Posted on

The Ten Commandments – 2010 style…

Hello World! Remember that movie Se7en that came out in 1995? The movie featured Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman working as detectives working to solve a multiple murder case. Each of the seven murders that were committed corresponded with the seven deadly sins: Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Greed and Wrath. Remember how the final scene went down? …I would tell you, but maybe you are actually interested in seeing this haunting film if you have not seen it… The reason I bring movie up is because it reminds me of something my father told years ago that I have never put to the test: if you look at the evening news on any given evening, all of the bad news can be categorized by The Ten Commandments. Fascinating statement, huh? Well if you are not familiar with the Ten Commandments, they are the set of rules given to Moses for the people of God as they wandered in the desert after their exodus from Egypt. The story of the Ten Commandments appears in Exodus 20. Here they are below…

 

So since I am writing this post in the morning, and I prefer to get my news from the newspaper most days, I will test my father’s statement on today’s front page of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper at ajc.com as well as other news outlets. NOTE: By listing these stories, I am not saying they are true or false. I am simply using them as examples to support my father’s premise…

  1. 1 dead, 2 on the loose in home invasion – According to what I read, this story demonstrates breaking commandments 6 and 1o.
  2. Gwinnett Schools Superintendent Wilbanks could face ethics investigation – This seems like a violation of commandment 9.
  3. Aimee Michael, mother sent to separate prisons – This story is a tragic depiction of what can be the consequences for breaking commandments 6 and 9.
  4. Teen died with stomp; possibility of more involved – Thou shalt not kill…This story also demonstrates how each of us must respect the sanctity of human life or face savage consequences…
  5. Ex-Gwinnett planning commissioner charged with theft – He should know better as a church member at all…According to this article, this dude is guilty of stealing and idolizing money as his god rather than serving the one true God. He also coveted what his church had…scandalous!
  6. Attacks targeting Iraqi Christians kill 4 in Baghad – An obvious violation of commandment 6…I believe these attacks were incited because of these Christians’ faith in God which is likely a violation of commandment 1.
  7. After a personal scandal, a small political upswing – South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford famously committed adultery last year…
  8. Company Accused of Firing Over Facebook Post – I believe this employees was fired because of her supervisor thought she bore false witness in her description of him…in other words, she lied on him…(Aside: why would you post comments about your boss on Facebook anyway…she was asking for trouble…dumb)
  9. Somali Gangs in Minnesota Traded Girls for Sex – To commit such heinous crimes, these gangs idolized money above all else…
  10. Chizik: Newton allegations ‘pure garbage’ – Is he guilty of academic cheating or not…if so, commandment 9 has been broken

Interesting, huh? Those 10 commandments really lay a good foundation for good human behavior…

Any thoughts?

Posted on

We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off…

Hello World!

Yay! We get an extra hour of the weekend baby!

Sooo…check my title…remember that song that song from the ’80s? If you don’t, check the video below…

I remember when I first heard this song…I think I was in the sixth grade…I thought it was so revolutionary because of its message… some of the lyrics are below…

Not a word, from your lips
You just took for granted that I want to skinny dip.
A quick hit, that’s your game.
But I’m not a piece of meat, still you like my brain.
Night is young, so are we.
Let’s get to know each other better, slow & easily.
Take my hand, let’s hit the floor. Shake our bodies to the music.

Maybe then you’ll score.

I’m not even sure a song like that would even be played on the radio now….Anywho, by now, you are probably wondering why I’m writing about this song…well, we all know that premarital sex is frowned upon in the Bible, and I wrote about the topic more extensively last year – so much so that I won’t repeat myself…But as it turns out, a new study has confirmed that holding off on sex promotes more satisfying relationships….

Below are a few points from an article on the study in “The Washington Post.”

  • 642 people in relationships were interviewed.
  • 56 percent of them had waited until they were seriously dating, engaged or married before getting down with their significant other.
  • Participants in the study were asked to rate their emotional and physical satisfaction in their relationships from 1 to 5 with 5 being very satisfied.
  • Those that are started out as nonromantic sex partners gave an average rating of 3.8 while those who waited until their relationship was serious had an average rating of 4.2.
  • According to the researcher, University of Iowa sociologist Anthony Paik, it’s not the early sex necessarily caused problems. However, it did seem that most people that started their relationship as a “casual fling” were “predisposed to lower relationship quality.”
  • Paik’s final point – “So for those looking for happily committed relationships, Paik has a strategy to suggest: “Delay sex. That way you kind of select out those individuals who are predisposed to not look for a long-term relationship. ” That advice, he acknowledges, “is like what one’s grandmother would probably say.”

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

Posted on

Entering into the Promised Land…

Hello World!!!

It’s November y’all…2010 is on. its. way.out…I can’t even believe it…It seems like it was just last night that I went to Watch Night Service at my church. And the reason I bring that up is because the pastor spoke on Joshua and how finally he led his people into the Promised Land after they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years due to their own fear and disobedience…

What I got from his message is that it is my time to finally enter into the promised land…What does that mean for me? I cannot share all of that now, but someday I will. What I will tell you now is that I am no longer hoping, wishing & praying for my dreams to come true…Instead I am standing on His word and expecting my dreams to come to life right now. (I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13)

But the pastor did have a word of caution about entering into the promised land…Before God allowed Joshua and his people to enter in, they had some requirements to meet…below is what the Lord said to Joshua…

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:6-9

I believe the Lord was telling me that if I will enter into my promised land, I must stay in the will of God and be strong, courageous, fearless and unshakable…So yes, the Lord’s promise to me is conditional…He promises, but I have to meet the conditions…

So all of this pondering on promises made and promises kept has me thinking of the elections yesterday…It seems that people are trying to punish President Obama for what they perceive as his unrealized promises of hope and change…And people are now attempting “to take their government back.” I’m no political pundit so I will save all of the thorough analysis for those that are, but I will say a few things from a spiritual point of view…No politician can ever perfectly keep all of his promises – even those that have promised to take their government back. The Bible has many references in which we are warned about lightly making promises because we human beings have a difficult time keeping them. At the end of the day, only God enables us to keep promises…I mean, we cannot even wake up in the morning without His permission…(See Matthew 5:36 and think on that…)

But back to President Obama and his promises of hope and change…I happen to be one that believes that he is diligently working to keep his promises, but we have conditions to meet on our end. He is not our savior and cannot accomplish miracles without our support. Are we supporting his policies with our votes? (I guess this line may be a day late and a dollar short)…Are we attending city council or school board meetings or otherwise taking part in our local government? (All politics begin at the local level.) Are we educating ourselves about the real issues that this country faces or are we latching on to catch phrases and acting like we know more than what we really do? Are we simply voting for a party because we always have instead of paying attention to the actual candidates? Are we praying for those in authority? (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

I must say as I inventory my actions based on these questions, I have a ways to go…

However, although the balance of power has shifted at a national level, I do believe that this shift did not take God by surprise. He is always working behind the scenes in the course of human history…I don’t know what the end result will be. But it seems to me that at the very least,  the opposing powers are now forced to work together and neither power can entirely lay the blame at the other’s feet.

Okay, let me get off my virtual political soapbox…

We are free to claim the promises of God, but let us not the ignore the conditions that must be met…Delight yourself in the Lord and THEN He will give you the desires of your heart…All things work together for good IF you love the Lord and are called according to His purpose…You will be saved IF you believe in the Lord…

Any thoughts?

P.S. I realize that I haven’t blogged in over a week, and I apologize…I hope I haven’t stayed away too long…I offer Michael Jackson’s “I Wanna Be Where You Are” as a peace offering…lol…love this song!