oil spills; who cleans it up?

I spill things sometimes, who cleans it up?

Occasionally, I spill things: a glass a water here, a can of soda there. Often not much damage is done except the time I spilled a can of Coke on my lap top computer. I once spilled spaghetti on my necktie, it dropped right off the spoon. A trash bag burst once and all of the contents spilled on to my wife's newly waxed floor. I spilled a whole glass of water once on the crouch area of my pants once; people stared because it looked as if I had wet myself. It was a big spot.

We all spill things, the question is: "Who cleans up afterwards?"

I usually grab a towel or whatever is available and try to clean up behind myself, but my wife says my efforts to cleanup only mess up more. She has to take over to get it done right.

When I spill something, it's usually small. What if I spilled something bigger?

In New Orleans there is a massive oil spill that is devastating the Louisiana Coast. An oil well owned by British Petroleum, Inc. (BP) exploded, killed many workers and is spewing over 210,000 gallons of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico. Birds, fish and livelihoods are being threatened. BP has promised to clean it up and pay everyone for their losses including the state and individual businesses and families.

Even that huge commitment is not enough at present because the oil is still spewing into the water and it appears to worsen daily. The complaints are multiplying.

When it's all over who will clean it up? Except for the lives lost, BP promises to restore everything. It may be too big a job for BP alone. Some want that government to take over and manage the recovery.

Sometimes we mess up in our lives. Like a giant spill we mess up everything. Like BP, we promise to make it all right but despite our best plans we can't stop the massive seepage everyday.

It's obvious that we need a higher power to take over and manage our recovery. We can't save ourselves from ourselves. We need God's help. He has the power to get the job done. We need God's power for restoration.

There is a bible passage that says, "Psalms 51:10-12 "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit."

That can of Coke that spilled on my laptop cost me about $1,500 to replace the unit. That's one spill that won't happen again.

My life spills costs a lot too; that's why I'm taking extra caution to insure that they don't happen again.

A fight, bullhorns and shouts at a graduation?

A fight and shouts at a graduation? Believe it.

I attended a graduation last week but couldn't really enjoy the moment because of the distractions. I sat behind man who held a half dozen helium filled balloons that blocked the view of the stage of about 100 people behind him. To my left, two women were pulling on each other, fighting over something that must have been senseless; they stopped before it escalated too far. On the podium, the graduates marched across the stage but their names were inaudible as their "fans" blew bull horns and screams. It all made the graduation less enjoyable because of all of the distractions.

I always thought that graduations were joyous but extremely dignified events. For the parents and grandparents in the audience graduations have even more importance because many made great sacrifices to for their family graduate to walk across the stage. To have that moment stolen by foolish antics, fighting, and shouting is disheartening. They worked so long to hear that name called, only to have it drowned out or upstaged by the undisciplined.

Those who did their own thing and stole the moment from others had fun themselves, but they did not act wisely or prudently.

There is a bible verse that says,(Proverbs 10:23) It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.

Those who act foolishly at graduations, might deserve a few days of detention; at least until they learn wisdom.

Saint on Sunday thug the rest of the week

He was a pastor but he looked like a thug; he said people should not judge him.

The young man was pastor of an old church in our community. On Sunday, he preached a powerful word that was truly awesome. On other days he, cursed loudly, dressed with with his pants sagging, sported wife beater tee-shirts, played gangsta rap music loudly from his car, and was constantly in the news for confrontations with his boyfriend that got him arrested. He said people should not judge him, only God do that. He even challenged members of his church to cast the first stone.

Somehow the young man didn't get the picture. His Sunday picture differed from the picture people saw the remaining six days. He became upset when other believers rightly expected both pictures to be the same.

That expectation applies not just to pastors, but to believers, too. It's confusing to non-believers when they see God's best doing the same sinful things that they do. Is Sunday the only day that believers are expected to be holy?

I hope I give an example of a life lived with restraint, though error proned. I hope I give the image of a person bubbling with enthusiasm, highly committed and energized but willing to admit mistakes and redirect. I hope I give the right image to those who see me; if I don't then I am an embarrassment to the cross.

There is a passage of scripture in 1 Peter 1:15-17 "As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, "I am holy; you be holy." You call out to God for help and he helps—he's a good Father that way. But don't forget, he's also a responsible Father, and won't let you get by with sloppy living. Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God."

That young minister eventually left the church and moved to another city. He left his pastorate, all he really had to do was change his life.

Selling her life at a rummage sale

A friend died this year, everything she owned is being sold at a rummage sale today.

A friend of ours died this year. She spent her life helping people and serving God. All of her worldly goods were stored in a warehouse but were given to our Boy Scout Troop to sell at a rummage sale. Furniture, silverware, microwave oven, jewelry, designer purses (with money in them) and much more are all being sold today for 10cents, $1 dollar and other low prices.

