Nothing and no one stops the love of God. This same love flowed out of Absalom Jones who was a slave of a merchant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into a slave named Mary King. Absalom married Mary on January 4, 1770, when he was 23.
Living in bondage is not what Absalom and Mary desired for their children. Under Pennsylvania law, children born to slaves would be slaves. Aristotle wrote that human beings are teleological, which means that we are purpose driven. So Absalom and Mary worked to earn enough money to purchase freedom. During the Revolutionary War Absalom worked until twelve or one o'clock at night to assist his wife.
But their hard work was not enough to buy freedom. So they asked everyone they could, friends, associates and strangers, for donations and loans to purchase Mary's freedom. That did it.
No one fulfills God's plan for her or his life alone. God calls all Christians to help as many people as God leads you to help. Philippians 4:5 the Message Bible says, "Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!"
It would have slowed down the advance of the Kingdom of God if people who God gave them the money and resources to help Absalom and Mary purchase their family's freedom decided to keep the resources to themselves. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 the Message Bible says, "Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life."
Hebrews 11:6 Amplified Bible says, "But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]." God rewards faith with work. After eight years by 1778 Absalom paid back the loans given to him.
Stern-looking, but big-hearted Absalom was still a slave, but he continued to work to buy a house for his family. International Christian Minister Ravi Zacharias says, "The greatest compliment I can pay my wife is to let my children know that I love her the way Jesus loved the Church."
Finally, after seven more years Absalom was able to purchase his own freedom.
Please leave an on-line comment sharing notable African-American love stories.
Lovers like Absalom and Mary are the kind of people who founded the black church in America which was very active in assisting people with various needs. They also give us examples today of how to love our spouses.
Love opens up opportunites. Absalom went on to found the St. Thomas African Episcopal Church on July 17, 1794, and he became the first black American to become an ordained priest.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Like Father, Like Daughter
Like father, like daughter -- Jane Matilda Bolin was the youngest of the four children of lawyer Gaius Charles Bolin who had his own legal practice and was the first black president of the Dutchess County Bar Association in New York state. Gaius was the first black American to graduate from Williams College. In 1939 at the age of 31 his daughter, Jane, became the first black American woman to become a judge of any court in the United States of America. She served as a judge for the Domestic Relations Court for 40 years in New York.
Jane in the image of her father reproduced many firsts. Jane was the first black American woman to graduate from Yale Law School where she had been the only black student and one of three women. She was also the first black American woman to join the New York City Bar Association and to join the New York City law department as Assistant Corporation Counsel.
This mother of Yorke Bolin Mizelle was also an activist for children's rights and education. Jane served on the boards of the National Urban League, the Child Welfare League and the NAACP. Not one to rest on her past accomplishments Jane also received honorary degrees from Morgan State University, Western College for Women, Hampton University, Williams College and Tuskeegee Institute.
Through her work Jane ended the assignment of probation officers on the basis of race. She also stopped the placement of children in childcare agencies on the basis of ethnic background.
Speaking on women's rights in 1958, Jane said, "We have to fight every inch of the way and in the face of sometimes insufferable humiliations."
Jane would not have been such a fighter if her daddy did not spend quantity and quality time training Jane. Proverbs 22:6 Amplified Bible says, "Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it."
Children can be biological and/or spiritual. The Apostle Paul was a spiritual father to Pastor Timothy and many others. Please share on-line comments regarding people helped by your natural and/or spiritual training, especially father and daughter training success.
Family is part of the foundation of society. Gaius Charles Bolin had the integrity to train his daughter Jane Matilda Bolin. In his book, Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity, philosopher Francis Fukuyama said that all societies could be divided into two kinds: "high-trust" and "low-trust." High trust societies encourage and respect integrity and are the most law-abiding, free and prosperous. Low-trust societies are characterized by tyranny, thievery, dishonesty and corruption. Low-trust societies are the most undemocratic and poor.
America's first president, George Washington, was famous for his honesty. Please leave an on-line comment sharing your opinion about the current state and future of the American family and society.
Jane in the image of her father reproduced many firsts. Jane was the first black American woman to graduate from Yale Law School where she had been the only black student and one of three women. She was also the first black American woman to join the New York City Bar Association and to join the New York City law department as Assistant Corporation Counsel.
This mother of Yorke Bolin Mizelle was also an activist for children's rights and education. Jane served on the boards of the National Urban League, the Child Welfare League and the NAACP. Not one to rest on her past accomplishments Jane also received honorary degrees from Morgan State University, Western College for Women, Hampton University, Williams College and Tuskeegee Institute.
Through her work Jane ended the assignment of probation officers on the basis of race. She also stopped the placement of children in childcare agencies on the basis of ethnic background.
Speaking on women's rights in 1958, Jane said, "We have to fight every inch of the way and in the face of sometimes insufferable humiliations."
Jane would not have been such a fighter if her daddy did not spend quantity and quality time training Jane. Proverbs 22:6 Amplified Bible says, "Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it."
Children can be biological and/or spiritual. The Apostle Paul was a spiritual father to Pastor Timothy and many others. Please share on-line comments regarding people helped by your natural and/or spiritual training, especially father and daughter training success.
Family is part of the foundation of society. Gaius Charles Bolin had the integrity to train his daughter Jane Matilda Bolin. In his book, Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity, philosopher Francis Fukuyama said that all societies could be divided into two kinds: "high-trust" and "low-trust." High trust societies encourage and respect integrity and are the most law-abiding, free and prosperous. Low-trust societies are characterized by tyranny, thievery, dishonesty and corruption. Low-trust societies are the most undemocratic and poor.
