The Old Black Church

Are you in a storm today? If not most likely you are headed for one or coming out of one...I pray that the Lord or Lord and the King of Kings be with our young people! When I look at the storm of unemployment that our young people are facing at this hour it's troubling and scary...Especially if they have not been train or taught how to ride out life storms... Unemployment among young people is particularly troubling, because the consequences can be long-lasting.... This might be the first generation that does not keep up with its parents' standard of living... Jobless teens are more likely to be jobless twenty-somethings... Once forced onto the sidelines, they likely will not catch up financially for many years... That is the case even for young people of all ethnic groups who graduate from college . Lisa B. Kahn, an economics professor at Yale University who studied graduates during recessions in the 1980s, determined that the young workers hired during a down economy g

There's a new book out “Crooks and Homos in the Pulpit.”By national talk show host Reuben Armstrong...Who is Essence Magazine # 1 best selling author...He's also the author of “Snakes in the Pulpit." In this book Mr. Armstrong has put T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Eddie Long and Creflo Dollar under fire once again......Talk is that Mr. Armstrong has also come under fire for exposing what he perceives as the lies and deception of ministers, Pastors, church leaders and parishioners. The book focuses on Mega pastors such as Bishop T.D. Jakes, Bishop Eddie Long, Joel Osteen and Creflo Dollar. Critics are calling Armstrong's book controversial and an a wake up call to the Body of Christ. Armstrong who held a private conference with some prominent ministers and church leaders to discuss the book and his concerns about the rampant spread of homosexuality and thievery that has taken over the lives of many pastors and ministers.... According to Armstrong, "Crooks and

Have you ever wonder What-if ? Check this out: It’s said that Dan Rhodes met Dave Thomas long before Thomas opened his first Wendy’s. Rhodes admitted that he always knew young Thomas would “some day be something big.” But still, when given an opportunity to invest in Wendy’s, he didn’t. Later he met Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and had a chance to buy his stock before it went public. But he turned it down because he didn’t agree with some of the Colonel’s ideas. When he was in the restaurant business, Rhodes often had a salesman named Ray Kroc in his office trying to sell him equipment. Rhodes admits that Kroc was a nice guy; however, he chose not to invest in his little hamburger joint – McDonalds! A few years later on an Alaskan cruise he met an attorney from Seattle who suggested that Rhodes invest in his son’s new computer company. It had a funny name – Microsoft! Again Rhodes declined. Now,I know what you're thinking don't nobody get that many op

I would like to take this time to wish every household and family a Happy Thanksgiving and leave this pray with you: Father, we enter into Your gates with thanksgiving and present an offering of thanks...We enter into Your courts with praise! We're thankful and delight to say so...We bless and affectionately praise Your name! For You are good and Your mercy and loving- kindness are everlasting...Your faithfulness and truths endure to all generation...It is a good and delightful thing to give thanks to You O Most High.

You can't touch it, but it affects how you feel. You can't see it, but it's there when you look at yourself in the mirror...You can't hear it, but it's there every time you talk about yourself.... What is this important but mysterious thing? It's your self-esteem!Self-esteem isn't bragging about how great you are.... It's more like quietly knowing that you're worth a lot (priceless, in fact!). It's not about thinking you're perfect — because nobody is — but knowing that you're worthy of being loved and accepted.... That picture hurts my heart !

Today's devotional is so powerful that I decided to post it....God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper” ( Ge 2:18 ). God gave Eve one basic responsibility – to help Adam.... Guys, get this: husbands bear the primary responsibility for the home! When Eve ate the forbidden fruit, God said, “Adam, where are you?” Adam was held responsible for the breakdown...So in other words if you're a Christian man who have walked away from your responsibility...Guess what! God holds you accountable. Here’s another thought. Before God gave Adam a wife he gave him a job, and specific instructions to obey ( Ge 2:15-17 ). Ladies, don’t mess with a guy who doesn't want to work for a living, or obey God. Furthermore, if he tells you, “I don’t need you,” run and run fast! The whole idea of creating Eve was that Adam needed her. Until someone can say, “I’m incomplete without you,” they’re not ready for marriage. Marriage is a big decision, so allow God to h

I didn't grow up on gimmicky church attendance programs...The only gimmick we had was canvassing the neighborhood on Sat. morning looking for people who did not belong to a church... I am having a very hard time accepting what the church is doing in these last hours....Now the church is offering things to folks to get them to come to church.... I realize Jesus fed the 5000 and some focused on the loaves and fishes ( John 6:26 ) , but it wasn't His motive to entice them. Anyhow, you've probably heard of this story of the pastor who's paying folks to come to church. I believe that incentives creates a problem that lead folks to start thinking, "What's in it for me?" So my question is what are the limits? Should the church use incentive programs to get folks to invite others to come to church? Do your church use incentive to get folks to come to church? If so how is it working? What do you think?