It's amazing what we value so much in life is worth so little when we leave. That's why its important to store up treasures in heaven. What's important to us in this life, will be sold by others for a dime; but what's stored in heaven will be enjoyed by you for eternity.

There is a bible verse that says, Matthew 6:19-20 "Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars."

At the rummage sale today, we will sell what she left behind; remnants of her life. But her real treasure is in heaven.

I lost my signal in the middle of my call.

Right in the middle of our conversation, I lost my signal.

The phone call was rather important I thought, especially since the two of us had been trying to connect for quite some time but had been playing phone tag. When we finally caught up with each other our exchange of information began; then suddenly the phone went dead.

"Hello, Hello, Can you hear me?" -There was no answer. Either I lost my signal or he lost his.

With all of the pressing technology that exists today no one should expect to finish a conversation because the prospect of an interrupted signal always exists.

When I thought about that I wondered about our conversations with God. Is it possible that some of us have been playing phone tag with God; He's been leaving us messages and we've been promising to get back to Him at our earliest convenience. That's when we promise to pray, read a devotional, or to attend a worship but never get around to it.

Even worse, there are times when we really need to talk to God but we lose our signal. You see, God hangs up on us if we try to talk to him while we are in the midst of our sins. Sometimes He looks at the ID, sees it's from someone who wants something but doesn't want to repent to get it. I'm sure when I'm in that state, my call gets ignored. It's like trying to talk to your grandmother while smoking a joint; she won't hear a word you have to say.

Better than Verizon or AT ant T, God can connect with us anywhere. There are no dead zones; but he has rules. We can't ask for blessings, healings,and guidance while we are willfully living sinful lives without repentance. If we want to get a call through without an interruption, we should make our first call an earnest plea for forgiveness; God will know it and pick up the phone.

There is a bible passage in Psalms 66:18 that says, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

When we are straight with God the followings verses say in Psalms 66:19-20, "But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me."

It's best that I try to straighten myself out before I try to hookup with God, or he may just hang up; or worse, not answer.

When he calls the next time, I'll change my location; find a signal and stay there, so I won't be interrupted again.

I'll do the same for my business caller, too.

I didn't look old enough for my discount

They didn't want to give me my discount; I didn't look old enough.

One of the advantages of being 61 is that you get all of these senior discounts. Some places give seniors as much as twenty percent discounts. Hotels, restaurants, stores, buses; the list is limitless. It's great! So, imagine my surprise yesterday when the cashier at a local Chinese Restaurant refused to give me my 10 percent discount. She said I didn't look old enough.

It might have been because they stared at me as I sat at a table alone using my I-Pad 3G and read 10 newspapers, scanned the State Legislative agenda, sent two emails and wrote a lengthy blog; all while sipping hot and sour soup, and nibbling fried rice covered with vegetables. I guess I didn't look or act old.

How is a 61 year old supposed to act? Bent? Broken? Out of touch? How am I supposed to look? Wrinkled? Tattered? Should I have small slow steps? Should my voice quiver and hand shake? Should I need help opening a door? Should I think Youtube is a tire and not recognize Lil Wayne?

Health and awareness is not reserved for the young; millions of seniors have the peculiar advantage of the wisdom of age and the health, strength and awareness to take advantage of what life has taught. They don't look or act old although they surely have many miles on their motors.

Moses lived to be 120 and the bible says his eyes were not dimmed and his force was not diminished. That Moses dude was cool. I like his style; he didn't even have a funeral, he lived to the last day then disappeared. Way to go!

Psalms 92:14 says, "They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing." That just about describes it!

The cashier made me produce my driver's license then said, "You won't turn 61 until next month."

"That's true," I said as I pointed to discount sign posted near the register, "But I turned 60 last year."

I got my discount and logged into my Twitter account as I walked out of the door.

No knife or fork, just chicken and french fries

She didn't know how to use a knife and fork,why was I surprised?

Yesterday, I met a young lady, about 20 years old, who caught my attention when I discovered that she did not know how to use a knife and fork to cut her meat at dinner. It was a revelation because she admitted that many in her generation don't eat foods that require cutting. "We eat chicken, nuggets and french fries," she said. Then I recalled a few years ago I attended a dinner in which steaks were served and I noticed an 18 year old trying to cut the steak with the dull side of the knife. It dawned on me that she did notknow how to use the knife because meats that required cutting were not in her diet.

A generation that has been reared on junk food and fast food has no need for knives at the dinner table; they only order finger foods and quick foods anyway.

There are many in life who are not ready to receive the rich blessings that God has for them in all matters of life because they have junk food expectations. If God delivered them an 18 ounce steak sized blessing, they wouldn't know how to handle it because they are accustomed to finger foods. A small blessing is all they want or expect out of life.

