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Showing posts from 2008

Kwanzaa?? Um, I think not...

I led worship at the United Methodist Church (UMC) as usual today, and I enjoyed the service quite a bit, but I was disturbed to see a Kwanzaa table complete with Kinorah, set up on the altar area of the church. Apparently this has been the custom at the UMC for a number of years. I am not sure if I just missed it previously, or was just oblivious to it. In either case, I was prompted to do a little research to put forth to the leadership at the UMC  regarding this unacceptable situation. I would like you to please take a few minutes to read the information that follows, and after you have read it, ask yourself whether this 'holiday' should be celebrated in the house of, or by the people of the Living God. I have gathered some information for you, with citations underneath from the websites that I got it from. Hopefully you will do your due diligence and research as well. Who is its founder? Who made it up? It seems the founder of Kwanzaa, at the same time folk were glorify

For you who would like to be 'whooping Preachers'

Let Jasper Williams teach you how...

Cindy Lauper moments

'I see your true colors, shining through' So the President elect has invited the Lesbian and Gay Band Association to march in the Inaugural Parade. As reported by the Catholic News Agency The President-elect says "I am honored to invite these talented groups and individuals to participate in the Inaugural Parade. These organizations embody the best of our nation's history, diversity and commitment to service. Vice President-elect Biden and I are proud to have them join us in the parade." Here is the 'Male Witch Marching Band'10/31/08

For all of you who think that America is a 'Christian Nation'

Members of the Justice House of Prayer went about their normal friday night Worship walk through the streets of San Francisco on November 14, only to be Sexually, physically and verbally assaulted by the residents of the Castro area. One of the victims said: "... a crowd started gathering. We began to sing “Amazing Grace”, and basically sang that song the whole night. (At some points we also sang “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus” and “Oh the Blood of Jesus”.) At first, they just shouted at us, using crude, rude, and foul language and calling us names like “haters” and “bigots”. Since it was a long night, I can’t even begin to remember all of the things that were shouted and/or chanted at us. Then, they started throwing hot coffee, soda and alcohol on us and spitting (and maybe even peeing) on us. Then, a group of guys surrounded us with whistles, and blasted them inches away from our ears continually. Then, they started getting violent and started shoving us. At one point a man t

China's Underground Churches

Beloved, while we are here, arguing over semantics, disputing doctrinal minutae, and chasing the dollar almighty, our brethren in China are literally laying down their very lives for the Gospel. Hebrews 11 is being repeated in our days... While we are here naming and claiming houses and land, and bigger cars. Where we make sure that our 'Pastors' have jets, 3500 seat sanctuaries with plush seating, and the like, there are literally underground seminaries, where people spend 16 1/2 hours a day studying scripture in hand dug, underground caves. I am swiftly coming to believe that in many ways, they are better off than we beloved. Why? Because they are connecting to God in a way that goes far beyond the comfortable day to day, and God honors that. Part 1 "I was not arrested because I committed a crime. I was taken to jail because I'm a Christian. But that's all right, because I understand that when we suffer the Lord will have glory because His people stand up for Him

When You Come Together

I am a proponent of, a believer in, and Pastor of, a House or Simple Church . I am someone who was raised in the 'Traditional Church', then spent 17 years in a Mega-Church, then 3 years in a small 'parachurch' and has now spent the last year Pastoring a house church. For those of you who are not sure what 'House Church' is, please take some time to watch the video below. It is called 'When You Come Together' , and is about 20 minutes long. Admittedly, this is not for everyone, but to me it should be, for this is truly church... Blessings Video Courtesy of House2House Ministries Download this episode (right click and save)

So who is lying here? And whose report will you believe??

Joshua 24:15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." So, the President Elect says that he is against gay marriage in public, (but for 'civil union') but then tells ‘Bishop’ Gene Robinson that he is for equal civil rights for gay people. Who is lying, Mr. Obama or Mr. Robinson? Mind you, this is not a semantics argument. Marriage is, according to the gay community, and every court that has ruled on it so far, a 'civil right', so clearly Mr. Obama did, (if he did say these things) , by choosing those words, voice his clear support of gay marriage, adoption et al. This does make sense in that the United Church of Christ (UCC) boasts among its 'firsts' : 1972: Ordination of first openly gay minister The UCC's Golden Ga

Will an Obama Presidency close your church?