I know that I may get a lot of ridicule for this post that I am getting ready to talk about, but I am going to say it any way....I believe G Craige Lewis is WRONG for the way he's attacking Hip Hop....The theological depth of the lyrics in most Christian Rap should put to rest any concerns about God’s ability to redeem all music styles and forms for His Glory...Now I will agree Lewis has done a helluva job of packaging his message...Now Lewis has went as far as to pull the God card you know the one were he was call by God...I remember the Incident in Waco, Texas were the guy said he heard from God and what about Jim Jones? and I could go on and on....I do agree with Lewis with some of his concern about Hip Hop....Like , hip hop being filled with idol worship, sexual impurity, perversion, drug and alcohol use, materialism, and immediate gratification....If I am not mistaken isn't that whats in the world? I respect the time and work he has put into his presenta

I found these 2 pictures side by side in a comparison kinda way on a black conservative brother blog...It pain me that he would stoop so low in his comparison of Palin and black women....Especially after reading some of the hateful comments that was left there....I was reading this article that really shocked me:Racial Discrimination is one of the major threat to African American women's mental health .... It undermines their view of themselves as masters of their own life circumstances and makes them less psychologically resilient and more prone to depression...From my reading about Michelle Obama she and black women has little in common with Sara...While Palin has achieved a measure of success,I think it's primarily based on her appearance,and her whiteness...There is no way you can compare black women 2 to Sara Palin it won't work.

( Psalm 109:8 ) is a response to the bumper sticker (1 Timothy 2:1-2 ) ...So my question what if one of your Christian friends had either sticker on their car, what would you think? And if we have to choose which covenant to live out of (Old or New), which would it be? For me I rather live under grace...By the way if you want to vote him out of office that's fair enough vote him out... I am often told to read the bible in context. So, let us look at the context... Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places. Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labor. Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favor his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out. Let the iniquity of his

This morning's I was reading a New York Times old article that was discussing the growing phenomenon of teens attending more than one congregation or tapping into more than one spiritual stream...This is indeed an interesting phenomenon...But to me, it seems to produce confusion....I believe in my heart it's important that children observe the practice of faith by their parents first and then others .... If the family is always scattered on Sunday morning, there is the danger that they'd drift apart as well...Having said that, once in a while if a teenager wants to visit a friend's church for special program, I believe that it is ok...There is something about family that means sticking together... Sooner or later, the teenage will become an adult and have their turn to make their own decisions including place of worship... Meanwhile, the parents should make this decision ...What do you think? Is this good or not? Should teens have such a choice?

The Bible talks about "lying signs and wonders" in the endtimes, done by the power of the enemy. ( 2Th 2:9 ) For at the coming of the Lord there will be great activity on the part of Satan, in the form of all kinds of deceptive miracles, signs, and marvels, as well as of wicked attempts to delude.... I was reading a post about a magician with the stage name, Criss Angel . who can supposedly levitating from one building to another...He says all he does is an illusion...What do you think? Is this just a crane/helicopter with actors and actresses hired to act amazed, or is this for real?Remember how Moses' rod swallowed up the Egyptian magicians' snakes? Illusion or Reality?

