Making It Plain

It is the end of the year and most of us would make an account of what we have done in the last of these 365 days. We will smile at some of it and maybe some of  those other things... well, its best we not think of them anymore ( Philippians 4:8 KJV ). You know, the stuff that we wish we should have said, should have done, could have done, if it were only for not having this or that. Those are called regrets. For a practicing born again believer, there is no place for any regrets. We have to see them as lessons that will not be repeated. The experience has taught us that given the same opportunity, we will react differently. Emotion will take a back seat to Christian principles , love , and wisdom . These are the things we have practiced to the point of them being habits. This is what we renewed our minds for. Honestly, having that understanding is half the battle in that spiritual warfare we call the evil nature. Its what used to be our rationality basing on what we see , rat...

Remember when you were a child or you can recall the cuteness of children? It was mostly because of those big eyes trying to absorb all of  the different things life has to offer. Everything is fresh and new and the simplest of things that we take for granted, seeing how a child sees it for the first time, we can't help but to smile. Smile? We take pictures and videos to capture the memories, show them when they are older just to be entertained and sometimes grieve of the innocence lost. ABC's America's Funniest Videos are as successful as they are because of our desire to capture those precious and sometimes hilarious moments. The hilarity ceases when the child realizes that adults have a soft spot for that innocence. When those wide eyes are used for manipulation, it isn't quite as cute - not when it is recognized initially nor when years have passed and it is brought up in conversation how much planning went into the production of the scam ( Proverbs 2:6-19 AMP ). ...

I recall listening to a sermon about getting a man interested by wearing his favorite color. Because this was a minister and what I recall in the bible, I listened to the instruction, went to the store and bought all of these clothes of this particular color. Every time I went to church, I had this color on that I would not normally wear. Then I thought about it, is this disrupting my peace? Do I like wearing this color? How much money did I spend buying all of these clothes? Who am I trying to impress and even after I get his attention, will I like what he has to say and what he is about? How long will he be staring at the color I have on before finding out what is in my heart? In making an assessment of the person you are dating for the purposes of marriage, there has to come a time where you have some pertinent questions to ask. These questions cannot be superficial and it would give some insight to the person's intentions and exactly what is in his/her heart. Again, as unrom...

In the dating guide (not yet published), I warn men of women desperate to be married. There are some simple tricks that men can do when  Wisdom  has taken a back seat to the sight of a tiny waist and brimming cleavage (that is a warning all by itself - 2 in fact). It is for the men to ask his date for something insignificant that every woman should carry in her purse. If it takes her more then a few seconds to give to you what you asked for, either rethink the prospects of her being the one or examine yourself. In the position I hold currently, I check on the elderly to see if all is well with them. At night there is a system in place to let me know that they are doing fine and there is no need for me to enter into their premises to check. When they have not used the program, it is of their own will but the ones that do, do so for the added security. I have not found any of them on the floor not able to get up or worse; however, my co-worker has. What I have seen is that ma...

The nursery rhyme would ask, what are little boys made of ? The answer being snips of snails and puppy dog tails with the proverbial, eww at the end. Did not know what that meant as a child, only really glad that I was not a boy. There is another thing I didn't know nor did I care as a bunch of us little girls chanted this rhyme; what did it make boys feel like? You see hurt feelings and crying were not things boys that are allowed to do and even today I think it is still frowned on - a little. Boys are raised to be strong leaders and heads of households - only for that to really happen, there should be good role models able to stay long enough to teach them to do the job. Mom, as hard as she tries and some may even think they have successfully done both roles for their sons to go out there and really be men, they have to be honest and ask, how? How does a woman teach a boy to be a man? This is the job she is left to do. Men aren't at home as much as they use to be and being...

I think it was one of the games I least liked playing when I was a child. The boys never wanted to play it and so the girls in the neighborhood had to be the man in the family too. It seemed so silly and I suppose we all felt a little weird in playing the role by which we truly had no clue... not even in pretending how to be something that none of us had a desire to be -men. Of all of the games we played, house didn't seem too long to get started and be over with just as quick. Lately, I've been watching a lot of reality shows and court t.v. where Judge Judy Sheinlin says that people in making asinine mistakes and playing house without the benefit of marriage keeps her in business. Though she seems annoyed at having to resolve the mess of others, she says she has been doing it for the past 16 years. Joint accounts, mortgages, taking a break from one another, having a protection order out for one but a week or two later he is welcome to the shared bed, dating and then...

In a previous post entitled, Recognize The Wolf , I made a reference not only to the story but the illustration I drew. I originally drew the subject matter as a sort of an abstract of what a movie poster could look like. There was a purpose for every aspect of the piece from it being black and white to only showing half of their faces. The cabin looked small like a wood shed and the smoke that came between the two characters is as poignant as the characters themselves. People who enjoy looking at art would have spotted these things and it is one of the reasons why the piece does so well in my gallery. For the purpose of this blog; however, I draw (pun intended) your attention not to the illustration but the story itself. As an adult, I thought about the nonsense of anyone not recognizing a threat when it comes upon him/her much like not being able to recognize the difference between a family member and a stranger. Could it happen? Why didn't any of the characters in Superman or ...