America's first president, George Washington, was famous for his honesty. Please leave an on-line comment sharing your opinion about the current state and future of the American family and society.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Disability and a Dynamic Life
No matter what life throws at us keep moving forward. Dr. Georgia L. McMurray was thrown Charcot-Marie-Tooth Atrophy, a neuromuscular, degenerative disease that left her completely paralyzed. She was physically disabled but not downcast in her outlook on life.
From her motorized wheelchair she continued her research as one of the nation's top educators and continued to advocate for families, children and the poor. She founded more than one organization over the course of her adult life. One such organization was the GLM Group which was a consulting firm that provided research, training and technical assistance to government and non-profit organizations working with families, children and the poor.
More than two decades ago Dr. McMurray founded Project Teen Aid to help teenage mothers and their babies excel in life. When Project Teen Aid was founded in 1966 teen moms where expelled from school because authorities thought this would help stem the spread of teenage motherhood. Dr. McCurray said that this practice would foster poverty, deny people the opportunity to connect behavior with outcomes and was discriminatory.
The devil tries to stop us with many things including disease. Dr. McMurray said often right up until her death at age 58, "I ask God for strength to continue the journey." Dr. McMurray was disabled, but she was not downcast and defeated. She took what God gave her and worked it for His glory. Acts 1:8 Amplified Bible says, "But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth."
Excellence should be an example that all Christians display. Dr. Derek Grier, who has battled severe illness in his life, writes in his book, 60 Minutes of Wisdom, "Actor Michael J. Fox made this statement, "I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business. The most anyone can ever do in life is his or her very best. Sometimes we find that our best is not enough and in such moments all that we can do is trust God.
The King James Version Bible says in Psalm 138:8, "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." I do not know what Michael J. Fox believes about God, but he stated a biblical truth. All of us must make peace with the fact that we are less than perfect. But we must daily wage war against any notion that we should settle for being anything less than excellent."
Dr. McMurray had a short life dying at age 58, but it was a dynamic life. Former U.S. president Abraham Lincoln, who battled depression, said, "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." I imagine when Dr. McMurray met God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Holy Ghost (1 X 1 X 1 = 1 or like water which can be liquid, ice or steam) that He said something like Matthew 25:21 Amplified Bible which says, "His master said to him, Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the blessedness) which your master enjoys." Please leave an on-line comment with simple ways to describe the Trinity.
Please also share an on-line comment regarding excellence in persons who are mentally and/or physically disabled. I would love to tweet with you. My Twitter name is "Michelelove30." Please also recommend this article on Google.
In the United States, India and many countries of the world females and the disabled are aborted because they are females and/or disabled. In the novel, Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, Kavita and Jasu are married. Shortly after Kavita gives birth to their first-born child, Jasu takes the child away and arranges to kill their baby girl through infanticide simply because the baby is a girl. When their second child is born Kavita conspires with her sister to defy Jasu and gives the girl to an orphanage. When Kavita is pregnant with their third child, Secret Daughter says, "A new medical clinic in the neighboring village offers ultrasounds to expectant mothers, ostensibly to check the health of the baby. But it is well known that those who go there do so to learn the gender of their unborn child. The procedure will cost two hundred rupees, a month's earnings from their crops, as well as a full day to make the journey. They will have to use all the money they've been saving for new farming tools, but despite the hardship, Kavita agrees. She knows if the test shows another girl growing in her womb, all of the possible outcomes are wrenching. Jasu can demand she have an abortion, right there at the clinic if they had the money. Or he could simply cast her out, forcing her to endure the shame of raising the child alone. She would be shunned, like the other beecharis in the village. But even this, becoming an outcast from her home and community, would not be as bad as the alternative. She cannot face the agony of giving birth, of holding her baby in her arms, only to have it taken away again. Kavita knows in her soul she simply will not survive that."
Please share an on-line comment about sex-selection abortion and abortion of the disabled.
Many babies are being aborted just because they have a disability, or two or more. With scientific progress perhaps many if not most of the disabilities that exist today will be healed in full in the future. Luke 1:37 Amplified Bible says, "For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment." In a test case in 2005 a man who had accidentally severed off his fingertip was able to regrow it entirely in four weeks! My son, Rafael Damani Fowler, has autism. We don't personally know of anyone who has been healed of autism, but maybe you do. Please leave an on-line comment about someone healed from autism or another disability.
From her motorized wheelchair she continued her research as one of the nation's top educators and continued to advocate for families, children and the poor. She founded more than one organization over the course of her adult life. One such organization was the GLM Group which was a consulting firm that provided research, training and technical assistance to government and non-profit organizations working with families, children and the poor.
More than two decades ago Dr. McMurray founded Project Teen Aid to help teenage mothers and their babies excel in life. When Project Teen Aid was founded in 1966 teen moms where expelled from school because authorities thought this would help stem the spread of teenage motherhood. Dr. McCurray said that this practice would foster poverty, deny people the opportunity to connect behavior with outcomes and was discriminatory.
The devil tries to stop us with many things including disease. Dr. McMurray said often right up until her death at age 58, "I ask God for strength to continue the journey." Dr. McMurray was disabled, but she was not downcast and defeated. She took what God gave her and worked it for His glory. Acts 1:8 Amplified Bible says, "But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth."
Excellence should be an example that all Christians display. Dr. Derek Grier, who has battled severe illness in his life, writes in his book, 60 Minutes of Wisdom, "Actor Michael J. Fox made this statement, "I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business. The most anyone can ever do in life is his or her very best. Sometimes we find that our best is not enough and in such moments all that we can do is trust God.
The King James Version Bible says in Psalm 138:8, "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." I do not know what Michael J. Fox believes about God, but he stated a biblical truth. All of us must make peace with the fact that we are less than perfect. But we must daily wage war against any notion that we should settle for being anything less than excellent."
