The Old Black Church

In a nation where education is lacking and the dreams of children are ( Clip Here!) d isproportionately dash this young girl shows that her parents are not only teaching but encouraging her to be all that she can be. No one should discourage a child nor say what they can or can't achieve or who they will become. That's the Dream of Dr. King and that's the Reality of NOW, President Barack Obama! Question: Was her presentation over the top? I ask because of comments I found on another blog. Here are some of the comments:"her performance was a bit to "exaggerated" and "dramatized" for my liking" "i am happy for her celebrity and her advertisment and I hope that she can profit well from it BUT sociopolitically, a lot of wrong things are present, that have nothing to do with her, but are what she is displaying" The young lady is Gerra Gistand .

The adopted mother of R&B Keyshia Cole is releasing her debut full length gospel cd in April on her own label, C & W Records. The lead single on the cd is "Get Your Praise On" now. Dr. Cole is not new to the music industry, having sung with the female quartet the Spiritual Specials as well as with Pastor Elijah Baker and the Stars of Joy. Dr. Cole says she "like preaching and going to hospitals and convalescent homes." She love catering to elderly people and just doing for them. Dr. Cole says singing is her ministry. The single is powerful !

I have talk with people who don't understand that Satan have only one way of attack and that is through the mind of man. You can't act without first having a thought. We have to learn how to apply Bible knowledge to our lives, if we want to win the battles of life. God instructs us on how to control our thought life by utilizing His Word. (Ephesians 6:10-17 ) . We must recognize that we are in warfare everyday, and that the battlefield is our minds . The whole armor of God has been provided to help us guard against the enemy of our mind--Satan. By now you heard about Kerby Revelus of Milton, Mass who brutally killed his own sisters even going as far to decapitate his 5-year-old sister in front of police. Police had no choice but to put him down. Some of his relatives say that he was depressed because he had been in prison and couldn’t find a job. Not unlike Lovelle Mixon who shot and killed four Oakland police officers . Like that’s an excuse. Does this look like

Steve Harvey’s book ‘Act like a lady, Think like a man’ has received a lot of attention from women everywhere and has been on the top of the NY Times Bestseller List for the last 4 weeks straight. The book is meant to empower women on how men think so that they will make better choices and understand why men do the things they do. Now I ran across something I thought was very interesting on Field Negro , blog showcasing a woman who self-published a book of the very same name with very similar content, that she wrote and put copyright protection on in 2003. I think Steve Harvey is a funny man, an ok comedian, and I have listened to pieces of his morning radio show while riding in the car. But to me as for someone to give relationship advice, I don't think so. In "keeping it real" as Steve says, I do not think he is an ideal candidate for relationship advice. I am not interested in any relationship advice from any woman or man who has jumped from marriage to ma

Congratulation to Pastor E. Dewey Smith and his members at Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church. They will be moving to their new home in a few months. The new property is situated on approximately 51 acres of land. The church once belong to Bishop Earl Paulk and his congregation. The new church features include a 6,000 seat auditorium located in the Cathedral, an 1,800 seat multi-purpose auditorium, a 1,100 seat fellowship hall, forty-six classrooms, sixty private offices, two fellowship halls, a Welcome Center, a gym with a basketball court, storage & maintenance building, and variety of multi-purpose space and ample parking.

A congregation divided since Hurricane Katrina could vote next week to get rid of its pastor, who some church members say has refused to repair the Katrina-damaged facility. The vote will come as members keep asking their spiritual leader, where's all of their money? "He took a catastrophe and turned it into an opportunity for himself," said Claudell Riddle, a member of the Mt. Moriah Baptist Church congregation. "And we are getting to the bottom of it." For Claudell Riddle, the catastrophe was Hurricane Katrina; the opportunity for her pastor, Donald Robinson, was to close her 9th Ward church. "There's no reason for our church to be closed," Riddle said. WATCH VIDEO HERE Dozens of members of the Mt. Moriah Baptist Church gathered Saturday to pray and prepare for next week, when they hope to gain back control of their church from their pastor. "We're being led

Last night someone asked whether President Obama race had played a role in his actions following his election as the first African-American president. The President answer that his administration, “has been dominated by me trying to figure out how we’re going to fix the economy, and that affects black, brown, and white.” The president said “while there was “justifiable pride” in the historic step of his election. That lasted about a day. . . . Right now the American people are judging me exactly the way I should be judged. Which, Are we taking the steps to improve the financial markets, create jobs, get businesses to reopen, keep America safe? And that’s what I’ve been spending my time thinking about.” This is truly what Dr. King envisioned. Barack Obama will be judged by the content of his character and not the color of his skin. It is his character and his ability to lead that got him elected to the presidency. We want the president to be judged on results. While his preside

The Secretary of State under the Bush administration, who once aspired to be the league's commissioner, was invited by Roger Goodell to speak to the " NFL family" Sunday at the owners meetings. She spoke to several hundred rapt listeners about everything from football to politics to the need for American optimism in a trying time.

