As Barack prays for himself, his family, and this country, lets join him in prayer! 
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Remember..... this is a long, hard, rough road for our brother!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The Prayer of Deliverance..... It Works for Me...
In this prayer David earnestly requested that God hear . . . answer. . . . guard. . . . save. . . . have mercy, and bring joy to him. If you need that as I do; hear is the prayer!Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid. Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Children off to College
My daughter Ricketa returned to college a Sophomore this term! She had an excellent 1st year with no trouble, Praise the Lord. She completed a 10 week internship at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. Thank God for such a blessing! Parents, these are the times when "the rubber meets the road". If we have taught them, prayed with them, trained them up in the way they should go, it could possibly tell in this season of their lives. Leaving them in dormotories and apartments with full responsibility of themselves and in the hands of the Lord will be the test of their lives. Our children must understand that the choices they make today will affect their lives forever. Succeeding in school with all of the snares and temptations lurking is tough, but the strong and the wise and the ones who have their hands in God's hand and totally lean and depend upon Him for guidance will make it! School is a short term investment for a lifetime of returns. Do well college students... We're pulling hard for you!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
The African American Church
The role of the black church in the community is so numerous until it will be difficult to impossible to address the African American Church’s role for the 21st century so I will suggest some pertinent matters that I feel the church must address in order to maintain and enhance its effectiveness.
- This is the time for the African American church to reclaim its voice and power and call for the renewal of normative, nuclear families, for Christian unity, and for spiritual rebirth. In order to do this, black churches must vigorously promote a clear and biblical view of human sexuality, marriage and the family, love, respect and honor for itself and others. As the pastors and churches continue to fall from grace through scandal, abuse, deceit, and mistrust, so does the influence of the church and its ability to persuade, impact and inspire.
- The black church must find the humility to confront the sin within its walls and lead by example, which will over time increase its influence in families and among young people.
Success in ministry today is too often measured not by the response to the altar call but by church attendance, the number of preaching invitations a pastor receives and whether the congregation gets revved up during worship services. I believe true ministry isn't measured by what happens inside church walls, but by the change that takes place in the communities outside it. God's purpose for man on this planet has not changed. He told us in Genesis 28 to be fruitful, multiply, replenish, subdue and take dominion of the earth. That’s a clear picture of community transformation.
Pastoral care has come to mean care of the pastor with no guarantees of care by the pastor. Hence in some circles (though not all) the congregational environment presumes permission to exploit the mental, financial and spiritual health of black people, who once looked to the church for direction and sanctuary from their own sinful life contexts. The black church today must purify its own pastoral care ethic and reinstitute the stringent safeguards that make for sanctuary.
- While I believe that the ministers of African American Churches and their families should be taken care of and not be in want that they may sufficiently take care of the flock of God, I believe that there must be a focus within the church beyond the needs of its leaders to the needs of its people and the community that surrounds the church. Most churches today could leave the community and never be missed because while they situated in the community they have no communication, interaction, contact, relationship and in many instances concern for the community. The church must acquaint itself with the community.
The role of the African American Pastors and congregants is to remember that we do not exist for the sole purpose of meeting in comfortable buildings to worship God.
The African American Church is not called to sponsor special events with well-known speakers to make it look important. While this is good to us and sometimes for us, it’s fun, exciting, often electrifying, and I have seen it stimulate the church, but the African American Church must return to its calling in which God instituted the Church.
- We are called to be agents of transformation.
- We are called to be disciple-makers.
- We are called to witness, teach, and baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
- We are made in the image of God, and when God sees us He should see a reflection of His love for mankind. Romans 8:19 says, "For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God." Get equipped and get busy. The Spiritually deprived communities are waiting on the church!
- The role of the Church in the 21st Century is to return to Biblical principals, model after God and flee from the temptation to pattern itself after man and the ways of the day that are seen on television, heard on the radio and viewed and in worlds outside of godliness.
- This is the time for the African American church to reclaim its voice and power and call for the renewal of normative, nuclear families, for Christian unity, and for spiritual rebirth. In order to do this, black churches must vigorously promote a clear and biblical view of human sexuality, marriage and the family, love, respect and honor for itself and others. As the pastors and churches continue to fall from grace through scandal, abuse, deceit, and mistrust, so does the influence of the church and its ability to persuade, impact and inspire.
- The black church must find the humility to confront the sin within its walls and lead by example, which will over time increase its influence in families and among young people.
Success in ministry today is too often measured not by the response to the altar call but by church attendance, the number of preaching invitations a pastor receives and whether the congregation gets revved up during worship services. I believe true ministry isn't measured by what happens inside church walls, but by the change that takes place in the communities outside it. God's purpose for man on this planet has not changed. He told us in Genesis 28 to be fruitful, multiply, replenish, subdue and take dominion of the earth. That’s a clear picture of community transformation.