Dr. McMurray had a short life dying at age 58, but it was a dynamic life. Former U.S. president Abraham Lincoln, who battled depression, said, "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." I imagine when Dr. McMurray met God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Holy Ghost (1 X 1 X 1 = 1 or like water which can be liquid, ice or steam) that He said something like Matthew 25:21 Amplified Bible which says, "His master said to him, Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the blessedness) which your master enjoys." Please leave an on-line comment with simple ways to describe the Trinity.
Please also share an on-line comment regarding excellence in persons who are mentally and/or physically disabled. I would love to tweet with you. My Twitter name is "Michelelove30." Please also recommend this article on Google.
In the United States, India and many countries of the world females and the disabled are aborted because they are females and/or disabled. In the novel, Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, Kavita and Jasu are married. Shortly after Kavita gives birth to their first-born child, Jasu takes the child away and arranges to kill their baby girl through infanticide simply because the baby is a girl. When their second child is born Kavita conspires with her sister to defy Jasu and gives the girl to an orphanage. When Kavita is pregnant with their third child, Secret Daughter says, "A new medical clinic in the neighboring village offers ultrasounds to expectant mothers, ostensibly to check the health of the baby. But it is well known that those who go there do so to learn the gender of their unborn child. The procedure will cost two hundred rupees, a month's earnings from their crops, as well as a full day to make the journey. They will have to use all the money they've been saving for new farming tools, but despite the hardship, Kavita agrees. She knows if the test shows another girl growing in her womb, all of the possible outcomes are wrenching. Jasu can demand she have an abortion, right there at the clinic if they had the money. Or he could simply cast her out, forcing her to endure the shame of raising the child alone. She would be shunned, like the other beecharis in the village. But even this, becoming an outcast from her home and community, would not be as bad as the alternative. She cannot face the agony of giving birth, of holding her baby in her arms, only to have it taken away again. Kavita knows in her soul she simply will not survive that."
Please share an on-line comment about sex-selection abortion and abortion of the disabled.
Many babies are being aborted just because they have a disability, or two or more. With scientific progress perhaps many if not most of the disabilities that exist today will be healed in full in the future. Luke 1:37 Amplified Bible says, "For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment." In a test case in 2005 a man who had accidentally severed off his fingertip was able to regrow it entirely in four weeks! My son, Rafael Damani Fowler, has autism. We don't personally know of anyone who has been healed of autism, but maybe you do. Please leave an on-line comment about someone healed from autism or another disability.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Marriage Surprise
Many women think that to give love to a man and to receive love from that man in the union of marriage is one of life's most precious gifts that they are eagerly seeking to open. After Shyju Mathew's mom got married and opened her gift, she found a man bound by Satan with depression.
When comparing the man she knew before marriage with the man she lived with after marriage, she may have asked herself something like, "Yah kaun hai?" ("Who is this?") Please leave on-line comments sharing some surprises in your spouse and yourself after marriage.
Mathew's mom's husband practiced witchcraft. He was tormented and would throw angry fits often. She hated her life and wanted to commit suicide, but before she could do it, she discovered she was pregnant. Unlike the Tahina spectabilis palm tree which produces flowers only once, and then collapses to the ground and dies, Mathew's mom decided against suicide in response to a bad marriage and an unplanned pregnancy.
When she asked herself questions like, "Kya ap khus hai? ("Are you happy?") The answer was, "Nahi," ("No.")
God wants us to enjoy our life. God the Son Jesus Christ says in John 10:10 Amplified Bible, "The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)." David writes about God in Psalm 16:11 English Standard Version Bible, "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
An enjoyable earthly life is not one where we are ever emotionally high. Joy is some times a choice believers can make because God the Holy Ghost has given us the fruit of self-control. We have to wait until the next life to have an eternal emotional high when we live face-to-face with God.
Meanwhile in this earthly life, unhappiness is not an excuse to do evil like paying someone to take the life of our unborn baby (abortion). Instead follow the advice of the song, "Encourage Yourself," by The Tri-City Singers: "Some times you have to encourage yourself. Some times you have to speak victory during the test. And no matter how you feel speak the Word, and you will be healed. Speak over yourself. Encourage yourself in the Lord."
Mathew's mom determined, "I'm going to live for this child's sake." An unwanted pregnancy does not have to influence a woman to become mentally ill or suicidal. Roman Stoic philosopher Epictetus said, "Circumstances do not make the man; they merely reveal him to himself."
Mathew's mom prayed that her baby would be a priest, a writer, a singer and a whole bunch of other good things. God answered her prayer. Like Hannah she dedicated her first born to God. When Mathew came home from school, his mom encouraged him to pray.
Mathew says she didn't force him to pray; he liked to pray. In fact he loved to pray. His mother paid attention to Mathew's interest and encouraged it. The Law of Concentration says that "whatever you dwell upon grows and increases in your life."
Observe what good things our children are interested in and encourage them. My son, Rafael Damani Fowler, loves playing CDs. He enjoys it for hours. Mathew enjoys praying for hours.
Mathew prayed so much that when he was seven years old, someone asked him to preach. Mathew asked his mom what to preach. His mom said, "Never ask a human being what to preach." She further counseled him to go to his bedroom and seek God.
Mathew has been seeking God and preaching ever since. He also writes and sings among other things on an international scale.
Parents are called to mold a child capable of positively impacting people beyond measure. Lord Jesus, let us parents live in our calling daily.
Being the example we want our children to be is excellent teaching. Immanuel Kant advises, "Resolve to behave as though your every act were to become a universal law for all people." The Apostle Paul instructs in 1 Corinthians 11:1 Amplified Bible, "Pattern yourselves after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah)." Are you bold and truthful enough to instruct your children and other people likewise?
When comparing the man she knew before marriage with the man she lived with after marriage, she may have asked herself something like, "Yah kaun hai?" ("Who is this?") Please leave on-line comments sharing some surprises in your spouse and yourself after marriage.