A British family of four, who receives more than $30,000 a year in benefits because they are “too fat to work,” says they deserve more money, London’s Daily Telegraph reported. The Chawners, who live in Blackburn, England, have a combined weight of 1,160 pounds. “What we get barely covers the bills and puts food on the table,” Philip Chawner, 53, told the newspaper. “It’s not our fault we can’t work. We deserve more.” Philip and his wife Audrey, 57, weigh 336 pounds each. Daughters Emma, 19, and Samantha, 21, weigh in at 236 pounds and 252 pounds, respectively. Audrey Chawner, who has epilepsy and asthma as a result of being overweight, told “Closer” magazine her family’s weight is genetic and they cannot afford to eat healthier. Philip Chawner has Type 2 diabetes and was eligible for gastric band surgery until he developed a heart condition. “I’m a student and don’t have time to exercise,” Emma Chawner said. “We all want to lose weight to stop t

Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue. Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them. Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker. If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others. Never buy a car you can't push. Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late. The second mouse gets the cheese. When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane. Birthdays are good for you.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle-income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into: * $8,896.66 a year or * $741.38 a month * $171.08 a week. Or * that's a mere $24.24 a day! * Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite. So What do You Get for Your $160,140? * Naming rights. First, middle, and last! * Glimpses of God every day. * More love than your heart can hold. * Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs. * A hand to hold which is usually covered with jelly or chocolate. * Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day. For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just f

I am aware that the media and the right wing nuts are saying that President Obama is trying to do to much. In-which I total disagree with that stupid statement. And here's why. A great leader understand how to delegate work and take responsibility for anything that may go wrong. Why reading my devotional for today it so reminded me of some of the attributes of the president in which I had to smile. Snoopy is lying on top of his famous doghouse, complaining that there's too much to do. In the final frame of the cartoon he sighs, "I hate being head beagle!" If you like the privileges of being head beagle but not the responsibilities you probably haven't learned the scriptural art of delegation ( Acts 6: 1-6 ) some one once said that "you can do the work of ten men or get ten men to do the work." So why are we unable (or unwilling) to delegate? Fear of losing authority . Some of us would rather look for compliant people to implement our wishes.

Former evangelical pastor Ted Haggard and his wife are planning another TV appearance, this time to talk about their marriage. The two are in Los Angeles taping an appearance on the syndicated Twentieth Television show "Divorce Court," to be broadcast nationally April 1. The show's presiding judge, Lynn Toler, is interviewing the couple about how their marriage survived after a male prostitute from Denver alleged a cash-for-sex relationship with Ted Haggard in November 2006, executive producer Mark Koberg said. The scandal prompted Haggard to resign as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and New Life Church in Colorado Springs. The Haggards say their marriage and Christian faith are stronger than ever, and they want people to know that divorce is not the answer. "This is part of Ted's journey," Gayle Haggard said. "It&#

There's a new Web site, Information Age Prayer , which is now selling daily prayers: Information Age Prayer is a subscription service utilizing a computer with text-to-speech capability to incant your prayers each day. It gives you the satisfaction of knowing that your prayers will always be said even if you wake up late, or forget. For $3.95 per month you can choose from prayers for Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and even those unaffiliated with any organized religion. Some prices vary, however, depending on the type and length of the prayer. Shorter prayers are cheaper and prayers for financial help are sold at a discount. However, this services has a handy disclaimer . We make no claims regarding the efficacy of the service. Actual results will vary for each and every subscriber. Information Age Prayer is not a golden ticket to solve your problems and it is most definitely not a selling of indulgences. Information Age Prayer gives no guarantee that any effect

