Lord, because you care for me my needs are continually met. You have given me more than I shall ever need and ever thought of possessing.  In the middle of chaos, you give me peace; you alone refresh my soul- weary from the battles of life and the consequences of my sin.

When I make right decisions, it is only because your Holy Spirit gives me direction and leads me in the paths of right thinking. You alone deserve all gory and honor, without you I can do nothing worthwhile.

Your Holy Spirit comforts, encourages, and strengthens me.  When I run, you run with me. When I am too tired to run any further or there is no place for me to run you are the one who refreshes me.  Thank you, Lord!

In every situation you give me victory. This amazes me and leaves my opponents wondering how one person can withstand so much rejection and such fierce and frequent attacks. Little do they know that it is only through your grace and mercy. You, the Lord God Almighty, shows yourself mighty on my behalf.  Thank you, God!

Long ago you promised to open a door for me that no human can shut. You have kept your word, and I thank you.  Now, I pray that through grace and mercy, you will grant me the privilege of continuing to let men and women know that you love them and are able and willing to help them. As for me, please sanctify me and take away the awful shame of my sin so that my life brings glory and honor to your wonderful name.

Give me the courage to face every battle, and where possible let me be an instrument of your peace and an example of your love. Help me to forgive others, remembering that whatever trespasses have been committed against me in no way compares to the trespasses that I have committed against you. Thank you for your forgiveness and for multiple opportunities. Help me not to squander or take them for granted. Please give me a kind and loving heart; the wisdom to make right decisions-that glorify only you; and the courage and strength to stand with afflicted and marginalized people.

Thank you God for your goodness!!!!

In your mercy, remember your creation-we are weak but you are strong.   

Amen.

Occasionally, I put my foot in my mouth by failing to adequately explain myself. Consequently, listeners hear a completely different message than the one I intended to convey. Fortunately, the misunderstandings have not been harmful to anyone except me, resulting in personal embarrassment to me and compelling me to make a statement that clarifies something I previously said.

This past Sunday while serving as the Worship Leader at my church I made one of those misstatements. My intent was not to  to mislead anyone- deception would benefit no one, including me.  However, a message I received yesterday alerted me to the fact that my statement may have been misunderstood by some.  I immediately felt the need to clarify the misunderstanding and to apologize for any confusion that resulted from me not using precise language.

As I pondered the blunder and thought about how to correct it the following quotes came to mind.

• “Avoid the appearance of evil.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:22)
• “Don’t give the Devil a foothold.” (Anonymous)
• “Use precise language.” (said by characters in The Giver, by Lois Lowery)
• “Think before your ” (Anonymous)

With those thoughts in mind and the desire to set right a potential wrong I have taken the following actions.  First, in the form of an email,  I notified my Pastor that my statement may have been misunderstood and that I was contemplating ways to fix it. Then, I prayed, I should have done that first. Now I am offering a public explanation of the situation and issuing a statement that, I hope, clarifies my intention. If an apology is due anyone, I offer it wholeheartedly.

The blunder

During the announcements I made a statement about preaching at so many different churches that I sometimes get confused about the order of service.  (The preceding statement is a paraphrase. However, it accurately connotes the essence of what I said.)

My purpose for making the statement

I was attempting to explain the lack of ease with which I was transitioning from one part of the service to another. The statement was not intended to infer that I have recently preached at many different churches. I have not.  Over the past two years I have only preached, infrequently, at two Presbyterian churches.  However, for many years prior to adopting my son, I was a frequent guest preacher/speaker at various faith based organizations-including churches.

During those services I was the preacher or keynote speaker. As such, my duties were only to read Scripture, pray, preach, and give the alter call. That is the ritual with which I am  the most familiar. So, when I am asked to do other activities during worship, I feel like a fish out of the water floundering around on dry land.

Looking back on Sunday, I fully understand how my woefully short statement may have given the wrong impression. To clear up the confusion and “to not give place to the Devil” the following explanation is provided.

The message I intended to convey

“OVER THE YEARS, HAVING LED WORSHIP SERVICE IN VARIOUS DENOMINATIONS (FEW HAVE BEEN IN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES), EACH TIME I AM IN A PULPIT  I FIND IT NECESSARY TO REVIEW THE NUANCES OF EVERY WORSHIP SERVICE. THAT IS WHAT I AM DOING NOW -LOOKING OVER THE BULLETIN TO MAKE SURE I AM NOT MISSING ANYTHING. I REALIZE CHECKING THE ORDER OF SERVICE DURING THE SERVICE CAN GIVE THE APPEARANCE OF FUMBLING. FOR THIS I APOLOGIZE; BECAUSE THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM DOING-FUMBLING THROUGH THIS PART OF THE SERVICE. “

God, please help me use precise language and to think carefully before speaking. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

Spiritual growth is a process that takes time and requires constant nurturing.  That growth is achieved only through exercising spiritual disciplines with the guidance and approval of the Holy Spirit-the third person of the Holy Trinity- the caretaker of the Christian’s spirit.  Otherwise the disciplines are mere time consuming activities, rituals that are void of spiritual merit. In other words, doing godly things without the Spirit of God has no meaning to God and is of no spiritual benefit to the doer (see Jerimiah 14:12).