Mathew's mom's husband practiced witchcraft. He was tormented and would throw angry fits often. She hated her life and wanted to commit suicide, but before she could do it, she discovered she was pregnant. Unlike the Tahina spectabilis palm tree which produces flowers only once, and then collapses to the ground and dies, Mathew's mom decided against suicide in response to a bad marriage and an unplanned pregnancy.
When she asked herself questions like, "Kya ap khus hai? ("Are you happy?") The answer was, "Nahi," ("No.")
God wants us to enjoy our life. God the Son Jesus Christ says in John 10:10 Amplified Bible, "The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)." David writes about God in Psalm 16:11 English Standard Version Bible, "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
An enjoyable earthly life is not one where we are ever emotionally high. Joy is some times a choice believers can make because God the Holy Ghost has given us the fruit of self-control. We have to wait until the next life to have an eternal emotional high when we live face-to-face with God.
Meanwhile in this earthly life, unhappiness is not an excuse to do evil like paying someone to take the life of our unborn baby (abortion). Instead follow the advice of the song, "Encourage Yourself," by The Tri-City Singers: "Some times you have to encourage yourself. Some times you have to speak victory during the test. And no matter how you feel speak the Word, and you will be healed. Speak over yourself. Encourage yourself in the Lord."
Mathew's mom determined, "I'm going to live for this child's sake." An unwanted pregnancy does not have to influence a woman to become mentally ill or suicidal. Roman Stoic philosopher Epictetus said, "Circumstances do not make the man; they merely reveal him to himself."
Mathew's mom prayed that her baby would be a priest, a writer, a singer and a whole bunch of other good things. God answered her prayer. Like Hannah she dedicated her first born to God. When Mathew came home from school, his mom encouraged him to pray.
Mathew says she didn't force him to pray; he liked to pray. In fact he loved to pray. His mother paid attention to Mathew's interest and encouraged it. The Law of Concentration says that "whatever you dwell upon grows and increases in your life."
Observe what good things our children are interested in and encourage them. My son, Rafael Damani Fowler, loves playing CDs. He enjoys it for hours. Mathew enjoys praying for hours.
Mathew prayed so much that when he was seven years old, someone asked him to preach. Mathew asked his mom what to preach. His mom said, "Never ask a human being what to preach." She further counseled him to go to his bedroom and seek God.
Mathew has been seeking God and preaching ever since. He also writes and sings among other things on an international scale.
Parents are called to mold a child capable of positively impacting people beyond measure. Lord Jesus, let us parents live in our calling daily.
Being the example we want our children to be is excellent teaching. Immanuel Kant advises, "Resolve to behave as though your every act were to become a universal law for all people." The Apostle Paul instructs in 1 Corinthians 11:1 Amplified Bible, "Pattern yourselves after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah)." Are you bold and truthful enough to instruct your children and other people likewise?
Sunday, February 3, 2013
All Night Long
Thinking of pulling an all nighter or two or more to pass those tests, prepare a presentation for work or church or indulge in marital lovemaking. Think again.
After 18 hours of wakefulness our reaction time begins to slow, our memory decreases, our bodies and minds slow down to preserve energy, and we make bad food choices. We start to experience bouts of microsleep--moments when we zone out for anywhere from two to 20 seconds. Studies show if we keep trying to stay awake our reaction time will eventually be about the same as someone who is legally drunk.
If you have a relationship with God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Holy Ghost, the three that are one (1 X 1 X 1 = 1 or like water which can be liquid, ice or steam), God knows that you need to pass those tests, perform superbly for work or church, sexually satisfy our spouse. God's got His own covered; we will succeed and still be able to sleep properly allowing His life to flow through us accomplishing whatever needs to be done. Psalm 127:2 Amplified Bible says, "It is vain for you to rise up early, to take rest late, to eat the bread of [anxious] toil--for He gives [blessings] to His beloved in sleep."
So relax and learn to rest, sleeping nightly between six-to-eight hours as research says the body needs this range of nightly rest for good health and beauty. God's people, His Bride, won't miss a thing. God's got everything under control; He's perfectly willing and able to manage our lives superbly. God never sleeps, so we can. Then rise ready to give an outstanding presentation for work or church or engage in marital lovemaking. Nothing is wrong with marital sex at night or in the afternoon, but bright and early has special benefits. Energy and ecstasy go together. A well rested spouse is ready for real good rock n roll.
I'm still waiting to get comments on a Biblical view of anal sex. I have not found anything specifically prohibiting a husband and wife from having anal sex, and I know that poop can be a sign of life and has its purposes. Archaeologists working at Paisley Caves in Oregon in 2002 found human poop that they determined to be 14,300 years old--the oldest traces of human life ever found in North America. Also human bowel movements can be used for fertilizer.
Anal play is fine. My concern about anal intercourse is that it may not be safe or sanitary. Yet some say that a wife can mount her husband and while his penis is in her vagina he can also place his hand or a sexual toy in her anus, and both spouses will answer the question, "Was it good for you?" by saying, Estoy bien (I am good) and/or Je vois la lumière. (I see the light.) Please leave an on-line comment with your thoughts about anal sex from a Biblical perspective.
God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Holy Ghost designed sex. What God creates is good, very good, when practiced according to the author's design. "Baby, baby . . . come on wake up," she says to Tyrese Gibson as an introduction to the song, "I Gotta Chick," on Tyrese's album, Open Invitation. R&B singer and rapper Tyrese responds, "I'm sleep." He later asks, "Why are you always horny at 5:00 in the morning?"
