Why Do You Think Khloé Kardashian Called Off Her Divorce From Lamar Odom?

khloe lamar

Hello World,

Since I’m a pastor’s daughter, I’ve been to like a million weddings. I’ve heard those vows said every time, but I never really contemplated them until I said them myself on Aug. 10, 2013, the day I got married…As I repeated the words, “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance,” I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. The natural me was in the moment saying those words, and the spiritual me, it seemed, was watching, hardly believing that I was making such an impossible commitment.

All that being said, I wonder if those vows where what Khloé Kardashian was thinking about when she rushed to Las Vegas last week to be with her estranged husband Lamar Odom following his drug overdose at the Love Ranch where he cavorted with ranch employees after apparently and or allegedly ingesting a near fatal cocktail of drugs. Thankfully, Lamar, who was unconscious for several days, survived his drug overdose. Yesterday, Khloé announced she put her relationship with Houston Rockets player James Harden on hold to focus on Lamar as he recovers. However as today, that hold is now a halt, as Khloé and Lamar, who got married in 2009, have called their divorce off, according to People magazine.

The romantic in me what wants to admire Khloé as she seems to be both honoring her marriage vows and demonstrating the love in 1 Corinthians 13 also known as the Love Chapter…Below are a few verses from the chapter…

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres…

And Khloé and Lamar, who did not expressly say their were Christians in this video which I saw on elev8.hellobeautiful.com, do claim there is a “spiritual side” to their marriage.

After what Lamar has reportedly put her through from alleged infidelity to rampant drug abuse to most recently “bogeying at a brothel,” she would be justified in not being at his bedside even if she prayed for him from afar. But not only did she keep vigil at his bedside, she is also keeping him! Why do you think she called off her divorce?

The cynic in me wanders if this reconciliation is just more fodder for the reality show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” The New York Post has reported Lamar’s recovery from his overdose will likely be featured on the show…

Within hours of Odom’s hospitalization, Khloé, Kris and seven-months-pregnant Kim had hopped on a private plane. According to Radar Online, they had a camera crew in tow. (The 11th season of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” filming now, premieres next month.) Caitlyn Jenner was en route.

By early Wednesday, media outlets such as TMZ, Radar, People, Us Weekly, E! (home of their reality show) and “Entertainment Tonight” suddenly had real-time updates and unobstructed views of matriarch Kris and her daughters outside the hospital, dressed in designer black dresses as if they were all widowed first ladies, straining to show distress on perfectly made-up, Botoxed faces.

The Kardashians let it be known that they “dropped everything” when they heard of Odom’s collapse, as if this were a heroic response rather than a merely decent one.

And she does have a book “Strong Looks Better Naked,” coming out on Nov. 3. In the book, she “doesn’t go easy on husband Lamar Odom,” according to Page Six. Her book, however,  is supposed to be about “shar[ing] her secrets for finding strength of body, mind, and heart with revelatory stories of her own struggles with weight, relationships, and her self-image.”

Or could the motive be something else? Anyone see  Tyler Perry’s movie “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” in which Helen McCarter agrees to take care of her estranged husband Charles although he left her to be with his mistress? After Charles was shot and paralyzed, his mistress leaves him, but Helen returns to his side to care for him AND exact her revenge which he definitely deserves. However, the two end up forgiving one another and becoming friends although they ultimately divorce.

What do you think?

The romantic in me hopes it was “ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can’t-live-without-each-other love.” (Shout out to SATC) Either way, I hope this incident is a wake-up call for Lamar and is his first step in recovering from his alleged drug addiction.

Any thoughts?

Why My NIV Bible is Made For Me & Made For You

Zondervan & Biblica Continue to Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the commissioning of the World’s Most Read Modern-English Bible...

me and niv 2

Hello World,

My love affair with my Bible started like a lot of things in my life: I liked a boy. That was nothing new. In my past, I had liked a lot of boys. But what was new: this boy was a Christian. And he wasn’t just a Christian. He was a Bible-reading Christian. So even though I grew up with a pastor father, I started reading an NIV Bible (the most user friendly Bible in my opinion) in earnest because of a Christian, Bible-reading boy I liked. Of course, I thought he was made for me. One of the first scriptures I came across was Psalm 37:4. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I was so excited because I thought it meant that this Christian boy and I would definitely be together because he was one of the “desires of my heart.” I totally ignored the “delight yourself in the Lord” part. The irony of that crush is that although that Christian boy and I were not meant to be, it did ignite my love affair with my NIV Bible, and I eventually learned what that scripture truly means. If you saturate yourself in God, your heart’s desires become godly, and God will satisfy those desires.

I was a new college graduate when I liked that boy, and I couldn’t find a full-time job in my field for roughly two years. And it was rough too. I went on interview after interview to no avail. I temped all over Atlanta. I eventually worked at a law firm, a public relations firm and a record label, but I still wanted to be a journalist. But this verse encouraged me: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” Jeremiah 29:11. I was elated when I finally got a job as a reporter for a small newspaper, and I was so grateful that I had to be the hardest working reporter there!

