Posted on

Alert: Black Men Are Officially On the Endangered Species List and other useless propaganda…

Hello World,

I had composed what I thought was an eloquent, sociological diatribe of a post about the ABC “Nightline” piece that aired last month about black women, particularly those living in Atlanta, and their inability to find mates due to the shortage of black men…But since this is the Internet and in the interest of self-preservation, I thought better of it…

And now I don’t feel like sugar coating what I originally said…

So I simply want to know what y’all think…take a look at the video if you haven’t seen it already, and let me know…

‘Preciate your thoughts…i.am.out…

Posted on

Something the Lord Made…2010 is here!

Hello World!!!

Happy New Year! I had hoped to post on Dec. 31 or at least Jan. 1, but alas, deadlines and life got in the way…

At any rate, ready or not, a new year, a new decade even, is upon us…and what are we do? (Side note: Am I the only one that wonders why 2000-2010 is not considered a decade?…I mean dec, the prefix, means 10…I don’t know) I have decided to take my cue from a movie I watched on Christmas Day. HBO movie “Something the Lord Made” is the heartwarming story of Dr. Vivien Thomas, a black lab assistant who through an unlikely partnership with renown white surgeon Alfred Blalock, inaugurated modern cardiac surgery. As Thomas lived during the time of the Depression, his dream of attending college and medical school had to be shelved while he earned money to support his family. And although, Dr. Blalock would have been unable to perform the first “Blue Baby” surgery without Dr. Thomas’ assistance, Thomas’ contribution went nearly unnoticed as black people’s accomplishments were marginalized then. In fact, as Thomas performed procedures on lab dogs, Blalock commented that a surgical incision Thomas had done was “like something the Lord made.”

Years later, John Hopkins University School of Medicine honored by Thomas by awarding  him a honorary doctorate as he was never able to attend medical school although he trained some of the country’s top surgeons.

I guess what inspired me most about the movie was that it was obvious that God used Dr. Thomas to perform His handiwork and yet again prove that “God has choosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.”  ( I Corinthians 1:27) The movie led me to ponder what is my gift that will be “like something the Lord made?” I was encouraged to discover that a journalist, Katie McCabe, was the one that first brought Thomas’ poignant story to the attention of the world. While I have not written a story that has been as popular as McCabe’s story yet, I’m thankful to God for how He has used me thus far and look forward to future stories I will write….

Another detail of the movie that struck me was that Dr. Thomas’ inability to attend college and medical school may have been a blessing…although it did not seem so at the time I’m sure. Since Dr. Thomas was unable to pursue his educational dreams, he was forced to get a job – a job that fortuitously paired him with a top surgeon. And their partnership saved lives. It’s doubtful that, due to the constraints of segregation, that they would have paired together otherwise…Yes, God commands that “in everything, give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:18)  Yes, things that seem pretty crappy, according to God’s word, we are to thank God for them…easier said than done…but I’ve been thanking God lately for something in my life that I would rather not have to deal with, but since I’ve done that, I’ve been surprised about how peaceful I feel about it…God allowed this happen in my life, and I trust that He has purpose for it…

By the way, I did not get this insight on my own…My father recently preached a sermon in which he referred to Corrie ten Boom, a woman who as put in a concentration camp during the Holocaust…While there, she was infested with lice. Her sister, who was also there, reminded her of the verse I mentioned above. Of course, ten Boom bristled at first, then acquiesced…Later she discovered that due to her lice infestation, the guards at the camp left her alone…

So 2010 is here, and I did not receive what I hoped, wished and prayed for in 2009… What am I going to do? Accept it. Does that mean I’m giving up on my dreams? Not hardly. I’m just accepting God’s sovereignty and waiting for His direction…

2010 is something the Lord made, and I will rejoice and be glad!

Any thoughts?

P.S. Mos Def portrayed Thomas in the movie…He is sexy for real…although buddy got eight chillun with four women according to Wikipedia…that ain’t too sexy…

Posted on

Christmas Just Ain’t Christmas Without the One You Love…

Hello World!!!

On the day after tomorrow, Christmas, once again, will be here…Although it is the busiest time of the year, it is still the most wonderful time of the year…In spite of all of the commercialism, for those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ, it is a time to remember Emmanuel which means “God with us.” This is the time that Christians remember that God so loved the world that He sent us His son who was born as a baby. That baby, Jesus Christ, was born to die for our sins. And now because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we have fellowship with the Father. God is with us.  For the Christmas story in detail, please read Luke 2.

But what are we to do when the ones we love are not with us on Christmas?

This month, I have known of two people who died…A friend of mine died without warning a couple of weeks ago…I was stunned because we communicated via e-mail just days before she died…In her e-mail, she was telling me how she was planning to prepare for Christmas and now she is gone…It’s amazing that someone with so much life and influence could literally be here today and gone tomorrow…Another friend of mine lost a loved one a week or so ago too…I hope it is comforting for these families to know that our loved ones are now with the Father…but aside from all of that ethereal knowledge, I’m reasonably sure that it just plain sucks to not have them right there with them…

I have tried to offer comforting words to those I know who have lost loved ones this month, but I imagine there is nothing I can say that will truly comfort them…But what I can do is cherish my loved ones as I now realize they may not be here next Christmas…I was talking with my mom last night on the telephone, and she was kind of getting on my nerves as she often does…but as I type these words, I’m glad that I have her, my father, my brothers and a host of other family members and friends…

If you are anything like me, it is easy to focus on what you don’t have at this time of the year…but I am finding out if we are not thankful for what we have, what we have may just be taken away from us…In fact, I recently had to sit down and write a gratitude list just to remind myself of my blessings…

It’s funny sometimes the things we think we do for other people are really for us…This is what I mean…I teach fitness classes at a gym…The truth is that much of the time I would rather be curled up sleeping in my warm bed rather than working out…but because I teach fitness, I have to work out…I began this blog as a way to minister to others, but mostly I have ministered to myself….

Anyway, I digress…if you have your loved ones around you at Christmas, consider yourself blessed…And pray for the families who have lost loved ones…especially at this time of the year…

Any thoughts?