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Submission & Stove Buying…A Newlywed Story…

Hello World,

My all-time favorite TV newlyweds...Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert Wayne...

My all-time favorite TV newlyweds…Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert Wayne from “A Different World”

I wonder how long you are a technically a newlywed…According to Psychology Today, two years is the maximum to be considered a newlywed…That’s good because although Robert and I have been married over a year now, I’m experiencing new things all the time with him and have no idea how to navigate the newness…

One area that I am ever considering is the dreaded s-word…If you are a Christian wife, you already know…I am referring to SUBMISSION (yes Jesus…the word that scares me more than a Stephen King movie…And the only reason I can sleep in complete darkness now is because I have someone sleeping with me…so I’m a scary person by nature…) Ever since my pastor, who you know is my father if you have read my blog posts for any amount of time, preached on submission this summer, I have been wondering just what it means in my marriage or any marriage…

After I got over the weirdness of thinking my father preached that sermon directly to me (since he knows firsthand that no one but God is the boss of me), I started considering just what it means to be a submitted wife…I’m still not sure, so I kinda moved on in my head…(read: relegated it to the recesses of my mind) but when I saw a FB post by FB friend and fellow author Demetria Lucas D’Oyley, also a newlywed, I began thinking about S-word again in earnest…Basically, she said was wondering about the term and noted that it was a concept that rarely came up as she consulted with various married couples leading up to when she got married and that submission seems to be only a Christian concept…She got 146 responses from that singular post…I even commented a few times…

I made a few a definitive statements probably leading people to believe that submission makes me feel like this…

But the rest-my-hand-on-the-Bible truth is that submission makes me feel like this…

I want to speak in tongues and run all up and down the church aisle because seeking guidance from God because I just don’t know what to do sometimes...

Case in point…Yesterday hubby and I went to stove shopping…We agreed on a budget…That part went smoothly…But the rest of it…not entirely smooth…

First point of contention…Hubby and I have known for several months that we needed a new stove so because hubby is always excited about buying new gadgets even domestic ones, he researched various stoves that he thought would be a good months ago….Me, ever the procrastinator, didn’t start researching until yesterday…that’s right the day we had designated to shop…

Second point of contention…When I did started my research, I started with Clark Howard…He represents all things good when it comes to lovable geekdom and saving more and spending less…He recommends that you should NEVER buy an extended warranty on appliances because they are basically useless as most appliances are pretty reliable nowadays…Hubby disagreed with Clark…

Third point of contention…The bells and whistles…Hubby has duly noted that I…and I hesitate to admit this…am not a domestic goddess…Cleaning anything (except my body) is usually not my first thought…Should we pay for additional bells and whistles like self-cleaning and what not? Hubby said yes…Me…see above…I’m all about that saving more and spending less even if means that I only clean the stove if I think someone will see it…

By now, you are probably wondering did hubby have his way or did I? I won’t share all of my business here but I’m happy to say we are the proud owners of a brand new stove…the first time I’ve ever bought a major appliance even…

But this morning, I’m wondering what was the submissive thing to do in this situation?…

If you are unfamiliar with the term submission, below is how it is mentioned in the Bible…

 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Ephesians 5:22-24

Below are a few stories, interviews and blog posts I have found about submission that I plan to read and think about…

  1. “What’s So Scary About Submission: Six Secrets About What the Bible Really Teaches?” by Kevin Miller on todayschristianwoman.com
  2. “5 Christian Men Talk Candidly About ‘Distasteful’ Women, Submissive Wives and Why Sex Is So Important” by Nicola Menzie on christianpost.com
  3. “The Top 10 Things That Submission Is Not” on warriorwives.net
  4. “7 Misconceptions About Submission” by Mary Kassian on girlsgonewise.com
  5. “Liberated Through Submission With Bunny Wilson” by Nancy Leigh DeMoss on reviveourhearts.com

So how do you define submission, and what has it meant in your marriage? Does submission only work for Christian couples?

