Making It Plain

It seems, at times, that these blog entries have been blasting specific sermons. Note: its the sermons not the ministers, pastors, teachers, apostles, or bishops administering the message ( 1 Chronicles 16:22 NIV ). I suppose if I were really ignorant in the Word I could listen to just about anything and be influenced to believe that it is the truth simply because a man or woman of God said so, its just that I am not inexperienced in the Word and because of that, I know better ( Ephesians 4:13-15 KJV ). I took the advice of the Holy Spirit in the Word that does tell us to study it day and night then we shall have good success ( Joshua 1:8 KJV ). So I listen and then I recall what the Word does say and then I write about it. Now if there is a minister, pastor, teacher, apostle, bishop, lay person, or anyone else that opposes what I am writing here - please write me back. I don't reject correction just as long as the truth is backing what I am being corrected about ( Proverbs 15:32 A...

Many, many times I listen to ministers begin each and every sermon with,"I would like to thank this or that...blah-blah... and I count this being here as an honor and a privilege to minster to you this morning..." And indeed, as I thought about it, it is an honor to be chosen to preach to God's people. God in as much trusts that speaker to say what He has given the speaker to say. This person has studied, prayed and is well equip to say and pray the way God has instructed him/her to do. The speaker has taken his position seriously and is not just saying what he thinks sounds good just to increase CD sales and to get a hefty love offering in the end. He/she is not just pulling at the heart strings of emotion for the majority of the congregation to run around the church and be all out of breath to trick them in believing that the church service was really good only to try to make account of the words spoken and it was all fluff and nothing to sustain them for the week....

I recall in the Autumn months when I used to live in Utah, there was this abandoned apricot orchard that my brother and I discovered. A neighbor suggested that we gathered as much fruit as we can because she was used to canning. She had her son come with us and it was the first time my mother made apricot preserves. But before we actually got the product she instructed us which of the fruit we should pick. We, as children, enjoyed going to the orchard to have our fill of the apricots. We didn't pick the hard ones because experience taught us that the hard ones weren't as sweet and delicious. So we left those. We also learned not to be so tired and reconcile to the fruit on the ground because it was more than likely spoiled or the bugs weren't finished with it. I recall the ick dance when picking those apricots from the ground. I thought it would be easier and they looked fine from the top. It was where the ground connected with the fruit when I turned it over did I see the ...

Truly, I believed the asking of this question was so passer, I didn't believe it was worth discussing. How can a Christian even use the zodiac as a means of conversation; and if it is used how could the other party still enjoy the date? Really?!! You wanna know my sign?!!! I recall the zodiac being such the rage back in the day. I considered it fun as well - course this was before I found Jesus as my Lord and Savior. People were getting such a kick out of it. I recall statements such as, I know people like that. They seem to all be like (this sign or another). Oooh, I had a dream and it means according to my sign... I have to keep playing this number because the newspaper said it would be lucky for me. Oh I couldn't go anywhere with him, I know my sign isn't compatible with (some other zodiac sign). That's how those (place sign here) act. They are always arguing about something. Such and such sign are so creative. And so forth and so on. Even at my young age, ...

What does that mean? Is there ever a person that would be out of your league? Before going on with this blog, think about that for a moment. It has been said too often out there in the world, but have you incorporated that foolish thinking into your lifestyle? And what does God think about that way of thinking? Who is really out of your league? Does this feeling impede your Christian maturity? Is God pleased with you for categorizing people in a way that He doesn't? Did He need you for that? Understandably the way women feel about this question as opposed to men are two different components. Women still have to realize like it or not that there is a double standard. As my mother would tell me, "if a man pees in the street, he can zip up his pants and still be called Mister. If a woman pees in the street she will be known as the woman who peed in the street." Instead of fighting so much to be equal with those that have sown wild oats, cheated and mistreated others - let...

Every time I think I went over a topic to exhaustion, something else arises to where I begin wondering whether I touched on that point enough or not and if I did, is it understood to where it has become common sense then anything else? Well, to some of us, most of these topics are common sense but only because of the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us while we are persistent in walking in love in all that we do. If you didn't know where that common sense came from, now you do. With that, let's understand the concept of obligation. To be obligated to someone is to be indebted to that person. It is a bill whether it being an actual, tangible document, or just an understanding that when it is time to collect on the debt, the person collecting is expecting payment at the point of asking. Let us all understand right out of the gate that the Word tells us to owe no man anything but to love him. With this in mind, there should be an immediate plan to get out of debt and stay o...

Exactly where is that written? I have heard fathers say this to their sons, but if we are to be set free with the truth ( John 8:32 AMP ) - we can only be so with the Word. In the bible,   Solomon's mother talks to him about women and what types there are in the three chapters of Proverbs. She doesn't tell him to marry a woman just like her. David tells Solomon about women throughout the book of Proverbs, and he doesn't tell him to marry a woman like his mother . So where did this come from? Could it be fear based? ( Proverbs 6:20-25 NIV ) Well, if you realize the way people think and why certain folk do what they do, you can see where fear is laced in where it does not belong. A man marries a woman who has certain qualifications to meet his needs. While some are completely satisfied with the "Suzy Homemaker" type for the purposes of raising children who are well rounded and healthy, other men enjoy having the proverbial "eye candy" to be envied. Then...