What I Learned in Church: 1/22/12

Let us pray:

            Forgive me for not seeing/seeking You in everyone. I’ve been distracted by dysfunction. I praise Your name to the highest heavens for giving me one more chance. Thank You for never changing, even when I did.

            Specifically, I got scared to be the man You spent all this time molding me into. I made some early mistakes. I released my passion and unleased the pimp hand physically and verbally. I don’t know if it was my time to act but I know it scared me into distraction and inactivity.

            My prayer is that those I have chosen as my family, will receive your humble ways through my humiliation. Let them see the true meaning of giving. Shw them through my constant humiliation the ultimate gift is self. Give up self. THAT is Christianity! Giving it all away. IT is ego. Give yourself away.

Show us how to give away our feelings, give away our understanding, give away our stuff, our pasts. And when we are stubborn, take it away. We will count it as a blessing. Forgive us and show us how to forgive ourselves. Help us let go of our baggage so we can receive your bounty.

            In Jesus’ name…

Our youth pastor began the sermon. He touched Isaiah 50:4, Psalms 127:3-5, Matthew 18:2-5, Psalms 82, Proverbs 22:6; 6:1, Philippians 4:13, and Leviticus 19:32. The overall message was to stay encouraged on this journey that is your relationship with God. Always stay focused on understanding, pathways and instruction.  “Reach for heaven. Heaven is farther than the stars.”

Then came the charge from the senior pastor:

            Ecclesiastes 12, after we’ve seen it all and realize it’s all vanity, we don’t take any more pleasure in the things we used to do. So…

            “Remember GOD now!”

            We don’t have time to be distracted for even a second. We especially don’t have time to only think about being good on twice a week (Bible Study and Worship day). Hell, we don’t even have time for the morning/bedtime gap. You know how it is. We wake up praising God for giving us one more day. We end the day asking for forgiveness and one more chance to get it right. In between, we miss plenty of opportunities to remember God.

            The church (in every generation) is going to be held accountable for certain things. [ie. money, inventions, music]. The religious tradition is to run these things out of church. The church has to be ready to receive. In James 5:20 we get the picture that He is saving us so we can get to someone else. We go through stuff so that other can see there IS a way out. (Realize I said ‘go through’ not ‘stay stuck’ in stuff.)

            A lot of us have gotten so into doctrine that we try to take control from God. Let God handle the discipline. We just have to be the beacon. Let his light shine through us and our journey.

            Tradition and doctrine have made us lazy. GET UP!!! We used to walk everywhere. Then we get cars and get too tired to drive to church. Hell, we get to tired to drive around the corner let alone walk. WALK? I know I’m talking crazy!

            The bottom line is right now is a serious time to get it in. and it’s not about 2012, the economy, the election, Al Queda, Iran or anything like that. Virtually everyone knows all there is to know about right and wrong. We are and will continue to be held accountable for ALL that we know. If you know better and ain’t doing it…

…just don’t try to block me on my way to glory…

[Talk about Blocks!]

Addicted To Life

Being inside the bowels of niggardom allows me to witness firsthand many of the human weaknesses that other humans exploit. This exploitation occurs on all levels of human society. It’s easier to spot at this level of niggardom because it’s not hidden in fancy dress or excuse. Niggardom at this level is pure. Weak preying on weaker and exposing each other as the same in the process.

It always amazed me the value of cigarettes have as currency in niggardom. Granted niggers and naked-dickers are more likely to suffer from nicotine addiction. It just amazes me. Perhaps by exploiting ones’ own exploitation, the weak find power? One thing is sure. Cigarettes and coffee are the epitome of addictive behavior. Here, addictive personalities are abundant. I should be able to see a solution to addiction here. Surely it can’t be to replace one addiction with another.

You wanna stop drinking, go to AA, pick up the coffee and cigarettes. You kicking cocaine, go to rehab a couple of times, pick up the cigarettes and coffee (there’s a difference!) or dive head first into a church. Sex your problem…



…I got nothing for that one…have more…just be careful…j/k…seriously, I got nothing.