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

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Ex-Con’s Art Featured in United Methodist Church National Prison Summit

Hello World,

I love a good redemption story. Isn’t that the whole point of the Bible? To redeem us from our sins and set us on the right path…

That’s why I have to share the story of Leonard “Rusty” Medlock, who I read about on the Dallas Morning News website. A former drug dealer, he began dipping into his supply…

“Even in my darkest hours, I was praying,” Medlock said. “I was the only one sitting in a drug house, using drugs and praying out loud. I’d say, ‘Lord, please don’t let me die in this sin.’”

freeAlthough he eventually went to jail, God still heard his prayer…

“When I was in elementary school, my art teacher told my mom I had a real talent,” Medlock said. “And Mama said, ‘I know. He’s doing it all over my living room walls.’”

Behind bars, he started sketching again. He learned how to strip the bright colors off of Skittles candy and turn it into brilliant paint. He even used toothpaste to paint.

But another creative idea — drawing portraits of those featured in newspaper obituaries — got him noticed. He mailed them to funeral homes and asked them to pass the images along to survivors.

“All of a sudden … I started getting money on the books,” he said, referring to the cash — as much as $150 — that folks sent him.

To read his how art eventually freed him from jail physically, mentally and spiritually and see his artwork, go here…

Medlock’s art will now be featured in the National Prison Summit on Incarceration held at Hamilton Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas this Friday through Sunday. hamilton

According the summit website, the National Prison Summit on Incarceration is a weekend designed to bring national, statewide and local experts together to share strategies and best practices to those who work in prison ministries. The goal for the summit is three fold. First, providing information about the need for community and faith-based volunteers to do ministry inside the prison walls that will transform the lives of persons incarcerated; Second, learn from experts about evidence-based practices on starting and growing your prison ministry; and finally how to be more effective and develop successful re-entry programs.

Any thoughts?

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Mama’s Prayer, Andraé Crouch & More Christian Entertainment News…

Hello World,  amen

Happy Friday!!! It’s time to get our weekend on 🙂 !!!

If you’re in the A, check out the inspirational play “Mama’s Prayer,” a play that will make you laugh, cry, but most of all think about your personal relationship with Jesus Christ…“Mama’s Prayer” is about a strong Christian woman who holds her family together through her Christian values despite the trials and tribulations that lie within her family. This play will suck you in and have you cheering for this family and what they stand for. With brand new original music, “Mama’s Prayer,” written and directed by Reginald Batiste, is nothing like those gospel plays you have seen before, and it’s sure to be one for the ages.

The play will be held tomorrow November 8 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m at the Balzer Theater
84 Luckie Street, NW, Atlanta, GA 30303. Tickets are $35. For more information, go to mamasprayer.org. Below is a video preview of the play of “Mama’s Prayer.”

And if you are fan of gospel legend Andraé Crouch like I am, this will be good news for you. On November 28, Let the Church Say Amen Celebration Tour will kick off in Charlotte, NC and continue throughout the holiday season! According to the tour website, the historical tour will feature top performing artists who have been a part of Andraé’s legendary musical career and personal journey. Some of the artists include: Cece Winans, Israel Houghton, Gerald Albright, Marvin Winans and more! Audiences will be treated to special guests appearances in select cities including Atlanta, Birmingham, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Richmond, Detroit, Indianapolis, Columbus and more! For ticket information, go lethechurchsayamentour.com.

sherriAnd finally, since I am one of Sherri Shepherd’s biggest fans, I am happy to tell you that we have more opportunities to see her on the small screen…Sherri will appear in 10 of 12 episodes in season four of “The Soul Man” which begins in 2015, according to The Hollywood Reporter…She will portray Nikki, “the unpredictable cousin to Cedric the Entertainer’s Boyce Ballentine.” She will be on the show along with her BFF Niecy Nash.

Any thoughts?