Making It Plain

As much as one would love to be married, it isn't something to be entered into lightly. Love and being together for forever is wonderful (as long as it is with the person you are supposed to be with); nevertheless, there are many factors that loom over unsuspecting, ignorant, and/or immature couples. Why unsuspecting? Because when in love and the relationship is new, the mindset that everything else will just simply fall into place with little to no effort is the common denominator ( James 2:20 AMP ). Why ignorant? Anything that is not researched is done impulsively. While some think it is the spice of life to do so, it is also what keeps peace at bey. Peace is the necessary ingredient for Kingdom Living. So that "free spirit" kind of thinking needs some discipline and training. Why immature? Not necessarily immature in age but in the matters concerning God. It is the reason for this entry. Once sound information is received, it is difficult to make any decisions based ...

Seriously? Let's be realistic. We know what to say and do in Christ ( Matthew 22:37-40 AMP ). We also know what not to say and do to maintain righteousness ( 2 Timothy 2:22 AMP ). We also know that the love of money is the root of all evil ( 1 Timothy 6:10 AMP ). Having that foundation, let's rip off the rose colored glasses, turn on some light and get really real up in here! Chemistry, butterfly feelings, what you think is the move of the Holy Spirit, and all of else that floats your boat, isn't at all what this post is about. The entire blog is about being real when all of the tulle and satin bow-ties have been put away. No one is talking about the reception anymore and the flash mob scene for the proposal has been done to the point of it being a cliche. This blog is about all that must be in the plan during the process of dating. From the right questions to the course of action for the two becoming one years later after walking down the aisle and everything in betwe...

What does that mean? How does one feel sexy? Is that the same feeling as lustful or feeling like having sex? I suppose we could understand this from a fleshly perspective with completely different answers. Would these answers be pleasing to God? Of course not, seeing that it is required for us to walk in the Spirit so not to fulfill the lust of the flesh. So then, can a Christian feel sexy with the understanding of that scripture? One of the streams of my financial income is using the talent God gave me to draw. The style I so enjoy is Art Nouveau. In this style there are lots of portraits, females, hair, and flowers. It is very stylistic, ornate, and most definitely feminine. In trying to establish my niche, making the style of Art Nouveau my own, I was inspired to draw several women with flower borders. I drew them in black ink and colored the lips in variations of red and pink. Upon completion, I had more then enough portraits to create a calendar . A woman looked at my illustr...

When looking for a specific job, many hope to find one with benefits. Not all jobs have that. There is a reason for this. Those that only look for employment with benefits have been out in the work force, have an education, or something has happened to them in life giving them the realization that medical bills are expensive. Those without that realization are just young or frankly, immature. The employer is no dummie as well. He/she already knows in order to get the position filled it must be attractive enough to draw the qualified personnel toward it. When interviewing, the seasoned employer makes sure that certain criterion are met before issuing out those benefits. He/she knows that everyone comes dressed to impress but given time to allow for the perspective employee to show a desirable pattern of professionalism so that it doesn't cost the employer time or money that is allotted with the benefits. Any detouring from the agreed expectations, the employer can t...

I know I continually refer to childhood things, but it is those events in our childhood that we remember and has assisted shaping us into being the people that we are. We all remember the groups of the "in" crowd, the geeks, and the athletes. We all had them. But then there was the one crowd that even a movie was based and some of the sitcoms as well, they were the mean girls. These girls wore the best of everything, had the latest gadgets, and if they spoke to you it was to get information, berate what you were wearing, or just be obnoxious. If you don't recall such a group - you might want to look in the mirror when you reminisce. Nevertheless, the mean girls were usually the cheerleaders or majorettes or the group too cool to be weird but didn't have a direction in their lives. Still, they were envied and revered. They didn't bother the athletes too much because they wished to be the dates of most of them or were already dating them. Funny how they influenc...

The title of this blog is a portion to the lyrics from Rick James' Super Freak song . I thought about this after seeing an excerpt from one of my favorite authors show, Michelle McKinney Hammond. It was her best friend speaking and he made mention of this song. I thought about what he said, and was led in a different direction showing me how I thought what I was doing in raising my sons was the right thing to do when actually it showed fear. I had to repent, turn from those ways, and write to allow you to see where changes need to be made. Nevertheless, here is the video in its entirety. It is a blessing to view: I told my sons that a man can fool a woman and a woman can fool a man but a man can't fool another man and a woman can't fool another woman. It is what my mother taught me. I believed this for such a long time and then I was fooled by another woman ( 1 Timothy 4:6-8 AMP ). How? She was older and had been around the block a few times with the kind of il...

There is this chemistry that people talk about when one is attracted to another. Once the chemistry is acknowledged, then the conversation begins. Its pretty difficult having a decent conversation with all of the smiling going on and trying your very best not to mess this one up. Being too cute maybe nauseating to spectators but your not trying to impress them. Right now, at that very moment, no one else exists but that person whom you seem not to be able to take your eyes off of. The butterflies...they are a fluttering. Your head...feels a little light. Your feet....not even touching the ground. The actuality of it...you are delusional! SNAP OUT OF IT!!! There is no need to jump into some Junior High School puppy love crap. That silliness described above is what the secular world falls into and then regret months (if not years with children) later. This entry is to make sure you are fully aware of the mind games that are played on a constant to get you in the bed, in trouble, in sin...

...don't seek to be married. If you are married, don't seek to be single. This is what is written in the bible. In order for Paul to be inspired to write this means that people in biblical times were having the same issues that we are now ( 1 Corinthians 7:27 MSG ). To be clear, the married people are finding fault when coming into realization of the marital vows. At this time the honeymoon is over and the normal routine of going to a job, paying bills, along with getting adjusted to a new personality that agrees with the routine or opposes it. That adjustment can also cause the person to smile at the quirky habits of the new spouse or find those habits irritating. If the new spouse is not sensitive to how his/her spouse is feeling, temptation to look elsewhere , regret in rushing into the marriage, or shutting down communication entirely is inevitable. Know that any of the three things listed is solely because of the lack of acknowledging God in all that you do to be dir...

A term that is more commonly known, to me, as flatulence is also a point in any relationship that kind of defines it. Pause and think about that (selah). If casually farting defines a relationship, it would be interesting what the feedback is without finishing the remainder of this entry. Alright, how can the relationship be defined with passing gas? If a person has become so relaxed around the other that ripping one is acceptable, a discussion would also be on the agenda. Do you know enough about this person for him/her to inhale that foul odor stream in a gas from your hind quarters? Sometimes it just slips out! Does it or is it a means to force the relationship out of the impressing mode to a casual level? Will the lack of bathing and wearing sweat clothes all the live long day be next? If that's acceptable, why not have hairy arm pits and add bad breath too? Fine, let's put the matter in the perspective of the Word by which this entire blog is founded. I recent...

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...

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 ...

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 ...