As I continued to grow in the Bible and in life, I had more turmoil in my personal life and in my professional life. But with every disappointment, I can honestly say I learned what this scripture, what has come to be my absolute favorite Bible verse, truly means. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28. All things (good and bad) that I have gone through in my life, God has worked it out for my good!

niv engravedMy NIV Bible is Made for Me!!! 

That is why I am excited to share that Zondervan and Biblica are continuing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the commissioning of the world’s most read modern-English Bible, the New International Version (NIV)! As a result, Zondervan and Biblica have partnered on a year-long campaign featuring quarterly themes that recognize the different ways the NIV has impacted the Christian church. This month commences the fourth and final theme of the year: Made for You.

For the past fifty years, the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT) has been continuously refining the NIV to ensure that it is Made for You. The CBT works hard to maintain the virtues that has made the NIV the most read and most trusted English translation in the world: accuracy and readability. To achieve this, the CBT persistently studies the latest biblical scholarship and consults a database of over 4.4 billion words that identifies trends in global English usage. Thanks to the continued work of the CBT, the NIV is the most trusted modern-English Bible in existence, making it ideal for reading, preaching and studying God’s Word.

The NIV is, more than any other translation, the most highly supported translation for study with over 50 Bible commentaries, dozens of reference works, and hundreds of Bible study guides and other resources available. Among these resources is the free NIV 365-Day Devotional Reading Plan, which has reached over 200,000 subscribers since January 2015, providing readers with a new NIV scripture passage and insight every day. The free NIV 50th Anniversary Mobile app launched earlier this year, provides its 50,000+ users with mobile access to the complete NIV text, as well as study notes and daily devotional readings, and much more.In addition, Zondervan recently released the all-new NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, which has been re-typeset in NIV Comfort Print® font. Not only did that make this Bible more readable, it also reduced the page count by 350 pages!

“Our goal is to give everyone, no matter where they are in life, access to the Bible that is right for them,” said John Kramp, SVP and Bible publisher for HarperCollins Christian Publishing. “There are hundreds of styles and tailored Bibles complete with devotionals and relevant resources specific to women, men, children, new believers, and those going through major life events, such as marriage, recovery, loss or cancer.  And to ensure everyone has access to the Bible, there are multiple formats, including dozens of NIV eBooks and NIV mobile apps.”

Below is a video about the “Made for You” theme.


To learn more about the 50th Anniversary campaign and view additional content, visit www.thenivbible.com.

Any thoughts?

Seven Scriptures to Reflect On When Life, Death, Gun Laws & Mass Shootings Don’t Make Sense…

chris

Hello World,

It has almost been a full week since 26-year-old Chris Harper-Mercer unleashed deadly bullets in his writing class at Umpqua Community College in Oregon where victimshe killed nine people and wounded others. Not only did he target the writing class, he added an additional qualifier as he shot those who professed to be Christians in the head, reportedly saying, “Good, because you’re a Christian, you’re going to see God in just about one second,” according to CNN. Those who did not were shot in other parts of their bodies, according to People magazine. Almost seven days later, the actions of Harper-Mercer, who also turned the gun on himself, don’t make any sense. Actually, they make less sense considering what been discovered in the days since this horrific mass shooting. This troubled young man had SIX guns on him but had access to EIGHT more guns at his apartment where he lived with his mother, according to CBS NewsALL of the guns were legally bought, The Huffington Post has reported.

Why would any one person have 14 guns? How does that even make sense? It is not right for any one person to be able to stockpile weaponry. How many mass shootings will it take before our leaders put partisan politics aside and respect the sanctity of life and death and make gun laws that at least curb if not stop mass shootings altogether?

While I cannot make sense of it all, from the gun laws, to mass shootings, to our politicians’ lack of action, I am thankful that we can turn to the Bible for comfort…Below are seven scriptures that I hope will comfort all who have been affected by these senseless mass shootings…

1. “I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.  Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.” Psalm 6:6-9…There are times when all we can do is cry and pray, but the Lord promises to answer our prayers…

2. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4…God also promises that those who mourn will be comforted and not only will be they be comforted, they are even blessed…

3.“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3…Our broken hearts can be healed if we give them to God…

4. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4…We all have dark days, days that we are living in the shadows of death (not actual death itself), but God has promised that He is leading us all the time and all the way….

5. “For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death.” Psalm 48:14….And when it is actually our time to die, He promises to guide us…

6. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39…Nothing, not even death, separates from the love of God…We will always feel and know His love…

7. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4...God promises there will be a when He kills death and tears are unnecessary…I cannot even imagine, but this is what is promised in the Bible…

Let’s pray for all of those directly impacted by this latest mass shooting…

Any thoughts?