Tag Archives: Jesus Christ

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We Fall Down…But He Got Up!!!

Hello World!!!

Two words. He. Arose…I could stop there, but I won’t…At the Maundy Thursday service I attended a few days ago, each person was given a scripture to read as a part of the service…

Below is the scripture that I read:

32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray. 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, he said to them. Stay here and keep watch. 35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 Abba, Father, he said, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will. 37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. Simon, he said to Peter, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?  38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak. 39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. 41 Returning the third time, he said to them, Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Mark 14:32-41

I have been meditating on these scriptures since then, and I think I know what the Lord is saying to me through these verses, and what I think is confirmed by another translation of the same scriptures. The first version is the New International Version of scripture, and the second version is the Contemporary English Version.

32Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he told them, “Sit here while I pray.” 33Jesus took along Peter, James, and John. He was sad and troubled and 34told them, “I am so sad that I feel as if I am dying. Stay here and keep awake with me.”  35-36Jesus walked on a little way. Then he knelt down on the ground and prayed, “Father, [a] if it is possible, don’t let this happen to me! Father, you can do anything. Don’t make me suffer by having me drink from this cup. [b] But do what you want, and not what I want.”  37When Jesus came back and found the disciples sleeping, he said to Simon Peter, “Are you asleep? Can’t you stay awake for just one hour? 38Stay awake and pray that you won’t be tested. You want to do what is right, but you are weak.” 39Jesus went back and prayed the same prayer. 40But when he returned to the disciples, he found them sleeping again. They simply could not keep their eyes open, and they did not know what to say. 41When Jesus returned to the disciples the third time, he said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? [c] Enough of that! The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners.

Although Jesus Christ knew that He came to Earth to die for our sins, He clearly did not look forward to this ultimate sacrifice. And so He prayed that He would not have to die in the Garden of Gethsemane before the crucifixion. He accurately told the Father that God could remove our sin without Jesus having to lay down his life as God is all powerful. I think Jesus wanted His disciples to petition the Father on His behalf…He asked them three times to pray…Yet they failed Him each time.  Instead they chose to sleep. After His third request, I believe Jesus knew what the Lord absolutely required…something supernatural would have to supersede the natural because the natural wasn’t going to cut it.

I know I can apply this scripture to my life. I think sacrifice is a requirement in the life of a Christian. We may not be required to die on the cross, but we do have a cross to bear – that cross may be different for each person. And who wants to bear a cross…We may pray and ask several people to pray that we don’t have to bear that cross, but in the end, we realize that there is no way to it- unless you go through it…That’s a hard pill to swallow…As I type this post, I know there is something I must sacrifice, but I would rather not…What in your life is God asking you to sacrifice that you rather not… As I ponder on my current cross, I just have to sigh….Thank God, when I’m ready to do my part, I can ask God to supersede the natural and help me….Yes, I fall down…a lot…but thanks be to God, He Got Up and eventually I will too…

Anyway, it’s something to ponder on this blessed Easter Sunday!!!

Any thoughts?

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Christianity Obama Style…

Hello World!!!

What it do? In just over a month, you know what it is…Barack Obama will officially become the 44th president of the United States!!! Yes, it’s another post about Barack Obama. No, I’m not over it…So read on if you’re an Obama fan!!! Here’s the thing…As I mentioned in another post, many Christians are convinced that President-elect Obama is not a Christian although he has publicly professed faith in Jesus Christ many times. It seems these same Christians believe that President Bush, aka Iraqi shoe dodger (crazy huh?), is a devout Christian entrusted with the sacred duty of leading our nation to the Promised Land where all secular music is of the devil and legalized abortion is worse than starting an ill-advised war.

But check it…Was anyone watching President Bush’s interview with ABC Nightline’s Cynthia McFadden on Dec. 8?  According to a Baptist Press article, Bush said he believes there are multiple ways to God.  He also said that he believes that Christians and Muslims pray to the same God.