While the morning is a great time to have sex, save partner sex for marriage. Praise God that Tyrese is a Christian and also has a positive view of sex; Tyrese doesn't view sex as the necessary nasty, essentially sinful or only talks about sex from a perspective of sin. So many Americans come from homes where parents did not say anything to them about sex, and for those parents who did communicate about sex many communicated verbally and non-verbally that sex is negative. A lot of America's sexual problems come from our history. Carter G. Woodson said, "The conditions of today have been determined by what has taken place in the past."
Sex education comes from our parents, schools, media and other sources. One of the comical things I was suppose to learn is that it is okay for a husband to kiss, lick, suck and touch with his hands his wife's breasts because she uses her breasts to breastfeed, but it is not okay for a husband to kiss, lick, suck and touch with his hands his wife's vagina because her vagina does not have a feeding function like her breasts. This week I saw a commercial advertising a car in which a child asks his parents where babies come from. The dad responds by creating this elaborate story of how babies are on another planet and at nine-month intervals they are sent to earth. The child responds that this is not the story his friend told him. At which point the parents turn on his favorite song to distract him from the subject, and they all start moving to the beat. Please leave an on-line comment with comical and/or tragic sex education.
The February 2013 Ebony magazine article, "7 Secrets of Lasting Love Best Friends and Passionate Lovers After 20, 40, Even 80-Plus Years? Couples With Serious Staying Power Share How They Do It," by Niema Jordan says, "I talk to people, and they are like, 'No, girl; I don't do that,' or 'If he did that, I'd be offended.' But sex is about expression, and if you can't feel free, I don't see how you can enjoy that moment." During the discussion, the couple unabashedly discussed oral sex, a topic that rocked the boat for some audience members. "A lot of Black men feel their women don't meet their needs. There is a big issue with Black women and oral sex. The perception is that White girls give it, and this is a reason Black men sometimes [date outside the race]."
Of course a husband who likes to receive oral sex should be willing to give his wife oral sex or whatever considerate, safe and adventurous sex she desires and requests. Some women believe men can read their minds. Some times they can't. So if you want something, ask and listen clearly, directly and lovingly. Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott write in their book, Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts Seven Questions To Ask Before-And After-You Marry, "Women use conversation primarily to form and solidify connections with other people. Men, on the other hand, tend to use words to navigate their way within the hierarchy by communicating their knowledge and skill and imparting information."
The average American married couple spends four minutes together. This lack of time together contributes to an inability to talk about sex, give sexual satisfaction and receive sexual satisfaction. Please leave an on-line comment about times in your marriage where you didn't spend much time together as a couple and the impact of little togetherness.
Do you think many married people dislike each other?
A black husband who would leave his black wife to have sex with white women may have a view of all women as sexually inferior to men. Monica Wilson was a South African anthropologist, professor of social anthropology at the University of Cape Town who wrote Good Company: a study of Nyakyusa age-villages. Wilson wrote that the Nyakusa people are attached to ukwangela, the 'enjoyment of good company', the 'mutual aid and sympathy which spring from personal friendship' and imply 'urbane manners and a friendliness which expresses itself in eating and drinking together; not only merry conversation, but also discussion between equals, which the Nyakyusa regard as the principal form of education.'
A lot of America's sexual problems also come from practicing sex outside of Biblical boundaries. Pray for Tyrese and others like him to grow spiritually and accept that partner sex is only to be practiced inside of marriage.
For singles, God is your Ishi (Husband). If your faith allows you to masturbate as a single person, be sure to avoid the sins of gluttony, lust, pornography and self-mutilation while masturbating. Please leave an on-line comment with your Biblical perspective on masturbation. Is masturbation just for singles? Do married people masturbate by themselves and/or in front of each other?
When I have a question about sex, sexuality or something else for God, I find that He is open instead of obscure. Please leave an on-line comment about your relationship with God.
Whether we are masturbating or having marital sex, we are in a ménage à trois. A ménage à trois is multiple-people having sex. When we have sex, we are having sex with God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Holy Ghost. Christians say God is good and worthy to be praised, so why wouldn't everyone be for good sex?
After 18 hours of wakefulness our reaction time begins to slow, our memory decreases, our bodies and minds slow down to preserve energy, and we make bad food choices. We start to experience bouts of microsleep--moments when we zone out for anywhere from two to 20 seconds. Studies show if we keep trying to stay awake our reaction time will eventually be about the same as someone who is legally drunk.
If you have a relationship with God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Holy Ghost, the three that are one (1 X 1 X 1 = 1 or like water which can be liquid, ice or steam), God knows that you need to pass those tests, perform superbly for work or church, sexually satisfy our spouse. God's got His own covered; we will succeed and still be able to sleep properly allowing His life to flow through us accomplishing whatever needs to be done. Psalm 127:2 Amplified Bible says, "It is vain for you to rise up early, to take rest late, to eat the bread of [anxious] toil--for He gives [blessings] to His beloved in sleep."
So relax and learn to rest, sleeping nightly between six-to-eight hours as research says the body needs this range of nightly rest for good health and beauty. God's people, His Bride, won't miss a thing. God's got everything under control; He's perfectly willing and able to manage our lives superbly. God never sleeps, so we can. Then rise ready to give an outstanding presentation for work or church or engage in marital lovemaking. Nothing is wrong with marital sex at night or in the afternoon, but bright and early has special benefits. Energy and ecstasy go together. A well rested spouse is ready for real good rock n roll.
I'm still waiting to get comments on a Biblical view of anal sex. I have not found anything specifically prohibiting a husband and wife from having anal sex, and I know that poop can be a sign of life and has its purposes. Archaeologists working at Paisley Caves in Oregon in 2002 found human poop that they determined to be 14,300 years old--the oldest traces of human life ever found in North America. Also human bowel movements can be used for fertilizer.