Why is there so much emphasis on Michelle Obama’s personal appearance? Remember, when she was on the campaign trail barelegged? Remember that TV interview she gave wearing leggings under a sundress from The Gap? Remember the sleeveless, eggplant-colored outfit she wore during her husband speech before Congress earlier this year? Remember when she showed up bare-armed during a White House tour, and on the covers of People and Vogue magazines. What's ironic is that former first ladies Jacqueline Kennedy and Nancy Reagan bared their arms long before Michelle O. ever dreamed of living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. All this talk about Ms. Obama's fashion choices says more about the media than it does about the Princeton- and Harvard-educated mom-in-chief. The media is so infatuated with the Obamas that nothing escapes notice ( Malia and Sasha's gets a new swingset) for example, her hair. First lady style doesn't change much, but the few times she has

Whatever happened to the gum machines at Toys 'R Us? As if things were not bad enough for parents these days, what with trying to keep their kids on the straight and narrow, away from gangs and bullying, keeping an eye on who they are talking to on the internet and on their mobile phones. Now it seems that the world’s most famous toy store chain is stocking lower back tattoo aimed at kids. These tattoos are the same as the ones displayed on the lower backs. Is this the sort of thing that we really should be encouraging young girls to be displaying, if not, then why on earth are these stores selling this type product or to be more precise why do parents allow their kids to actually buy and use something like this. I firmly believe that we are allowing consumerism to reduce the moral standards of our society. I believe by allowing young girls to dress up like little adults, we are pushing them into the physical world far too quickly, and not allowing them to be kids. I am s

When I heard that Bebe Winans was arrested on domestic violence charges.... for allegedly shoving his ex-wife to the ground during a heated argument... I am kinda waiting for the church community to speak out against this behavior, or will they?.... I don't see that taking place any time soon do you?....fact is domestic violence is a issue among the church community. Why do the church community be fronting like every thing is alright when in reality it's not? Why do some pastors say they believe in the teachings of Christ, but behind closed doors do something total different? We are taught in a biblical marriage the husband loves the wife like Christ loved the church.... we know how much that was because He gave His life for it. Therefore, you should not find a follower of Christ teaching hitting ,shoving, kicking or attacking his wife. The church community sometimes love to misquote the Bible by saying that the wife “submit” to her husband because the “Bible says s

Faith is at the heart of life. You go to a doctor whose name you cannot pronounce, he gives you a prescription you cannot read, you take it to a pharmacist you don't know, he gives you medication you don't understand and you take it. "That's faith! Heaven help the atheist! When something good happens who does he give thanks to? When something bad happen who does he run to? If you wait until you can explain God, you'll never turn to Him. Unbelief puts our circumstances between us and God. But faith puts God between us and our circumstances. Questions: Have you ever had a crisis of doubt/ faith? What caused it? If your crisis of faith/doubt was resolved, how did you come to resolution? How did those moments of doubt/ faith affect your relationship with God? If you are presently experiencing doubts/faith , how has that affected your relationship with God? Is it OK for a Christian to have doubts? Is it difficult to admit when you have doubts about your faith? If s

One thing you can count on in life is change. And as we age, our appearance proves no exception to this rule. Although a growing number of people turn to plastic surgery and other invasive procedures to minimize the effects of aging. It is great that Essence features the Ageless article every year. I am always happy to read this issue even though it was not in the traditional January issue of Essence. I am glad they still ran the article for 2009. Me my self being a baby boomer and a black woman, I appreciate a magazine that speaks to some of our life issues. I would like for Essence to include more articles that speak to my generation.

Matthew 18:4 "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like one of these children is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." When we are children there's a part of us that is open to love, and faith and trust. Through a little child's laughter and teary eyes we grow older and that part of us dies. Innocence lost, is so hard to regain. By the time most people are in their mid-thirties, they've stopped acquiring any new skills or attitudes. Question: How many new attitudes ( like the "can do attitude") have you adopted lately? How bound are you to mechanical performance? Do you feel compelled to approach a problem the same way every time? Does a new idea light your fire or make you retreat into your shell? Are you addicted to predictability? How long has it been since you acquired a new skill? Living and learning go hand in hand just like e

I keep hearing Tavis say we must hold the politicians accountable, however the only politician that he wants to hold accountable is President Obama. Where was the book on accountability when Bush was in office? It seems to me once the media found out that Tavis was willing to criticize Obama... it was on. Tavis has been on every main stream talk show. Why is that? These are my personal belief about Tavis. Mr. Smiley is creating an empire for himself bottom line. He has abandoned his interest in the Black community for self. Since Mr. Smiley has launched himself into this role as a spokesperson for Black America then he, too, should be held accountable. What has 10 years of the SOBU's done for the Black community? Is our community better or worse off since the inception of these 'conversations?' Have these conversations produced more than books? I wonder if he, himself, still lives in the 'hood?'If you are not out and about in the Black