“I do believe there is an Almighty that is broad and big enough, loving enough, that can encompass a lot of people. I don’t think God is a narrow concept. I think it’s a broad concept. I just happen to believe the way to God is through Christ, and others have different avenues toward God, and I believe we pray to the same Almighty — I do.”

And Bush may or may not believe that humanity started in the Garden of Eden.

Asked if the Bible is “literally true,” Bush said, “Probably not. No, I’m not a literalist. But I think you can learn a lot from it.”

Now, y’all know if Bush had voiced these same words about eight years ago, many evangelical Christians wouldn’t have voted for him. But here is the response of Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

“I am very grateful that we have a president who is a person of personal and deeply committed faith in Jesus Christ, but statements like these remind us that he is indeed commander-in-chief, not theologian-in-chief,” Land told Baptist Press. “I know the president, and he is a person of strong faith and has sort of a C.S. Lewis Basic Christianity kind of faith that is very deep and profound in his personal life, but he is not a theologian. In this particular instance, he is wrong. The Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is not Allah, and there are not many paths to God.”

Now if Bush can be seen as as “a person of personal and deeply committed faith in Jesus Christ” in spite of his controversial beliefs, can these evangelicals also support Barack Obama, who also is a Christian?

Andre C. Willis, an assistant professor of the philosophy of religion at Yale Divinity School, explored how Obama’s brand of Christianity may influence his leadership in an article on TheRoot.com.

First of all, this is what Obama said about his faith in Jesus Christ to Rick Warren, pastor and author of the best-selling book, ” The Purpose Driven Life,” during the campaign.

“Well, as a starting point, it means I believe in—that Jesus Christ died for my sins, and that I am redeemed through him. That is a source of strength and sustenance on a daily basis. Yes, I know that I don’t walk alone. And I know that if I can get myself out of the way that, you know, I can maybe carry out in some small way what he intends. And it means that those sins that I have, on a fairly regular basis, hopefully will be washed away.”

And for the record, Obama is also an evangelical Christian although some evangelicals may not know this or choose not to believe this truth.

All forms of evangelicalism share core tenets: a belief in the importance of personal conversion through Jesus Christ (salvation); the commitment to biblical activism (authority of the Bible, not reason or experience); and an investment in public morality (public witness). Where they differ is in their emphasis: progressive evangelicals strongly emphasize the suffering of Jesus and his political struggles against the social order, while conservative evangelicals are preoccupied with imposing “biblical” morality.

According to the article, Obama’s style of Christianity will be more progressive rather than conservative. Rather than focus on the rules and regulations brand of Christianity (a Pharisaical type if you ask me), he will focus on empowering the poor and disenfranchised.

So what do you think? Do you believe that Bush and Obama worship the same God? Do you believe that it is possible for both Bush and Obama to be Christians? Do you think the evangelicals that support Bush will also support Obama? What role do you think Obama’s faith will play in his leadership? Do you think that Jesus loves both George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama?

Any thoughts?
 

 

 

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101 Reasons To Be Thankful in 2008

Hello World!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!!! As you know, tomorrow is the day that we Americans have set aside to give thanks for our many blessings!!!

“Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; Give thanks to Him and praise His name!”

Psalm 100: 4-5

My dad, Dr. Holness, preached on Psalm 100 on Sunday. (Yes dad, I was listening! 🙂 ) I don’t know about you but I am prone to having pity parties every now and then. Usually these parties are prompted by my comparing my insides to someone else’s outsides – it never works! But what does work – what helps me regain my equilibrium – is writing a gratitude list! So in this post, I will simply list 101 things I’m thankful for this year. Why 101? Why not? 🙂 …101 just sounds better than 100 to me anyway.

1. For my Lord and Savior, who is none other than Jesus Christ – my best friend. If you see my mouth moving in car, sometimes I am singing along with a song and sometimes, I am talking with Him!