Anal play is fine. My concern about anal intercourse is that it may not be safe or sanitary. Yet some say that a wife can mount her husband and while his penis is in her vagina he can also place his hand or a sexual toy in her anus, and both spouses will answer the question, "Was it good for you?" by saying, Estoy bien (I am good) and/or Je vois la lumière. (I see the light.) Please leave an on-line comment with your thoughts about anal sex from a Biblical perspective.
God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Holy Ghost designed sex. What God creates is good, very good, when practiced according to the author's design. "Baby, baby . . . come on wake up," she says to Tyrese Gibson as an introduction to the song, "I Gotta Chick," on Tyrese's album, Open Invitation. R&B singer and rapper Tyrese responds, "I'm sleep." He later asks, "Why are you always horny at 5:00 in the morning?"
While the morning is a great time to have sex, save partner sex for marriage. Praise God that Tyrese is a Christian and also has a positive view of sex; Tyrese doesn't view sex as the necessary nasty, essentially sinful or only talks about sex from a perspective of sin. So many Americans come from homes where parents did not say anything to them about sex, and for those parents who did communicate about sex many communicated verbally and non-verbally that sex is negative. A lot of America's sexual problems come from our history. Carter G. Woodson said, "The conditions of today have been determined by what has taken place in the past."
Sex education comes from our parents, schools, media and other sources. One of the comical things I was suppose to learn is that it is okay for a husband to kiss, lick, suck and touch with his hands his wife's breasts because she uses her breasts to breastfeed, but it is not okay for a husband to kiss, lick, suck and touch with his hands his wife's vagina because her vagina does not have a feeding function like her breasts. This week I saw a commercial advertising a car in which a child asks his parents where babies come from. The dad responds by creating this elaborate story of how babies are on another planet and at nine-month intervals they are sent to earth. The child responds that this is not the story his friend told him. At which point the parents turn on his favorite song to distract him from the subject, and they all start moving to the beat. Please leave an on-line comment with comical and/or tragic sex education.
The February 2013 Ebony magazine article, "7 Secrets of Lasting Love Best Friends and Passionate Lovers After 20, 40, Even 80-Plus Years? Couples With Serious Staying Power Share How They Do It," by Niema Jordan says, "I talk to people, and they are like, 'No, girl; I don't do that,' or 'If he did that, I'd be offended.' But sex is about expression, and if you can't feel free, I don't see how you can enjoy that moment." During the discussion, the couple unabashedly discussed oral sex, a topic that rocked the boat for some audience members. "A lot of Black men feel their women don't meet their needs. There is a big issue with Black women and oral sex. The perception is that White girls give it, and this is a reason Black men sometimes [date outside the race]."
Of course a husband who likes to receive oral sex should be willing to give his wife oral sex or whatever considerate, safe and adventurous sex she desires and requests. Some women believe men can read their minds. Some times they can't. So if you want something, ask and listen clearly, directly and lovingly. Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott write in their book, Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts Seven Questions To Ask Before-And After-You Marry, "Women use conversation primarily to form and solidify connections with other people. Men, on the other hand, tend to use words to navigate their way within the hierarchy by communicating their knowledge and skill and imparting information."
The average American married couple spends four minutes together. This lack of time together contributes to an inability to talk about sex, give sexual satisfaction and receive sexual satisfaction. Please leave an on-line comment about times in your marriage where you didn't spend much time together as a couple and the impact of little togetherness.
Do you think many married people dislike each other?
A black husband who would leave his black wife to have sex with white women may have a view of all women as sexually inferior to men. Monica Wilson was a South African anthropologist, professor of social anthropology at the University of Cape Town who wrote Good Company: a study of Nyakyusa age-villages. Wilson wrote that the Nyakusa people are attached to ukwangela, the 'enjoyment of good company', the 'mutual aid and sympathy which spring from personal friendship' and imply 'urbane manners and a friendliness which expresses itself in eating and drinking together; not only merry conversation, but also discussion between equals, which the Nyakyusa regard as the principal form of education.'
A lot of America's sexual problems also come from practicing sex outside of Biblical boundaries. Pray for Tyrese and others like him to grow spiritually and accept that partner sex is only to be practiced inside of marriage.
For singles, God is your Ishi (Husband). If your faith allows you to masturbate as a single person, be sure to avoid the sins of gluttony, lust, pornography and self-mutilation while masturbating. Please leave an on-line comment with your Biblical perspective on masturbation. Is masturbation just for singles? Do married people masturbate by themselves and/or in front of each other?
When I have a question about sex, sexuality or something else for God, I find that He is open instead of obscure. Please leave an on-line comment about your relationship with God.
Whether we are masturbating or having marital sex, we are in a ménage à trois. A ménage à trois is multiple-people having sex. When we have sex, we are having sex with God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Holy Ghost. Christians say God is good and worthy to be praised, so why wouldn't everyone be for good sex?
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Pro-Woman, Pro-life
For part of the lives of my grandmother, Mildred, and my great-grandmother, Pearl, in our great and glorious country of America women did not have equal rights with men. A time existed in America when women could not inherit family property, pursue schooling, get a divorce or vote. They were generally paid far less than men to do the same job and were severely restricted in the types of jobs and businesses they could have. Proper female professions were typically limited to teacher, nurse, farm help, factory worker, mill girl or maid.
Yet in spite of all these impediments, inequalities and injustices, contrary to some of today's feminists, the women's movement started out pro-woman, pro-life. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, passionately-in-love wife married 47 years, mother of seven, women's-rights activist and abolitionist, was both pro-woman and pro-life. In a 1873 letter to Julia Ward Howe, the originator of Mother's Day, Stanton writes, "When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit."
