Showing posts with label Faith and Encouragement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faith and Encouragement. Show all posts
Thursday, July 24, 2008
BLACK IN AMERICA- ARE WE VICTIMS, WHO IS REALLY RESPONSIBLE?
from cryptaniteat12
Response to "CNN Presents: Black in America" a six-hour television event"
There’s a story about a young newlywed bride who is cooking a ham dinner. She prepares it by cutting both ends of the ham off before she puts it into the pot. The groom asks the wife why she cut both ends off. The daughter then asks her mother and she replies that was how her mother taught her. At that point the grandmother comes in and she is asked why both ends are cut off. The grandmother replied that she didn’t have a big enough pot.
Black America when do we take responsibility for our condition? How long will we keep cutting off both ends of the ham? You may ask- how do we keep cutting off both ends? Let me give just 13 examples of dysfunctional behavior that some of us perpetuate:
1) Refusing to finish at a minimum high school
2) Failure to turn the television off
3) Failure to choose healthy foods
4) Failure to exercise
5) Choosing consumerism over education
6) Failure to adopt a global perspective, understand our history and world history
7) Using racism and sexism as an excuse for not achieving
8) Living in denial versus confronting our deficiencies and institutional societal wrongs including racism and sexism inside and outside of the church
9) Choosing an underachieving noncommittal black man because he is black
10) Failure to get tested for HIV/AIDS, wear a condom or have your partner wear one
11) Limiting your choice to only black men
12) Forgetting the ancient landmarks that allowed our ancestors to survive slavery
13) Refusal to accept the need for and release ourselves to a higher power in our lives
Black America no one is going to save us, but ourselves. Let’s stop cutting off both ends of the ham because it is comfortable and everyone else is supposedly doing the same. (By the way is ham still a staple in your diet?)
Leave me some comments as to how we can think outside the box rather than cutting off both ends through black homicide, HIV/AIDS (the number one killer of Black women aged 25-34), under and unemployment, disproportionally high school dropout rate, 50% black single parental rate etc.
Stay Blessed!
Joyce
P.S. I'm glad Barack Obama's parents didn’t cut off both ends of the ham!
www.womensempowermentseminars.com
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
An Interview With Rick Warren Author Of The Purpose Driven Life
Hi guys,
I want to share with you a candid interview with Rick Warren, the author of the "PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE" that was sent to me by a reader named Chandra. Rick Warren reflects on his wife’s bout with cancer and his response to his new "wealth" from the book sales. Let’s pray and declare healing in the name of Jesus for Mrs. Warren and comfort and strength for her husband who has given so much to others. The Word says that there “is nothing too hard for God and that with God all things are possible!”
Stay Blessed!
Joyce
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California, Rick said:
People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.
God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness,"which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.
It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.
Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
NOW. PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS
I want to share with you a candid interview with Rick Warren, the author of the "PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE" that was sent to me by a reader named Chandra. Rick Warren reflects on his wife’s bout with cancer and his response to his new "wealth" from the book sales. Let’s pray and declare healing in the name of Jesus for Mrs. Warren and comfort and strength for her husband who has given so much to others. The Word says that there “is nothing too hard for God and that with God all things are possible!”
Stay Blessed!
Joyce
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California, Rick said:
People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.
God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness,"which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.
It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.
Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
NOW. PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Friday, March 28, 2008
The Healing Power of Water
TGIF guys!
I have been slacking off on my blog since the death of my mom on February 29, 2008. I want to thank one of my readers, Anuj Agarwal for sending me a link to his website and allowing me to use today's slideshow.
One of the ways that I deal with loss and depression is to go outside and enjoy nature. A simple walk in the park has a way of lifting my spirit. It allows me to commune with God, enjoy this wonderful planet that we share and gives me the assurance that whatever I'm going through will pass!
This slideshow is for those of you who can't get away and enjoy God's marvelous creation today. Take a few moments and play a game with your mind and pretend you are
there. I guarantee that your blood pressure will go down and your spirits will be lifted like mine. Thanks again Anuj for making my day!
Enjoy your weekend everyone and Stay Blessed!
Joyce
Thursday, December 27, 2007
A Guide to Handling The Famines In Your Life
Are you experiencing a famine in your life? A shortage of healthy relationships, money, energy, health, joy, peace of mind, under or unemployment, to name a few?
Guess what this is a blessing in disguise! This is an opportunity for you to experience fulfillment in your life. Like the Wise Old Man (see December 13 post) who chose to be happy in advance, let’s take a positive attitude and say to the famines in our life like the Biblical Joseph, “you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.”
Here is my recipe for handling the famines I encounter in life. Here’s how you can take a negative- FAMINES and turn it into a positive:
Have (F)aith in God’s promise, that He made you to be the Head and not the Tail. Practice forgiveness and love unconditionally.
Develop an (A)ppetite for healthy foods that promote life and build your immune system.
Listen to (M)usic daily that is uplifting and inspires you to achieve greatness.
(I)ncrease your knowledge base, never stop learning and trying new things. Take a course, go back to school or finish your degree.
Don’t (N)eglect your needs and be moderate with your desires. Leave something behind for the gleaners. Be honest with yourself.
(E)xercise- daily meditate on God’s Word and pray without ceasing. Physically work out 30 minutes at least 4-5 times a week.
(S)et goals that stretch you. Find a mentor or group that you can be accountable to.
If you confront your famines in a positive way as I have outlined, I guarantee that you will be a Winner at life!
Stay Blessed!
Joyce
Guess what this is a blessing in disguise! This is an opportunity for you to experience fulfillment in your life. Like the Wise Old Man (see December 13 post) who chose to be happy in advance, let’s take a positive attitude and say to the famines in our life like the Biblical Joseph, “you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.”
Here is my recipe for handling the famines I encounter in life. Here’s how you can take a negative- FAMINES and turn it into a positive:
Have (F)aith in God’s promise, that He made you to be the Head and not the Tail. Practice forgiveness and love unconditionally.
Develop an (A)ppetite for healthy foods that promote life and build your immune system.
Listen to (M)usic daily that is uplifting and inspires you to achieve greatness.
(I)ncrease your knowledge base, never stop learning and trying new things. Take a course, go back to school or finish your degree.
Don’t (N)eglect your needs and be moderate with your desires. Leave something behind for the gleaners. Be honest with yourself.
(E)xercise- daily meditate on God’s Word and pray without ceasing. Physically work out 30 minutes at least 4-5 times a week.
(S)et goals that stretch you. Find a mentor or group that you can be accountable to.
If you confront your famines in a positive way as I have outlined, I guarantee that you will be a Winner at life!
Stay Blessed!
Joyce
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