Have you ever received some not so pleasant news, or heard some false accusation(s) concerning your life spreading about in the wind, and you were unsure of what to do about it? If so, you’re not alone. I understand, and the man of God Hezekiah would have understood also. Today, I want to look at and expound on Hezekiah’s actions, when he was confronted with unpleasant news and taunts from the Assyrian King, Sennacherib—actions God recently reminded me of. Continue reading
Christians
The Generational Curse Myth
In the church today, there is a widely-known concept floating around known as the generational curse. The generational curse is defined, by those of the church who teach this, as God’s judgment/punishment for an ancestor’s sin, passed down from generation to generation. In simple terms, it’s seen as “inherited punishment.” But, is this concept biblical? Many people will read passages like Exodus 20:5; Numbers 14:18; and Deuteronomy 5:9 and yell out, “Yes!” However, when these passages are looked at within their proper contexts, we get a resounding, “No!” Continue reading
Follow the Leader
As my mind goes back to a second grade class I taught last year, I’m reminded of something the students did as we walked back to class (from enrichment). Continue reading
The “I’m Not Perfect” Crutch
Very often, or more times than not, when a person is called out for sin or wrongdoing—even those who identify as Christian—the first words out of their mouths are “I’m not perfect.” While it is true that we are not perfect (the only perfect person to ever live is Jesus Christ), it is not an excuse, or crutch, for willful and habitual sinning. (Pause: If you are willfully and habitually sinning, but identify as Christian, I urge you to examine yourself, to see whether you’re really in the faith, as 2 Corinthians 13:5 admonishes.) Continue reading
It’s All Meaningless
As I worked around a previous job one day, I heard two of the workers there having a discussion. The discussion centered on their lives and the new “gadgets” they’d recently acquired. One of the ladies boasted about the new Mercedes Benz she’d gotten a week earlier; the other about the Lexus she’d gotten some time ago. Continue reading
Kingdom Competition?
Some time ago, a memory from my youth came to mind. The memory was from a day when a girl I grew up with and I were outside playing, and she said that God loved her, after I said it. Now understand that as a child (even now), God was my bestie. He loved me to pieces, unlike those around me, and I wasn’t very fond of the idea of sharing Him with anyone else. So when she said that, I became furious and said, “God doesn’t love you! He loves me!” It’s funny to think about now, but I was oh-so-serious then. My God couldn’t be shared; He just couldn’t love anyone else.
I’ve grown up and out of that mentality now, but sadly, many “grown-up” Christians have not… which brings me to our Scripture of the day: 1 Corinthians 13:11. Continue reading
For Everything There Is a Season
On a Friday morning, January 29, 2016, as I pondered the words of Ecclesiastes 3:1, which came to me suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar’s story (after glimpsing his name in my Bible) came to mind. Through that story, I was reminded that it is God who ordains our seasons and the length of them for His purposes. Continue reading
The Cost of Disobedience
For weeks and days leading up to Friday, October 21, 2016, I anticipated putting a rinse in my hair to cover the many gray hairs that had suddenly appeared. I’ve been having gray hairs (a string here and there) showing up since my late twenties (around 26-27), but to be 32 with a crown of gray hair (in the center of my head) and mounting grays on the right side of my head (where I wear what I call my “swoop”) was too much. I just had to get rid of them. So I began my research on rinses and their effects, and afterward concluded that all was well. I could do my relaxer and rinse at the same time, without incident, and have a beautiful crown of brown hair again, after using the Clairol Beautiful Collection rinse, with no grays. Continue reading
Jesus Knows Your Name
In my line of work, I’m often asked the questions, “Do you remember me?” “Do you remember my name?” “What’s my name?” Many of their names I remember quite well (especially if I’ve had to call it many times), but others of their names, I don’t remember quite so easily. Continue reading
Blessed: From God’s Perspective
The term blessed is one that is used very loosely in our society, oftentime in terms of having much wealth and success. Continue reading