Six of Stanton's children were planned; the seventh was not. She supported birth control, but not abortion linking abortion to infanticide. The seventh child was born to Henry Brewster Stanton and Elizabeth Cady Stanton later in life when Elizabeth was 44. She could have gotten rid of the "mistake," but instead of abortion, she chose life for their child.
Abortion and infanticide have an historical and present-day link. Jill Stanek was a registered nurse in the Labor & Delivery Department at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois. She discovered not only were abortions being committed there, but babies were being aborted alive to die without medical care.
When hospital leaders said that they would not stop, Stanek went public, eventually got fired for her outspokenness and has become a national figure in the effort to protect both born and pre-born infants. Her written testimony was included in U.S. Congressional debates on the Born Alive Infants Protection Act which became law on August 5, 2002. The Born Alive Infants Protection Act protects live aborted children from infanticide.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton authored the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments which sought equality for women. The Declaration of Rights and Sentiments reads in part, "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness . . . The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyrant over her . . . In view of this entire disfranchisement of one-half of the people of this country . . . because women do feel themselves aggrieved, . . . we insist that they have immediate admission to all rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of the United States."
Stanton joined with Susan B. Anthony to author the three-volume History of Woman Suffrage. Together these friends of 50 years were not just motivators they were movers. They fought for women's rights with many other women like Sojourner Truth. Although it was illegal for women to vote in America in the 1800s, Anthony cast her vote for president on November 5, 1872. She got arrested for it on November 18, 1872. Anthony says, "Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God." The Bible agrees. Acts 5:29 New Living Translation Bible says, "But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority." God does not favor men over women. Galatians 3:28 Amplified Bible says, "There is [now no distinction] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
God also says through Solomon in Proverbs 22:6 English Standard Bible, "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." While Anthony did not marry or have children, Stanton married and had seven children, but both died before women had the right to vote in America. Harriot Stanton Blatch, Stanton's daughter, and Nora Blatch, Stanton's granddaughter, continued to fight for women's right to vote. Despite beatings, imprisonments and other persecutions, women obtained the right to vote in America through the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
Yet in spite of all these impediments, inequalities and injustices, contrary to some of today's feminists, the women's movement started out pro-woman, pro-life. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, passionately-in-love wife married 47 years, mother of seven, women's-rights activist and abolitionist, was both pro-woman and pro-life. In a 1873 letter to Julia Ward Howe, the originator of Mother's Day, Stanton writes, "When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit."
Six of Stanton's children were planned; the seventh was not. She supported birth control, but not abortion linking abortion to infanticide. The seventh child was born to Henry Brewster Stanton and Elizabeth Cady Stanton later in life when Elizabeth was 44. She could have gotten rid of the "mistake," but instead of abortion, she chose life for their child.
Abortion and infanticide have an historical and present-day link. Jill Stanek was a registered nurse in the Labor & Delivery Department at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois. She discovered not only were abortions being committed there, but babies were being aborted alive to die without medical care.
When hospital leaders said that they would not stop, Stanek went public, eventually got fired for her outspokenness and has become a national figure in the effort to protect both born and pre-born infants. Her written testimony was included in U.S. Congressional debates on the Born Alive Infants Protection Act which became law on August 5, 2002. The Born Alive Infants Protection Act protects live aborted children from infanticide.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton authored the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments which sought equality for women. The Declaration of Rights and Sentiments reads in part, "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness . . . The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyrant over her . . . In view of this entire disfranchisement of one-half of the people of this country . . . because women do feel themselves aggrieved, . . . we insist that they have immediate admission to all rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of the United States."
Stanton joined with Susan B. Anthony to author the three-volume History of Woman Suffrage. Together these friends of 50 years were not just motivators they were movers. They fought for women's rights with many other women like Sojourner Truth. Although it was illegal for women to vote in America in the 1800s, Anthony cast her vote for president on November 5, 1872. She got arrested for it on November 18, 1872. Anthony says, "Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God." The Bible agrees. Acts 5:29 New Living Translation Bible says, "But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority." God does not favor men over women. Galatians 3:28 Amplified Bible says, "There is [now no distinction] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
God also says through Solomon in Proverbs 22:6 English Standard Bible, "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." While Anthony did not marry or have children, Stanton married and had seven children, but both died before women had the right to vote in America. Harriot Stanton Blatch, Stanton's daughter, and Nora Blatch, Stanton's granddaughter, continued to fight for women's right to vote. Despite beatings, imprisonments and other persecutions, women obtained the right to vote in America through the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Heart Disease, Depression and Christianity
Following a diagnosis of coronary-artery disease and bypass surgery it is not uncommon to slide into depression. One of the reasons for the slide into depression is a break-down in our body's communication system.
Neurotransmitters are more than 60 chemicals in the body that communicate between neurons. Depression interferes with the production and processing of neurotransmitters which impacts heart disease and other diseases like diabetes, cancer, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, stroke and Alzheimer's.
Sometimes people consider physical health as more important than mental health. The reality is that they both need our regular attention, and failing to take good care of ourselves physically and mentally is dangerous. Many people know that heart disease can be fatal, but they may not know that so can depression. In addition to the link between hearth disease and depression, most of the 30,000 American suicides annually stem from clinical depression. "One out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you," says author Rita Mae Brown.
Help to overcome all types of illness can be found through God, the Church and living according to the Word of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Amplified Bible says, "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]."
Disobedience to God is deadly. Obedience to God opens opportunities for eminent, enjoyable living. Neal Krause, a sociologist and public-health expert at the University of Michigan, has since 1997 conducted a study of 1,500 people. One of the study's findings is that people who maintain a mindset of gratitude for what's going right in their lives have a reduced incidence of depression.
Sometimes we do not even know that we are depressed. Michael Hyatt in his "Get Out of That Funk" article at michaelhyatt.com on February 6, 2013 lists seven questions to ask ourselves:
"Question #1: Am I getting plenty of rest?