An Open letter to Pastors, in particular, and Christians in general: Blessings to all. Now that the buildup of the last 6 months, and the euphoria of November 4 and 5 is over, it is perhaps time to start thinking about what an Obama Presidency truly means for us a people, but more importantly, as the Church. I have been hearing many professed Christians over the past few days scrambling to justify their largely emotionally based vote for President-Elect Obama with prayer, calls to prayer, and the following scripture: Proverbs 21:1 - The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. Personally, I find the use of this scripture an affront, dishonest, and an excuse. The reality is that for many of us, we left God behind when we entered the polls, and now expect Him to fix it. For you, I respectfully refer you to 1 Samuel Chapter 15 . Read the entire chapter beloved, but the key verses are here: 19 “Why then did you not o

What the hamsters are teaching me

1)Be content with where you are 2)It really does you no good to jam it all in your mouth. Don't hoard it, You can’t hold it

Truth is still laying in the street, and Righteousness is still standing afar off…

For the first time ever, NY Times Bestselling Author Zane and Pastor Jamal Harrison-Bryant join forces to lecture and enlighten on the topic, "How to Love a Black Man-Biblically". Now Zane is the New York Times Bestselling Author of several titles like: Addicted, The Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth, Skyscraper, Nervous, Gettin’ Buck Wild: The Sex Chronicles 2, The Sisters of APF, Shame on it All, and The Heat Seekers. So this woman, the so-called ‘queen of erotica’, and a ‘Pastor’, are going to teach God’s people how to Love a Black Man-Biblically Biblically???? Jamal Bryant? ‘Mr. I am a pastor who has several children with several women including a teenage parishioner while married’??? Zane? Biblical?? Lord Have Mercy! This has all the ingredients of a first class course in filth and debauchery, with some scripture twisting thrown in… This is the equivalent of James Dobson doing a marriage enrichment seminar with Hugh Hefner. Mind you, this ‘event’ is being held in Past

The Life Cycle of the average Church?

Where in the cycle do you see yourself, or your church? I have found in my studies that we (churches, though this formula also holds true in organizations, even cults) tend to follow the same pattern. A pattern that God desires to break us out of: 1) The Revelation/Impartation It begins with a life changing encounter with God, or a vision imparted. 2) The Sharing/Telling The sharing of the vision then begins. Whether it be preaching, or in song, or however, the dissemination of the message begins 3) The Gathering The anointing of God, the lure of the vision, and the charisma/integrity of the visionary begins to draw people. Those who have caught the vision now begin to meet together, praying/praising/worshipping... It is the upper room time, leading up to the day of Pentecost 4) The Institutionalization Gradually, we come to believe that a certain formalization of the organization is necessary. We then set about the task of 'building' the church/movement 5) The Ritualization We

Oh, Flo-ri-da...I am speechless once again...

So Apparently, in Florida the size of a woman's behind is: a) Important in the Electoral Process b) Dependent upon what tribe you're from c) Part of the criteria when deciding the winner of a Presidential debate I am speechless once again...

Margaret Sanger is alive and well.....

If not in body, in sentiment. Case in point, the latest round of southern lynchings is proposed... Metairie legislator proposes sterilization for poor women 04:35 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 Associated Press State Representative John LaBruzzo of Metairie said many of his constituents are tired of paying for children from poor families and that is why he is considering proposing legislation that would pay women on government assistance $1,000 if they choose to be sterilized. “You have these people who are just fed up with working their buns off to try to provide for their own family and being forced by the government to provide for others’ families who just want to have unlimited kids,” he said. LaBruzzo said he is studying voluntary sterilization for women whose sole financial support comes from the government i n the form of welfare or other public assistance. His idea would be to give the women $1,000 if they had their tubes tied. His proposal has come under harsh critici

10 Ways for Worship Leaders to Hinder the Church

A great great video

Voddie Baucham on Sarah Palin....

Select Quotes from the interview: "...Political Ideology is really an outgrowth of our religious beliefs. You can't separate what a person believes from how a person will govern, so I think it's incredibly important that we know where people stand on religious issues." "We're about the Gospel. The culture doesn't dictate truth, the Bible dictates truth..." “…I will not violate the teaching of the text in order to somehow sound more appropriate for the culture. I am herald of the truth of the Gospel, and my job is to teach the Gospel according to what the authors have said, not according to what I think the culture wants to hear. “

Pragmatic and Black

I have to address 2 things that keeps popping up re: this election... 1) Black people saying that I should vote for Sen. Obama 'because he's Black' and 2) Christians running the 'we have to be pragmatic' aka the 'lesser of two evils' argument. I even heard a sister say that she is angered by 'one issue Christians' I have even been told that it is time for 'pragmatism over faith' I am going to remove the faith issue from this discussion, because the reality is that we (People in general, Christians specifically) seem to forget that God is not democratic. God clearly is 'pro-free will' , and pro-decision' , but just as clearly gives us plenty of instruction on the choices and decisions we must make. The body of Christ is not a democracy , and we preachers/pastors (especially American ones) have failed miserably by doing/teaching/advocating convenience and political correctness and dare I say it… Pragmatism over Holiness, Righteou