I was having a discussion with a woman who is about 20 years older then me. She is so interested in meeting someone and was asking me who in the community seems lonely and would like to meet someone as well. Granted she is a believer of God but her maturity level is a little lacking. I told her of a man that has watched her from time to time and could be interested in her. He is around when she volunteers for projects and I believe it was just to see how she handles herself in social settings. She was so excited to know that there was someone that was even looking. She asked for me to describe him. Being employed in an elderly community, the description of him being elderly with white hair and looking like this or that was not much different from every other man residing here... though, oddly enough, it satisfied her. She paused for a moment and her elated expression changed. She said, "so why hasn't he come to speak to me?" Why would she think I had the answer to this?...

This is not a women's lib or feminism post. We already know, as believers, where women stand and what we must do to keep the integrity of that position. Is there a double standard as to what women can do if one would compare that standard to the world? With life being my choice, what the world does is superfluous to me. However, having to live amongst those who might still have those sort of beliefs or some who have not come into the complete knowledge of the truth, the temptation of wanting more then what has already been handed to me can sometimes show itself ( 2 Timothy 3:6-8 AMP ). Recall when the serpent caused the woman to question who she was - already a god ( Genesis 3:1-7 KJV ). It is why I am writing this post. Yes, it is addressed to women, but there are some single men who have daughters that still need to learn these same lessons. When I was dating in my 20's, the Christian men enjoyed using the scripture that the woman is subservient to the man. It was them con...

This subject one would think to be obvious because we have heard this scripture since Sunday School; nevertheless, the point of repetition is so that we never forget, apply it our own lives, and then be a blessing to someone else. Is it a wonder why God would have us walk in Love  in all that we do so that we can live that abundant life... seeing that it never fails. Just think if we truly had the mind set of what would Jesus do in every aspect of our lives, then once having the answer and carry it out, I think we would finally have all that we could ever hope to desire in our lives and in the next generation to come. The problem is, crap happens! There are too many things that would influence us or tempt us to do something other then walking in Love . For instance, our everyday language is actually obscene if we were to grade it on a Love scale. Just think about it for a moment and forgive me for stepping on anyone's toes, but I am going have to start with ministers and work ...

There is an irritating ignorance that seems to try and lurk arround explaining how normal it is to struggle when first getting married. I suppose if you stand on the principles of the world, then you can bandwagon down that journey of bumps, jagged edges, and hardships. Personally, I choose to follow Jesus. The funny thing is when choosing to follow our Lord and Savior, we are all in agreement within the confines of the church building (right?); however, when using the same MO ( modus operandi ) for life in solving the equations the world dishes out, some tried to resurrect that which has passed away ( 2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP ). It is considered to be natural to have struggles and concerns when newly married. Reason being, because of having to cope with another personality, the differences of opinion with daily tasks (being raised in two different households), and the presumption the other will change in a given period of time ( 2 Corinthians 6:14 KJV ). This makes sense; yet, wit...

My son got married a few weeks ago and it was bitter sweet. I was a little upset because I thought he didn't take heed to any of my warnings especially when he showed me things that proved the warnings were correct. I kept praying not so much for him to find someone else but for him to gain the Wisdom he needed. I was vigilante about it. He came to visit with me. We had a nice conversation about relationships and I saw that he was frustrated because he wished to honor me by being obedient but he also wished to marry of his choosing. He began listing all of the things I had taught him for years and all  that he obtained from what I taught him. I couldn't dispute any of it. I had to keep the peace and give him my blessing. He did good (as my father would say). I also recall him telling me that his bride has this gift that what ever contest she enters or whatsoever her heart's desire she gets. He thought it was amazing that she had this gift because it has not failed yet. H...

A huge sign of independence for any teenager is finally being able to legally drive. The training is a little pamphlet and some getting use to being on the road with other drivers. We are made aware that everyone isn't as conscientious as we are; nevertheless, it doesn't detour (pun intended) from getting on the road and experiencing that freedom, even in later years when we are use to it. We know to never disregard the traffic signs. They were put there for a reason. Seeing other people do their own thing knowing that if the police doesn't get them with a traffic violation then the sign which warned of a slippery road ahead, or yielding because animals are crossing, or  just slowing down because there is a stop sign ahead will be their deterrent.Would that also be true with everyday life and in this case, with dating in the Christian genre? You must first practice that which He has given you so that you can hear clearly and know to test it all ( 1 John 4:1-3 AMP ). With ...

A friend of mine came to visit me a few nights ago. We are both single and was talking about going to the mall for some window shopping (something I particularly detest). She was trying to convince me and in some kind of way, the conversation steered around to back in the day, when we use to date and the looks men give that can make a woman weak in the knees. We both had our stories about when the best thing to do was run like Joesph from Potiphar's wife. We laughed describing how we were shaking just to get away from them and not being able to understand why we were so shaken up by them. She left after we talked for more then three hours and had not gone anywhere to shop. We didn't look at any television and had dinner right there in my apartment. It was different for me. We usually would go out and about somewhere meeting other people from our church or just going to see a movie. It was just refreshing for the both of us sitting there and talking. I hadn't done that in ...

Recently I wrote a blog: Sex In The City . I figure I touched on a subject matter that was relevant in the church and should be addressed because of the interest it generates. Not because of the things of the world having slogans that sex sells, its for the knowledge of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. If there is no new knowledge on a subject matter then we tend to use what we already know to do and that is the old man that has since passed away . I am writing this sort of part 2 to the previous blog because I still think I was vague about the subject matter. Coming from a different perspective, seeing that people digests information in all sorts of ways, I figure clarity can't help itself but to be seen. No confusion or misconception as to what is meant by this or that ( 1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV ). And in order for the clarity to be all that it needs to be, you know I have to use the Word of God. In the faith life style that I have chosen for myself, I have noticed t...