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Showing posts from September, 2009

Can You Take The Songs Of The World, Clean Them Up Then Offer Them To Christ?

What makes a song worldly? Is it how you sing it? Is it what you're thinking when you sing it? Is it who you're singing it to? Can you take something worldly and reclaiming it for God's glory? Is all worship acceptable to God?

Temporary Employees Show More Signs Of Depression.

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A new study by researchers at McGill University found that temporary employees show more signs of depression, which hurts not only their productivity but the company as whole.... This is especially troubling because, as the recession softens, economists predict employers will hire temp workers before full-time employees. But for someone new to the workforce, or just desperate for a job, temporary employment can seem like a viable option... It means guaranteed hours for a set amount of time. The study found that temporary workers are more likely to be depressed than their full-time counterparts, and that the disparity increases over time. Using data from the U.S. National Survey of Youth between 1992 and 2002, researchers identified that temp employees, on average, suffered from two additional signs of depression than regular workers. And employees who continued to work temp jobs four years after initially being surveyed were even more likely to become depressed, leading researchers

Should There Be Warning Labels On Photoshopped Images?

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Ever look at a picture of a model and think, "Man, those lips can't be real. That skin can't be that smooth."Of course you have... That's because they aren't... And it can't...Sure looks good, though.... That's because literally every commercial image published today goes through some level of Photo shop manipulation... Sometimes it's just a light tweaking of colors, but far more often it's a whole digital thing from top to bottom...We got some people now who's worrying that photo shop abuse is causing problems for some teens...Especially those who are susceptible to developing unhealthy body image obsessions....Their goal is to help women with eating disorders and self-esteem issues....The solution to the problem is to place warning labels on photo shopped images....The warning will read: "Photograph retouched to modify the physical appearance of a person." The members of Parliament are discussing this law being a require

Missing The Old Black Church!

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Many of you who visit this blog know that I am straight from the woods of Alabama...Were I cut my teeth in the Baptist and Pentecostal Church...This week I was thinking about some of the things I miss about my "Old Black Pentecostal Church" experience ...Church in my youth was a place where everyone was given dignity, anyone could participate, all were welcome to contribute.... It didn't mattered if you could sing well – you could still sing in the choir. ... Even if you were one of the saints who struggled to live right, you could share during the testimony service. ... You didn’t have to be a musician to pick up the tambourine and play... You didn’t have to be on the dance team or go to practice in order to “shout.” The success of a sermon was not just in the preachers hands, but he could (and did) “wish somebody would help me preach this.” Any way these are some of the things I miss: Sister & Brother : Growing up, any adult person in the cong

Have You Read Your Church Hand Book?

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No! I am not talking about the Bible...I am talking about the hand book you receive as part of your welcome package at most churches... You know the one with the mission statement and the ( God ) pastor vision...Well anyway in May 2009 Carolyn Jackson lost her job at her church not for poor job performance, but because her tithing had dropped off ...Carolyn says in a time of financial difficulty for her family, she stopped giving 10 percent of her income to the ministry, which many Christians believe is a biblical mandated....Carolyn didn't read the fine print in her handbook...It just happens that Revealing Truth Ministries requires employees to tithe.... It's noted in the handbook outlining mandatory staff prayer every morning before work..."Failure to do so may result in the following actions: Verbal and written warnings and/or immediate termination." "Because employees are often seen as role models by the church congregation, it

Discovering What's In Your Child!

Do What You're Called To Do!

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Have you ever been net surfing and click on a random link only to find some amazing things? Well that's what I did today....Now this Super Mario manicure is frightening in a good way...I know some people will call these nails ghetto nails... But to me it shows some one with a wonderful artistry gift and a good eye for detail....Any way Photobucket user nailchick27 posted these pics of her hyper detailed false fingernails....She also has some Christmas nails that's pretty awesome.... Now I check out a couple Super Mario nail art tutorials but they don't compare to nailchick227's level of artistry...Question: Would you judge a person base on their nails alone? Would these nails be allowed in your work place? What do you think of her work? Having then gifts...let us use them...When God has gifted and graced you to do something give yourself to it and let the rest go.

Homecoming And The Black Church!