Finger foods: owning a car, not owning the dealership.
Finger foods: being a nurse's aide, not a nurse
Finger foods: wearing knockoffs, not the originals.
Finger foods: working at McDonald's, not owning the franchise.

Big blessings require a little cutting; they are too big to digest at one time. Little blessing can be nibbled and digested in small nuggets.

Many are not ready for the big blessings but will settle for french fries all of their lives. The Lord prepares a table of big blessings for each of us but often we pick over the good stuff, looking for chicken and french fry blessings.

Yet, God has prepared some big stuff for us in life. He has spread out a full course of possibilities. The big things he has planned for us are tasty, but they won't be nuggets; we'll have to work with them to spiritually digest them, but they will be good for us.

The bible says, in Psalms 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

The young lady I met told me that it didn't matter how fancy the restaurant, she would still browse the menu looking chicken and french fries; that's all she wants, that's all she will get.

The preacher was a wedding no-show, three times

The preacher didn't show up for my wedding; three times!

Yesterday, my wife and I celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary. It has been 36 years that began with the three failed marriage attempts, and 12 years of messups on my part.

In 1974 my wife and I decided to get married after two years of courtship. We contacted a local preacher to marry us but he didn't show up; he forgot. We ate the food, drank the punch and set another wedding date two weeks later, using the same preacher. He didn't show up for that one either. With a week left on the license we found another preacher, and set another date. He didn't show up either.

Finally, we found a preacher, he hurriedly signed the license before the expiration date, we filed it in the Caldwell Parish Courthouse and we went back to work. Done deal. No vows, no ceremony, no punch; but it was legal.

Since that time I have tried to be a good husband.

I think the last 24 years have been closer to the ideal than the first twelve. During the first 12 years of our marriage my ministry and business persuits were all consuming. My wife and family were secondary and it caused us considerable problems as I plunged all of our meager resources into what I called ministry but were really candies for my ego.

In the 12th year I came home to find my wife crying. She was pouring out her soul and her face was covered with tears. She had followed me in every pursuit: business, pastorate, politics and community service but did not enjoy the fact that she and my three sons were always second place to whatever new venture I conjured up. It would have been better if I had a mistress, someone to physically compete with, but how do you compete with an ego based dream that was so big that it took in the whole world but had little room for those close to it? It fact, it was all consuming.

She said, "You are saving the world but losing your own family."

That was staggering. I was faithful, I paid the bills, and kept food on the table. I thought that was all that was required. I thought I could give lectures to others about how to make a marriage work; but the sight of my wife crying said I needed to take the class, not teach it.

I got the message.

That same year I resigned as: President of the NAACP, President of the Baptist Association, and as a member of seven boards and committees. I tried to resign as pastor of the church but the church wouldn't accept my resignation. They told me to take off when I needed and whenever we did take off, they provided for her to go as well.

Since that day I operate with a different set of priorities: God, family, the world. Yes, I'm still trying to save the world I guess, but I'm trying to save my wife and family FIRST, then the world.

She doesn't cry anymore. We laugh a lot. We fight poverty together. We spend an inordinate amount of time and money helping youth. We plunge into civic projects together. Then sometimes, regardless to what anybody thinks, we take off and just disappear to who knows where; sometimes without notice.

She likes that.

God gave me a good thing. Through her, he has blessed me for 36 years of marriage and two years of courtship.

The bibles says, Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. Proverbs 18:22

About that wedding ceremony we never had; we plan to have one on our 50th anniversary! I'll get my son to perform the ceremony; I know he'll show up.

We rode above the storm.

Life looked so peaceful above the clouds; who would have thought there was a storm below!

My wife and I took a few days off last week and flew to Chicago for a dinner, a movie and some shopping. On the flight I heard the captain announce over the intercom that we would be cruising at 35,000 feet but there was a storm underway in the Chicago area. In fact, he expected the flight to be delayed a few minutes waiting for storm related runway clearances.

If there was a storm brewing below we couldn't tell. Outside our window the clouds floated like puffy white balls of cotton, gliding peacefully and quietly. The plane seemed oblivious to the storm that was forming below and the cotton candy clouds were an awesome display of God's ability to manage our situation while pushing our jet through the skies at 600 miles per hour.

We were riding above the storm nestled in the relative peace and security of the clouds, sipping orange juice and in-flight nick-knacks, while God cleared a path for our plane to land. The captain said there was a storm below; he didn't seem to worry about it, we didn't either. We read the sky mall magazine and laughed as we floated on the jet stream.

I remember a passage from Psalms 36:5 that says, "Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds."

God controls the storms of our lives. If we will trust him he will hold us above the storm, then reach into the clouds and guide us gently to the ground, Hallelujah.

When our plane touched down, the storm had passed and the sun was shining. As we stepped off the plane we heard two captains say, "Have a great day!"

Two captains: One flew the plane and the other held it in the air.