2. For my Mom and Dad. They have taught me to be a person of character even when it is unpopular. (I am trying to be as service-oriented as they are, but I’ve got a ways to go.)

3. For my brothers D and D. They have brought a lot of joy and pain to my life..as Frankie Beverly so sweetly croons, they are “one in the same.”

4. For my niece and nephew. My 7-year-old nephew’s mischievousness is both maddening and hilarious at the same time! My baby niece is just learning to walk. The wonder of it…

5. My church in the SWATS. I’ve been attending there since I was 6 years old, and I always feel safe when I walk in it’s doors.

6. My church family. You’ve watched me grow up and you still love me!

7. My girl J, who freely opened up her home in North Carolina to me.

8. My health. According to my doctor, the only thing wrong with me, at least physically, is that I have low iron. That’s a blessing for sure!

9. All my girls (you know who you are) who help me navigate this single life.

10. My job! No more needs to be said!

11. My Bible Study class led by our fearless and mouthy Bible warrior!

12. My blog. I love it!

13. My girl Tess, who designed this blog.

14. The cruise I went on in October! Wish I were in the islands now…it’s so cold!!!

15. Turning 35…I still look good!

16. For my home. I can afford it!

17. For my car. I can afford it!

18. For my spiritual community. Y’all have taught me more than I can say…

19. For Barack and Michelle…

20. For this year’s election process, it was heady in every way…I think I have a crush on Anderson Cooper!

21. Black talk radio – it gets me through the day!

22. My cherry red locks…I think they are pretty.

23. All of my extended family, particularly my aunt, who I run with from time to time 🙂

25. The Internet – You are never far from me 🙂

26. RH, my friend who came in at the last minute and designed my church’s Homecoming Service magazine, to my mother’s delight! You saved us!

27. For Beyonce and Jay-Z, who show me that being “equally yoked” is entirely possible. Can y’all say, “mo money, mo money mo money?”

28. For QT – love those taquitos!

29. For U, who doesn’t mind crying with me every now then! Love you girl

30. For my freelance writing opportunities…

31. Books. I couldn’t live without them.

32. My mechanic- See my post on Joe, the mechanic!

33. My girl Renee’s wedding – Your were lovely in your wedding dress! And I hope I get a ring like yours one day. Ballin’!!!

34. “The Young and the Restless.” One of my favorite shows since I was six years old!

35. My girl C, who doesn’t think I’m weird when I tell her about my spiritual dreams and nudgings…

36. My neighbor’s little son who says, “Hello Miss Jackie,” when I get home from work nearly every day at least when it’s warm outside. At least someone is glad to see me come home…

37. My laugh. Thankfully, God has gifted me with the ability to find humor in most things!

38. The A, shawty. For all of its ups and downs, it is still my city!

39. Idris Elba. How fine is he?

40. Chastain Park – Jill Scott turned it out there this summer.

41. My mentor, Ms. B. Your relationship with God is inspiring!

42. For A aka SD, I didn’t feel so alone the other day because of you! You are a true friend!

43. For all the support I have received on this blog. Y’all encourage me to keep expressing myself!

44. My classes at L.A. Fitness. I feel like I’m a video dancer when I’m teaching. No matter what anyone says it is a not-so-secret dream of mine to be a dancer in a video. Am I the only one that LOVES the video for “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)?”

45. My bank account…touch (go head and touch the computer screen) and agree with me that it will get bigger in 2009, but of course, I’m thankful for how God has already blessed me because y’all know in this economy, it could be much worse!

46. Candles…they make me feel like I’m having a romantic evening when I am dating no one 🙁

47. My other mentor, also a Ms. B, who is the real “straight talk express!”

48. My journals…you lead me back to my best self and remind me of how God really does love me…

49. Romance – although you have left my life at the moment, I sense that you will be back in 2009!

50. Life itself – ever an adventure…

Yeah, I know I’ve only reached 50, but I can’t write anymore…

What are you thankful for?

Any thoughts!