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Today's Homecoming at my church...It's one of the highlights of the worship life of southern black churches.... Homecoming not only marked the return of family and friends that had moved from their ancestral homes, but in some instances also goes into end of summer revivals.... It mostly involves a church service that draws returning family along with other members of the community together...After this service, which generally commemorated the history of the church, prominent families and the community as a whole, there will be a dinner...Now these dinners ranged from the traditional church picnic where everyone contributed to the meal and socialized in an informal manner to a more formal meal in the fellowship hall of the church... Homecoming became a time of commemorating the past, reconnecting with family, and the transmission of rituals and history to younger generations. Today many churches have moved away from the celebration of Homecoming, with the Church Anniv

Gladys Knight: Hip-Hop Has Set Us Back As A Race!

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WOW! Latter Day Saint Gladys Knight is not feeling a certain element within the music industries...Miss Knight had some harsh words for the genre of Hip-Hop in a recent interview....Gladys who turn from Christianity to Mormonism in 1996 is making the press rounds promoting her role as church elder “Wilma” in Tyler Perry’s latest movie I Can Do Bad All By Myself. ...Most of us know Gladys for hits like “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “Neither One Of Us” and “Heard It Through The Grapevine.”But during an interview with BlackNews.com, Knight said that Hip-Hop had created opportunities for y oung artists...But she slammed the genre of music, claiming it had set back African-Americans as a race...“It’s bad, in my opinion, as far as the quality of the music and the stories that they tell... It’s one thing to be raw about your history, but they took it to another level and it became vulgar,” Knight said....She also claimed that Hip-Hop had not “elevated our industry musically,”

I Apologize!

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Unfortunately helpful behavior has ceased to be the norm in our world today: Selfishness has become standard procedure...The Bible says:"As the end approaches, people are going to be self absorbed...self promoting ...dog eat dog...the kind ...who smooth talk and take advantage" (2 Ti 3: 1-6 )We all no someone who has a hard time apologizing ( My husband ).... They'd rather pretend nothing happened and evade responsibility for actions that hurt someone else (Me!!) ....Others fudge and deliver the classic non-apology apology, which might be more frustrating than not getting any apology at all.... It's usually a variation on the "I'm sorry you feel that way" theme, deflecting the wrong-doer's responsibility and putting the focus on the receiver and their flawed or misguided reaction. Ultimately — it's not an apology. There are lots of reasons apologizing are hard for some because it's a blow to the egos...Second we are admitting weakness

Bring Me My Big Black Belt!

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Samson went too far. He wound up with his eyes gouged out, mocked by his captors in a Philistine dungeon...Why? Because of two unguarded areas: pride and sex...David also struggled against unrelenting temptation...In a moment of weakness he fell prey to lust and paid dearly...But he did not die in prison like Samson...Instead he died " a man after God's own heart." What made the difference? Repentance! In brokenness and humility David called on the Lord and found mercy and grace to get back up...Now I don't know Kayne West no more than say you who may be reading this post....But his display last night at the VAM's was down right embarrassing to say the lest...Now my daughter and son-law who are in their early 30's say that Kayne has a problem with pride...Again, I don't know! But you have to ask one question : What would make a 30 something year old man upstage a 17 year old other than pride? I think Mr. West should stop and ask him self, "Am

The Return Of Whitney Houston!

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Sometimes God allows us to hit the bottom in order to discover that He's the rock at the bottom...I am sorry but I have to mention Whitney Houston and her new CD once again... I truly believe Whitney Houston may have had an encounter with Christ...Now I am fully aware that everybody don't see things the way I do or believe the way I do; that's perfectly okay with me....Some folks are saying that it was Clive Davis who saved Whitney and her career....Now I total disagree with that.... I can't give Clive Davis that kinda power but, what I can say is that he's the instrument Christ used to bring this about...You see the return of Whitney Houston, in fine form is not a testament to Clive Davis but to Christ ...Who else could have pulled her from the clutches of an addiction?... Who else could have pulled her from an unequally yoked marriage?... Who else could have allowed us all to have the privileged of hearing her gift again?... You might say she doesn't

Winnie Mandela Calls on South Africa To Stand Behind Caster Semenya

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The former wife of Nelson Mandela has called on all of South Africa to stand behind gender-row athlete Caster Semenya after claims the 800m champion runner is a hermaphrodite ... Winnie Mandela spoke out as Caster's mother Dorcus reacted with fury to the report that her daughter has both male and female sex organs, but no womb or ovaries... The Sydney Daily Telegraph published the details yesterday after reportedly speaking to a source close to the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF)....I am Sorry! but to me this should NOT have been published until the young lady was aware of the results and whether she wanted it published...Come on is there so little compassion left in the media and the world....That an 18 year old can be subjected to worldwide humiliation of such personal nature?...It is quite disgraceful that her privacy has not been better protected and that she has not been treated with greater respect...The report as claimed Caster has three times

Is Jay Z Mocking GOD By Calling Himself The God?