Why should people be meek and humble? I believe a lot of America's problems are caused by pride, arrogance, ego, self-exaltation, haughtiness, and self-will ... What does the Bible teach about meekness , humility , gentleness, and lowliness in contrast to pride, selfishness, self-will, and arrogance?On Saturday, the LA Times asked the question about President Obama's bowing before other world leaders, " How Low Will He Go ? "So, I'm asking should a U.S. President demonstrate humility? Should a president ever apologize when America has done wrong in the past? Meekness is a fruit of the Spirit which seems to be lost in our aggressive, self-centered culture.... Because people associate it with weakness, most people today do not admire others for being "meek."It is a quality of character very noticeable in the greatest human being ever to grace this earth—and one that all of us sorely need today...Question should our Commander-in-Chief not allow th

Rapper 50 Cent is releasing a cologne called "Power by 50 Cent." But what caught my attention was the ad for the cologne.... That Photo shop is out of control!Gone are his tattoos... I don't care about airbrushing....But when you clean up minor imperfections to the point that's it's a different person picture... Come on! There’s plenty of complaining about how women get photo shop alot but what about the men? Gone are his tattoos...Look at what they did to his face?

Well it is according to film critic Armond White.. I am sure everyone has heard about the film Precious based on the novel Push by Sapphire. The film is set in the year 1987 and it is about an obese, illiterate, black girl named Precious. Precious was raped by her father and emotionally abused by her mother...The film had a solid opening last weekend grossing $1.8 million in only 18 theaters. The movie will be slowly released to build word of mouth for the Oscar season. Film critic Armond White is receiving a lot of internet buzz because his review of the film is very controversial. White believes the movie is racist, sexist, manipulative, and is pure exploitation of the black poor. For example, Precious steals some fried chicken and eats it...White also slams Tyler Perry, Oprah, and the director Lee Daniels. White calls the lead actress in the film a hippopotamus. The issue of body image is a very integral part of the movie. What do you guys think?Is Precious Racist, S

To me Larry Jones is the face for Feed the Children, not board members... There is missing information here as to the reason why he was asked to step down.... He either failed in his duties or integrity or he was taken over by those board members....The man who made the charity popular through its TV ad campaigns featuring hungry children was fired Friday. "There's going to be thousands of children go[ing] hungry this Christmas because of what they did," Jones, who is the face of the charity in the commercials, told The Oklahoman. "I thought they had enough foresight to see that this is by far the best time of the year to raise money...This makes absolutely no sense - none at all." I don't know what's going on but Feed the Children has about 6 lawsuits going since a power struggle began over a year ago....There are about 200 employees...Jones founded the hunger relief organization in 1979, and for years was featured on television advertisements seekin

I stumbled across this article on MSNBC.com and thought it's worth mentioning.... It turns out that Wal-Mart has got us cover from the cradle to the grave...You can buy infants milk at Wal-mart as well as coffins online, that's right, coffins.... Now it is truly your one-stop shopping destination...The best part is that you can find the caskets under the "health and beauty" section:) I would love to thank Wal-mart for reminding us that one day we all are getting up out of here...Way to go Wal-Mart!

Phyllis Schafly the well-known conservative activist son Andrew...Has decided to fix something that I did not realize was broken-the Bible...Now this Harvard Law and Princeton undergraduate who's major was in electrical engineering has the urge to fix something... Andrew has actually taken it upon himself not just to mis-interpret Scripture, which would at least leave room for discussion, but to change the actual wording of Scripture for his purposes....Clearly, Andrew believes that Jesus would be a Republican.... Worse than that, he wants to strike out any evidence to the contrary....Andrew is the one who created Conservapedia which is the conservative’s answer to Wikipedia, an on line encyclopedia that he believes has a liberal bias.... Conservapedia, however, is more than a conservative encyclopedia.... It has undertaken the translation of the Bible that will correct the liberal thoughts that's in the book...The best translator of any thing especially the Bible

Gospel rapper Da’ T.R.U.T.H. announced that: “in light of a moral indiscretion in my personal life, I will be taking a sabbatical from music ministry and teaching upon fulfilling my current commitments to work closely with my pastor, church, and restoration team.” When we sin and fall down is it best to just be quiet about it and let it be discovered or put it out there and let's deal with it? What's done in the dark always comes to the light...Da' Truth could have hide this from his wife and the public but he chose not to....But by taking this path it seem to say that he's more honest, more repentant and more mindful of the path to recovery and restoration...Mine-you he was the first one to come forward and admit that he fell.... I respect Da Truth a lot more because he came out and said something... Right now, there’s talk going around about Tye Tribbett…Right now he’s not acknowledging or admitting to anything...But if it turn out that he did get someone

Blogs are buzzing and web searches are heating up for pictures of Sammy Sosa’s skin after the baseball star was snapped at the Latin Grammys looking a bit… well, pale... Sammy Sosa’s previously dark skin is now Michael Jackson-pale, and fans want to know exactly how one of their favorite players of all time has drastically changed so much over the past few years...Retired MLB right fielder Sammy Sosa seems to have undergone a bit of a strange transformation after his last appearance in baseball in 2007....Sosa hasn’t commented on his new, lighter complexion, but the internet is speculating that Vitiligo or fashion bleaching may be at least partly a cause.In addition the cat-like green eyes seems to suggest the latter may be more likely than the former.