Her Majesty will meet the new President in advance of an economic summit in London. The private meeting is highly unusual because President Obama will not be on a State visit. However it is the first time that President Obama will meet with the Queen, and while this is unusually not being done with a “State Visit”; this is being done more as an informal “get to know each other” meeting. Perhaps the economic crises, and the fact that the State Visits are pricey affairs has something to do with this. This being the very first president of African American heritage, the Queen Mum might not have been pleased to see him. I read some where that the queens Mum was kinda prejudice. Any way the Queens advisers believe it is important the Queen meets him before any official trip. President Obama, famed for his Yes We Can slogan, will fly with wife Michelle on Air Force One to Stansted, Essex. The private talks will be held the next day at Buckingham Palace. Mr Obama will then join the G20 l

In the heat of anger When you don't have all the facts When you haven't verified the story If your words will offend a weaker person When it is time to listen When you are tempted to make light of holy things When you are tempted to joke about sin If you would be ashamed of your words later If your words would convey the wrong impression If the issue is none of your business When you are tempted to tell an outright lie If your words will damage someone else's reputation If your words will damage a friendship When you are feeling critical If you can't say it without screaming it If your words will be a poor reflection of the Lord or your friends and family If you may have to eat your words later If you have already said it more than one time When you are tempted to flatter a wicked person When you are suppose to be working instead " Whoever guards his mouth & tongue keeps his soul from troubles" Proverbs 21:23

There's and article in today's New York Times which looks at a new twist in debt collection -- calling people in mourning to "con" them into paying credit card debts they most likely don't owe for deceased loved ones. Now,never mind that, as the story also points out, "most survivors are not required to pay a dead relative's bills from their own money." ... Some relatives are loyal to the credit card or bank in question. Some feel a strong sense of morality, that all debts should be paid. Most of all, people feel they are honoring the wishes of their loved ones. Now this guy Michael Ginsberg, a consultant to the debt collection industry, says, ... we want the dead to rest easy, knowing their obligations are taken care of. Man Please!! do he actually think people have STUPID written on their head? Now I've heard it all. So let me get this right. I can pay off some one debt therefore they can find heavenly rest. Question : Is a mor

As some of you know , I've been in the Jacksonville area for about a year now. Every day, I witness some of the most heart breaking scenes. People that have come up against hard times. I mean there's people sitting on picnic benches all day because they have no were to go. Some pushing shopping carts with all their belonging in them. I am talking about Homeless People . I know we can ignore them and harden our hearts to them, but they are still among us. Any way why on my way to church Sunday I saw a white guy with his grill sit up in a homeless area of the city and he was feeding people. There were about a 100 people waiting in line to eat. It touch my heart to see this one guy being so generous. The Homeless are becoming more creative and honest with their signs. Not only are they asking for food and money some are asking for alcohol. I saw one guy holding a sign that said: Need money to buy a beer I am not going to lie. Question: Are you generous to

Ted Haggard's appearance on Oprah's show in January was a disgrace before God, to the church, to his dear wife, to his children, and to himself. I was stunned at how ridiculous, and no conviction at all. But the most shameful and most painful part to watch for me was when his wife tried to stand up for Christian convictions by stating that even though we as Christians are tempted with evil and are inclined to do ungodly things at times, we can choose whether or not to participate in doing wrong. But Oprah quickly said, 'I can't go there with you, Gayle, then Oprah explain why. You no what? If salvation was based on I.Q., most of us wouldn't stand a chance. But God designed it so that, the most stupid cannot miss the way and children can enter the kingdom of heaven. Ted Haggard, seemingly disavowed what his dear wife said and agreed with Oprah for the whole world to see, even standing up in agreement with Oprah and shaking her hand. Not only does what Ted Ha

The Black church has/had been the rock of the black community since the first black congregation organized on some plantation in Virginia years ago. I will say with nothing but love in my heart that the black church has gotten black people through some of our toughest times: slavery, segregation, the great depression, just to name a few. I am willing to say it is the most fundamental institution in black society--then and now. Are there limits one can put on the church? I understand that the church main role is to reach out and bring in souls. With that, I can understand the need to attract young people to the church as well as the need to keep congregations interested and motivated. However, the video I found goes a little beyond that. Now, please don't get me wrong I love the preaching/teaching style of Pastor E.Dewey Smith Jr. I'm not saying that his heart nor the church wasn't in the right place. I don't think they crossed the line at all nor do I thi