In the New Testament, speaking about the worthlessness of religious activities practiced for personal, not spiritual, gain , Jesus said: 

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

During this Lenten Season, God please grant us the grace to remember that the purpose of Lent is for us to set aside time to reflect on Jesus Christ’s: suffering, sacrifice,  life, death, burial and resurrection, and not just to abstain from things.  Through Your Holy Spirit, help us  grow spiritually as we mature  in physical age. Let us  acquire  wisdom and understanding so we are living epistles  that testify about the Lord Jesus Christ.  In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Antiabortion rhetoric bothers me because most of those opposed to abortion show little concern for the well-being of children born with life-threatening illnesses or those children living in neglectful circumstances.  Very few antiabortionists adopt HIV positive children unless they can beat their prideful chests and boast about their charity and big hearts. Few antiabortionists have given more than a few thousand dollars, during the   antiabortionists’ lifetime, to directly improve the quality of life for those unborn children the antiabortionists claim to care so much about before the children are born.

Abortion, gossip mongering, and rumor-spreading all kill. The former, abortion, causes the cessation of physical life. The latter two crush spirits, kill reputations and destroy an individuals’ ability to live in harmony and to make a living.

For the record, I am heterosexual and have never been pregnant. My passionate pro-choice stand stems from a deep concern for the rights of all women to do what they want with their bodies. The decision to terminate a pregnancy is between a woman and God, not between a pregnant woman and the rest of society.

Those who are genuinely concerned about unborn children should pray for neglectful parents, male and female, to stop procreating; but they should not interfere with a woman’s right to choose to terminate her pregnancy!!!

What is history?

History is the story of human interactions that is told from different perspectives.

Why is it important?

History helps shed light on the development and sustainment of different political and social, including religious, systems. It contextualizes power, privilege and political thought.

Is history universal?

Every person and group has a history-story. How those stories get interpreted and documented depends largely upon who (which person or group) has the power or influence, to posit and perpetuate their interpretation of events.

Is history a series of facts?

History may contain facts, things that are indisputable.  However, history also contains information that is not fact-based or facts that are skewed to fit the narrative the transmitters want to preserve and perpetuate.  Every group disseminates its history, whether through oral or written (including visual) traditions.

Who possess the power to perpetuate a view of history?

The stories/ histories, that get perpetuated do so because purveyors of those histories possess the resources, strong desire, and they seize opportunities to shape and promote their stories.  Those stories help explain subjectively why things are as they are.

Why the need for Black History Month?

From a very young age, Americans are exposed, via oral, written and visual mediums and through a systematic study of European history, to European cultures and to European contributions to the development of American culture.

Eurocentric American history includes the telling of stories about dynamic and diverse European cultures. It identifies long standing alliances and conflicts among and between Europeans of different ethnicities and nationalities. It also describes the hardships suffered by those Europeans that first travelled to and settled in America.

It makes perfectly good sense that European Americans documented their experiences to account for how they came to possess and control the land that is now the United States of America. It also makes sense that some Americans of European descent might oppose the telling of American history from a Black American perspective. However, there is nothing logical about Black Americans opposing a month set aside to ensure the systematic study of Black American History in its entirety, and not just as a footnote in American history told largely from a Eurocentric perspective.

What are the consequences of abolishing Black History Month?

If Black History Month is abolished the story of Black Americans will be minimized or reduced largely to caricatures (stereotypes) created by the dominate culture, including by Blacks who benefit economically, socially and or politically from promoting the misrepresentations of Back culture.

This final week in Advent focuses on love. The highlight of the week is December 25-the day set aside by many Christians to acknowledge and honor the birth of Jesus Christ-Messiah and God’s great gift to the world (Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7th).

The week is marked by heightened anticipation and excitement about the celebrations that Christians will engage in on Christmas Eve and Christmas. Traditionally, both days are celebrated by offering  prayers of praise and thanksgiving; singing Christmas carols, gift giving, Scripture reading and/or reenacting  the Christmas story, and fellowshipping with family, friends and other Believers.

The Holiday is intended to be a shared experience and every activity, including buying and exchanging gifts and sending Christmas cards, should point to God’s great sacrificial love as manifested in the birth, death and resurrection of our beloved Savior- Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Exchanging  Christmas cards and gifts are expressions of love. Of course, the birth of Christ represents the ultimate act of love in that God Himself became flesh and modeled how we humans ought to live in fellowship with the Creator and in relationship with each other.

Merry Christmas!

Almighty God unto whom all hearts and minds are open and from whom nothing is hidden, thank you for for all things great and small.  You are marvelous and gracious, slow to anger and quick to forgive and nurture. Thank you for joy and peace. But most of all, thank you for Jesus, the Author and Finisher of the Christian faith!!!

Amen.

Passages for meditation during the third week of Advent

1. “…Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10)
2. “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening…” (Psalm 92:1-2)
3. “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)
4. “Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised, And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.…” (Psalm 145:2-4)
5. “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17)
6. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
7. “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

1. Treat others the way you want to be treated. (Luke 6:31)
2. Abstain from arguing. (2 Timothy 2:23)
3. Judge your own motives; not the motives of others. (Matthew 7:1-2)
4. Avoid gossipmongers and do not engage in gossip. (Proverbs 20:19)
5. Seek God’s will about every situation. (Proverbs 3:6)
6. Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (James 1:19)
7. Look for and acknowledge the good in each person and every situation. (Philippians 4:8)

Almighty God unto whom all hearts and minds are open and from whom nothing is hidden, please help us practice peaceable living.

• We pray for all those living in and near war-torn countries and for those living in violent ridden communities.
• Please change the hearts of the violent people among us. If they harden their hearts against you by refusing to change their wicked ways, please remove them from our midst so the rest of us can live in peace.

Amen!