Question #2: Am I exercising three to four times a week?
Question #3: Am I eating high-energy foods?
Question #4: Am I staying hydrated?
Question #5: Am I getting enough sunshine?
Question #6: Am I focusing on the positive?
Question #7: Am I hanging out with energetic people?"
Maintaining our health requires a multifaceted approach. Maintaining our health is loving God, ourselves and other people. Love is not limited to feelings; love is actions and interactions. In addition to a relationship with God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Holy Ghost and living based on the Bible, help to live healthy can also be found through medical professionals and support groups. The North Carolina Black Churches United for Better Health involved 50 churches with 2,500 members mixing spiritual and communal life with eating better and exercising more. This group became a national group, called the Body and Soul project, with the same objective.
Your Christian fellowship may prayerfully consider starting a health support group if it does not already have one, and/or maybe your church could hold regular praise parties playing music by multiple artists including Gospel singer Debra Ashley, who has a song, "Praise Party," on her album, New Birth, and was healed from a heart attack. Praise parties are opportunities to celebrate creatively without excessive alcohol, illegal drugs and partner-sex outside of marriage. Some of the best medicines are humor, forgiveness and marital sex.
Health is a hot topic today that is a wonderful, worthy and wise way to fulfilling Matthew 28:18-20 Amplified Bible which says, "Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be)."
Forming and maintaining good friendships through disciplining is good for us and good for others. Dr. Derek Grier says in his book, 60 Minutes of Wisdom Insight In an Instant, "I do not need a prophetic gift to predict where you will be in five years. Anyone can forecast your tomorrow by looking at the people you hang around today. First Corinthians 15:33 says, "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'" Imagine what good company might do! Many people have questioned the importance of becoming part of a church. I think the answer can be illustrated in nature. I have read that when geese form the V formation, the whole flock adds over 70 percent to its flying range. When each bird flaps its wings, it becomes uplift for the birds that are following. Please don't mishear me. Don't just join any church, but find a church where you experience uplift. Find a church that flies in divine order, and then don't just sit and stare; connect your gifts and talents to the formation."
Please share an on-line comment about Christian groups that uplift others in the areas of physical and/or mental health. Also tweet with me. My Twitter name is Michelelove30. Recommend this article on Google.
Neurotransmitters are more than 60 chemicals in the body that communicate between neurons. Depression interferes with the production and processing of neurotransmitters which impacts heart disease and other diseases like diabetes, cancer, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, stroke and Alzheimer's.
Sometimes people consider physical health as more important than mental health. The reality is that they both need our regular attention, and failing to take good care of ourselves physically and mentally is dangerous. Many people know that heart disease can be fatal, but they may not know that so can depression. In addition to the link between hearth disease and depression, most of the 30,000 American suicides annually stem from clinical depression. "One out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you," says author Rita Mae Brown.
Help to overcome all types of illness can be found through God, the Church and living according to the Word of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Amplified Bible says, "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]."
Disobedience to God is deadly. Obedience to God opens opportunities for eminent, enjoyable living. Neal Krause, a sociologist and public-health expert at the University of Michigan, has since 1997 conducted a study of 1,500 people. One of the study's findings is that people who maintain a mindset of gratitude for what's going right in their lives have a reduced incidence of depression.
Sometimes we do not even know that we are depressed. Michael Hyatt in his "Get Out of That Funk" article at michaelhyatt.com on February 6, 2013 lists seven questions to ask ourselves:
"Question #1: Am I getting plenty of rest?
Question #2: Am I exercising three to four times a week?
Question #3: Am I eating high-energy foods?
Question #4: Am I staying hydrated?
Question #5: Am I getting enough sunshine?
Question #6: Am I focusing on the positive?
Question #7: Am I hanging out with energetic people?"
Maintaining our health requires a multifaceted approach. Maintaining our health is loving God, ourselves and other people. Love is not limited to feelings; love is actions and interactions. In addition to a relationship with God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Holy Ghost and living based on the Bible, help to live healthy can also be found through medical professionals and support groups. The North Carolina Black Churches United for Better Health involved 50 churches with 2,500 members mixing spiritual and communal life with eating better and exercising more. This group became a national group, called the Body and Soul project, with the same objective.
Your Christian fellowship may prayerfully consider starting a health support group if it does not already have one, and/or maybe your church could hold regular praise parties playing music by multiple artists including Gospel singer Debra Ashley, who has a song, "Praise Party," on her album, New Birth, and was healed from a heart attack. Praise parties are opportunities to celebrate creatively without excessive alcohol, illegal drugs and partner-sex outside of marriage. Some of the best medicines are humor, forgiveness and marital sex.
Health is a hot topic today that is a wonderful, worthy and wise way to fulfilling Matthew 28:18-20 Amplified Bible which says, "Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be)."
Forming and maintaining good friendships through disciplining is good for us and good for others. Dr. Derek Grier says in his book, 60 Minutes of Wisdom Insight In an Instant, "I do not need a prophetic gift to predict where you will be in five years. Anyone can forecast your tomorrow by looking at the people you hang around today. First Corinthians 15:33 says, "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'" Imagine what good company might do! Many people have questioned the importance of becoming part of a church. I think the answer can be illustrated in nature. I have read that when geese form the V formation, the whole flock adds over 70 percent to its flying range. When each bird flaps its wings, it becomes uplift for the birds that are following. Please don't mishear me. Don't just join any church, but find a church where you experience uplift. Find a church that flies in divine order, and then don't just sit and stare; connect your gifts and talents to the formation."
Please share an on-line comment about Christian groups that uplift others in the areas of physical and/or mental health. Also tweet with me. My Twitter name is Michelelove30. Recommend this article on Google.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)