Pastoral care has come to mean care of the pastor with no guarantees of care by the pastor. Hence in some circles (though not all) the congregational environment presumes permission to exploit the mental, financial and spiritual health of black people, who once looked to the church for direction and sanctuary from their own sinful life contexts. The black church today must purify its own pastoral care ethic and reinstitute the stringent safeguards that make for sanctuary.
- While I believe that the ministers of African American Churches and their families should be taken care of and not be in want that they may sufficiently take care of the flock of God, I believe that there must be a focus within the church beyond the needs of its leaders to the needs of its people and the community that surrounds the church. Most churches today could leave the community and never be missed because while they situated in the community they have no communication, interaction, contact, relationship and in many instances concern for the community. The church must acquaint itself with the community.
The role of the African American Pastors and congregants is to remember that we do not exist for the sole purpose of meeting in comfortable buildings to worship God.
The African American Church is not called to sponsor special events with well-known speakers to make it look important. While this is good to us and sometimes for us, it’s fun, exciting, often electrifying, and I have seen it stimulate the church, but the African American Church must return to its calling in which God instituted the Church.
- We are called to be agents of transformation.
- We are called to be disciple-makers.
- We are called to witness, teach, and baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
- We are made in the image of God, and when God sees us He should see a reflection of His love for mankind. Romans 8:19 says, "For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God." Get equipped and get busy. The Spiritually deprived communities are waiting on the church!
- The role of the Church in the 21st Century is to return to Biblical principals, model after God and flee from the temptation to pattern itself after man and the ways of the day that are seen on television, heard on the radio and viewed and in worlds outside of godliness.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Seeing Life Clearly
Mark 8:22-25 The man that was blind gets his sight, but only after he goes through something, and makes a couple of honest confessions! At some point you have to be honest and say what it is that you see... even when you have been touched by the hand of Jesus! I am amazingly struck at how Jesus performs this miracle.. Unlike any other miracle he ever wrought!
This was not an instantaneous miracle, it was one done in parts! Maybe God is saying to us, that all of our blessings are not instant! Some will come in parts!
Jesus does not honor the request of those who brought this man to Him and asked Him to touch him, rather Jesus reaches His hands to the man and leads him away; away from familiarity, away from friends, away from comfort zone and then He spits in the man's eyes!
Spit is nasty! Anyway you look at, talk or think about it, spit is nasty! But after the spit, the man no longer sees men as trees he sees men as they are, he sees clearly! Is God saying to you, that you may have to go through something nasty on your way to the real blessing? I think He is! Those losses, disappointment, tears, heartache, pain, mistreatment and lies by folks you never expected is a part of the miracle formula. God has factored all of that into the blessing that awaits you!
Hang in there, that nasty divorce is factored into your miracle, that nasty layoff, foreclosure, reposession, or fight or attack that came to you is factored into your miracle! Its how God gets you to see clearly! It's how God gets you to confess, its how he gets you to the next demension!
I can see clearly now that I have come through the nasty part! Hang in there, stay the course, keep the faith, stay in the race, dont give up! Your ability to see clearly comes after the nasty stuff! Keep me in your prayers and I will keep you in mine! Let's always pray for each other!
This was not an instantaneous miracle, it was one done in parts! Maybe God is saying to us, that all of our blessings are not instant! Some will come in parts!
Jesus does not honor the request of those who brought this man to Him and asked Him to touch him, rather Jesus reaches His hands to the man and leads him away; away from familiarity, away from friends, away from comfort zone and then He spits in the man's eyes!
Spit is nasty! Anyway you look at, talk or think about it, spit is nasty! But after the spit, the man no longer sees men as trees he sees men as they are, he sees clearly! Is God saying to you, that you may have to go through something nasty on your way to the real blessing? I think He is! Those losses, disappointment, tears, heartache, pain, mistreatment and lies by folks you never expected is a part of the miracle formula. God has factored all of that into the blessing that awaits you!
Hang in there, that nasty divorce is factored into your miracle, that nasty layoff, foreclosure, reposession, or fight or attack that came to you is factored into your miracle! Its how God gets you to see clearly! It's how God gets you to confess, its how he gets you to the next demension!
I can see clearly now that I have come through the nasty part! Hang in there, stay the course, keep the faith, stay in the race, dont give up! Your ability to see clearly comes after the nasty stuff! Keep me in your prayers and I will keep you in mine! Let's always pray for each other!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Gas prices - The Biggest and Oldest Joke Ever
Have we not noticed yet how this game goes.... Raise the gas to a ridiculous price, often a dollar and a half or more above what consumers had originally been accustomed to paying..... Keep it there for a period of time, then lower the gas by 50 cents and consumers call that cheap gas... That's what's happening right now...... people in America are calling $3.60 gas cheap... because we have been brainwashed by the same old multi-million dollar system........ Gas is cheap when its under $2.00 not above......How long will the American system keep robbing us blind and we call it good?
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