Bishop Weeks is at it again

Blessings all In a post on the Black Preaching Network site, I asked a question about the conduct of Bishop Weeks, and received some flack for it. I was told the usual ‘Judge Not’ , I was told that I was not showing ‘love’ other interesting things… This after Bishop Weeks: Physically assaulted the church secretary Went on a NY radio show, and insinutated that his wife is Bisexual, and admitted to regular, Doctor sanctioned masturbation Here is a part of the interview that HE posted himself Admitted to, and was convicted of, assaulting his wife This time, I ask that you reader, click the link below, and go read about the Bishop’s latest escapade. After you have done this, please hold it up to the scripture below the link Bishop Weeks announces Reality Show 1 Timothy 3:1-7: "This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, ab

Why I can't vote for John McCain Part 1

Ok, I'm Sorry that this one has taken so long. But every time I think it's done, he does or says something else utterly ridiculous. Seriously, I've been writing this since before he picked Sarah Palin. That pick alone disqualifies him for so many reasons. I think this is turning into a top ten list,(in no order) and probably not the only one being that I can't even get to the policies yet.... 10 - A Maverick, eh? Note this verbatim exchange with the late Tim Russert: RUSSERT: "It is interesting. The Washington Post put up these numbers. Hillary Clinton has an 81 percent approval among Dems; 55 percent approval amongst Independents; 20 with the GOP. You have a 59 percent approval with Democrats; 59 with Independents; and just 56 with Republicans. And what people point to — and this is an article in your hometown paper, the Arizona Republic, "At Odds With Bush. John McCain repeatedly has taken maverick positions that have put him at odds with President Bush

Time to refocus

All the pre-election hype and hysteria has had me pre-occupied and off track. But I, like Dorothy, The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion and The ScareCrow, have awakened from the (un)pleasant reverie, and it is now back to what is important... What is really important : GOD IS HOLY!! Donnie McClurkin - HOLY I will lift my voice and I will sing Holy, Holy To my Lord and Savior, my God and king I will sing Holy, Holy I will praise the lamb of God who sits upon the throne I will worship Him and give the praise to Him alone He who was and is and is to come I will sing before His throne forever, forever All the angels sing, they bow down, and they say Holy, Holy We, Your sons and daughters, we praise You now And we cry Holy, Holy I will praise the lamb of God who sits upon the throne I will worship Him and give the praise to Him alone He who was and is and is to come I will sing before His throne forever, forever…

Basia: Yearning

"tender feelings heal with flowers when your woes and sorrows leave you overwhelmed for the state of endless sadness or uncompleted mourning-- take star of Bethlehem, there's willow if bitter, when helpless-- wild rose, some sunshine wattle revives all lost hopes" but for a simple case of longing-- what are we to do when homeless in our hearts and souls some of us take daring chances following our lovers-- the passion we can trust... others just cannot sit still-- they're driven by the power of mighty wanderlust wherever we go, God, we're trying so hard to make every place feel like home left behind but despite of all endeavors--nothing changed, as ever--we're homeless in our hearts... But I'm yearning no more 'cause i found my home in you and now it's where i belong i gave up the world to be with you come to me, I'll soothe your yearning... is this what you've always dreamed of the aim of our desire is hard to recognize it often stares you

The Obama-Nation delusion

I apologize dear reader, the next post was supposed to be one in which I explain why I find John S.McCain (JSM) completely unacceptable as a Presidential candidate. That is coming, but I must first address a problematic theme that I see. In the past week, I have heard the Democratic Party’s nominee, Sen. Barack H. Obama (BHO), described as: ‘The man of God’ , I have heard his nomination acceptance speech described as reminiscent of Moses on the mount, and I have heard that 'God is pro- Obama' , because he allowed hurricanes to hit during the Republican Convention, while there was perfect weather during the Democratic convention.. I have heard Gov. Sarah Palin (the Republican’s VP candidate) described as ‘evil’, ‘the same as a Jihadist’,'dangerous' and ‘not of God’, and unbelievably 'The Whore of Babylon'. Mind you, this was all from 'Christians' . I have received emails, which state that if she is elected, it would be like having someone strap bombs to A

Voddie Baucham

is what’s happening I am not going to make any comment, only let you check this brother out. The Children of Caesar You can buy the 2 DVD set of this message, The Children of Caesar here, on the Americanvision.com site If God is so powerful and so good, why do bad things happen?

Truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.

Man stands in church to confront a heretic. Man does so, not violently, but in earnest. Church sings him to drown him out, and escort him out of the building.... Isaiah 59 14 So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. 15 Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. The Raw Footage The BBC report

Why I cannot vote for Barack Obama

Isa 59:1-15 (1) Behold, Jehovah's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: (2) but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, so that he will not hear (3) For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue muttereth wickedness। (4) None sueth in righteousness, and none pleadeth in truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. (5) They hatch adders' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth; and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. (6) Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. (7) Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;