Michael Jordan was one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game!” And there’s no denying it...He ruled the air, claimed the victory, and his induction into the Hall of Fame, on September 11th , proved his greatness... But when I ran across his induction speech that was post on Youtube it revealed a seemingly unhappy man... (TO ME)...Why watching Jordan’s speech ...I noticed one common theme: Bitterness with a hint of anger.... Jordan took shots at everyone he could think of, even his children...(All I could think as I listened was, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” (Proverbs 27:2 ESV) It was kinda like he was assuring the listeners how spectacular he was, how important he was, how he alone won the games and built the Bulls Dynasty....What’s strange of course is that Jordan had no reason to say this.... He had already clearly shown how important to the game and the dynasty he was.... So why the speech?

Building and keeping hope and faith alive in our young people today is a tough job...But for some it's a top priority....This fall, Zonderkidz(TM), the leading publisher of children’s Bibles and Bible storybooks, will underscore efforts by families, clergy, schools and others seeking to encourage Black youth with the release of My Holy Bible for African-American Children (www.zondervan.com/africanamerican ) Description: "African-American parents long for a Bible that can help them explain God’s Word and their faith to their children. My Holy Bible for African-American Children answers that need. Included are illustrations by African-American artists, popular Negro spirituals, Heroes of Our Faith, inspirational Christian quotes, and information that ties scripture to a child’s life . African-American children will find meaningful connections to God through features that speak directly to their life experiences and heritage. Features include: Large print type for easy reading

Ivanka Trump, is getting a lot of flack from Christians because of her “conversion” to Judaism in order to marry billionaire real estate titan Jared Kushner , an Orthodox Jew who is said to “take his faith very seriously.”Traditional Judaism has always discouraged such conversions.... The idea is that one should choose to convert to a religion through study, prayer and discernment...I don't believe that God would bring any one a mate that was so, so different in religion....Not denomination but religion!.... It's one thing to go from Baptist to Methodist,which both are Christian religions that lists Jesus as it's savior; to one that acknowledge Jesus never existed. Christianity is unique among all other faiths, Christianity is more about a relationship than religious practices... Instead of adhering to a list of “do’s and don’ts,” the goal of a Christian is to cultivate a close walk with God... That relationship is made possible because of the work of Jesus Christ a

Debra Winans tells TMZ she’s “hurt by Oprah’s decision to have Bebe Winans on her show” — especially after she refused to have Chris Brown on her show in the wake of the Rihanna beating...Some are hollering foul...The chatter in the blogs is that Oprah has "Double Standard" when it comes to Domestic Abuse....Oprah has been friends with the Winans Family since she had them on her newly nationally syndicated talk show back in the late 80's , along with gospel singers Vanessa Bell Armstrong and Wintley Phipps on the same broadcast... She even had the entire Winans Family on for a Christmas broadcast in December 1990...So, it’s no surprise that BeBe (and CeCe) continue to make appearances on her show....I remember the time she allowed BeBe to do a whole show around his 2000 CD release, “Love and Freedom” with guest appearances by many of the guests (mainly secular) who performed on the CD with him....BeBe and Oprah are friends! We all do this ;we treat friends differently

Pastor James David Manning has been restricted from posting new material on YouTube for “hate speech”Now, I don't for one minute believe the good pastor was preaching hate as in bringing physically assault against any one because of their race, sexual orientation, or nationality...I believe his speeches do have a hateful and ugly tone to them...But mostly what I have heard from the good pastor I don't agree with but, I believe he has the rights to say it...I don't like the fact that he referrers to the president as a long legged mac daddy....Nor do I care for the name he used to describe the president mother...Is it hate speech?I don't think so!