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Some one sent me an email with that question along with a picture of this tee shirt... Now if you notice the word "GOD" is in cap Why?.... I am sure Jay Z doesn't have in his mind, " omnipotent , omnipresent, omniscient " or " Creator " To me Jay Z like most rappers today are promoting himself probably as the greatest rapper, whether he is or not you have to be the judge of that because that's not what this post is about....This is about how unsaved people see our God....Now we Christians have an entirely different concept of "God" or even "god" than say, Jay-Z.... I am sure in his head he's in no way trying to compete with the Supreme God of all Creation...He's just bragging!...Now someone who is in Christ would recognize that "God" is sacred and untouchable.... That any taking of His nature (God) and applying it to ourselves would be blasphemy....So, Jay Z using this language simply demonstrate

I Look To You!

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If you wanted to see a person who has or had a strong relationship with Christ (even if she has fallen down)look no farther that Whitney Houston. In my opinion Whitney Houston is singing from a place of brokenness with this new album especially the title cut I look to you. ...Now I know the world that celebrates success doesn't see value in broken things. But guess what God brings beauty out of brokenness...For a plant to rise from the soil the seed must be broken...For a baby chick to learn to respond to experience larger life the shell must be broken...Even a thoroughbred horse must be broken....Brokenness is the work of Christ by which He strips us of self-sufficiency so that the character of Him may shine through us....Now don't misunderstand; being broken doesn't necessarily mean experiencing some tragedy....Many people suffer tragedy without drawing closer to God or even acknowledging Him... But that's not the case of Whitney...The legendary diva Whitney Hous

Happy Labor Day!

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I want to wish everyone a happy Labor Day! I hope you have the opportunity to spend some time with friends and family, away from the rush of work or the concerns of money, and really enjoy the important things in life. I did a little research on the origins of Labor Day and according to Wikipedia the holiday originated in Canada .... The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated in 1882 in New York City.... It wasn’t a federal holiday until after the 1894 Pullman Strike, but ever since then it’s been celebrated on the first Monday in September...Either way enjoy your day...I am on my way to the mall to get some of those end of summer sales.

Church Cliches!

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If you grew up around or been part of The Black Church like I have then most likely you've heard alot of different church cliches like I have .....So what I've done is combined a list of some of my favorites cliches from memory....Now if you can think of others please leave them in the comment section. Sow a seed! Turn to your neighbor & say… God don’t bless no mess! God don’t like ugly! God helps those who help themselves! Praise yo way thru it! When the praises go up the blessings come down! God hates sin, not the sinner! Who’s your spiritual covering? I’ll pray for you! No one’s perfect! Touch not God’s anointed! He who is without sin cast the first stone! Don’t judge! I’m coming’ out! It’s not over til God says it’s over! God ain't through with me yet! You don’t know my story! No test, no testimony! I plead the blood! The devil is a liar & the truth ain't in him! Even the devil knows the bible! God knows

Attraction Can It Be Turn On And Off?

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Now on one level one speak of attraction one might immediately think of physical beauty.... And–on a certain level–that is a kind of attractiveness that is very real.... However, I want to suggest that we take a look at other kind of attractiveness...First what causes us to be drawn to certain people? What quality of Christ likeness do we experience an see in other people that we often find so refreshing? What is that quality that makes us want to spend time ( my husband ) with certain people? Maybe–just maybe–that quality is generosity...You no there are some people who display the grace of God by their generosity and long suffering...I find ( my husband ) generous people and folks who will go an extra mile more attractive... People who are generous with appreciation and they can take a little more...These people are constantly thanking people... They thank the waitress, the person at the cleaners, the grocery store clerk.... They thank their child’s coach and teacher.... The

Pole Dancing Doll.

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Quote from Chris Rock ~ "Sometimes I am walking with my daughter, I'm talking to my daughter, I'm looking at her, I'm pushing her in the stroller. And sometimes I pick her up and I just stare at her and I realize my only job in life is to keep her off the pole. Keep my baby off the pole!"I mean they don't grade fathers but if your daughter is a stripper you f ---- up."