So far, addiction has been the only solution for addiction. “Too much of anything makes you an addict”

So how do we promote moderation over addiction? There is so much “else” in the world. Unfortunately, one thing or another scares the addict from life. Living is the only way to find out about everything “else” there is out there.

Defense mechanisms and escapisms become habit. Habit tells us we don’t have time for anything else. Habit is comfortable. Comfort breeds complacency. Really, is habit the true thing we are ALL addicted to? Can we let go of the concept of good and bad habits? Is our real fear change? Is it so hard to switch up every once in a while? What about trying something new here and there?

I will admit, I have had moments where bad habits have prevailed over doing something new. How better to experience something than to experience it first hand. At the time, I thought it was better to be known by my habits, good or bad, than to just be a person who lived. I always wondered why at times I felt like I was dying while nothing was wrong. It was because I wasn’t living. I hate to be so black and white but – If you aren’t living, you are dying.

Everyone knows what living is. Everyone has a “bucket list.” How many of us have missed an opportunity due to habit? How long are you going to let habit and fear kill you. I had to write this to see a solution. Addiction is death on all levels. The only foil to death is life. The answer is to live!

Trust

The word today is “Love”. Another word we need to look at on this day of love is “trust”. As we find ways to express our love for each other and ourselves, let’s explore trust. We make overt actions to show our love to each other. We find the easiest way to love one another is to start by loving ourselves. As we practice prayer and meditation we see that the power of God is within us. It comes from the love we generate within ourselves. But the question - is do we trust? Do we trust God, do we trust ourselves, do we trust each other?

Our actions seem to be out of love. But is it Agape? Is it unselfish love? Do we love fully? If we do not fully trust in the God, our neighbors and ourselves; we do not love fully.

These past two weeks, I’ve shown a lot of people a TON of trust. I spent money, getting things done before people paid me only to find out they didn’t believe I would be able to do what I say. I always deal with people with trust. I feel like if I do what I say and you do what you say, we’ll have smooth dealings for all of our days. I feel like if I am 100% percent honest people will reciprocate. I know it’s naïve and utopian, but we believe in God. We believe in heaven. Aren’t all of our practices so that we can live in heaven with God? Isn’t heaven a utopia?

But.

Even I hold back though. I rationalize. I put God to the test. I try God up all the time.

That’s ALL of our attitudes.

Even if we call ourselves Christians, spiritual, religious, faithful, whatever; we feel entitled. “Why shouldn’t we indulge ourselves? We worked hard. We’ve been faithful. We tithe. We’re practicing Lent. Give me something mister!” And when he doesn’t give it to us, we take matter into our own hands. Our patience wears thin. [I just wrote that! OUR PATIENCE WITH GOD WEARS THIN!] We do crazy things like asking another god for help. [I said that too! I’m just pointing out what more than one person in the world does.]


“ I stopped living by the core values that I was taught believed in. I convinced myself that normal rules don’t apply. I thought only about myself. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled.” – (See the next paragraph if you don’t know)


Our prayers are – “Oh God, give me this…” As if God doesn’t know already. Are we that impatient? Are we Tiger Woods (look up)? Why don’t we trust God enough to thank him for what we have AND for the known and unknown blessings he has in store?

When I worked for people. I could be in between jobs. I never had a worry. I knew there was something ahead. Something better. I still believe. Doubt has crept in lately but I am learning to ignore it. I don’t like to go backwards. But I must go back to the days when life was an adventure and I never knew what to expect. I have hopes, dreams, goals, plans and expectations but I know now that my path is not straight. I am not deterred from my goals but I look forward to the journey as well as the end. I will trust God.

Now that I work for myself. I am in a position where I have to invoice people. I have to anticipate payments. I take chances financially. I have to trust people. I do trust people. I wonder though if my blind trust and faith in God and people is SO unbelievable that I inspire distrust. I wonder. Is the devil that strong? Is evil that prevalent?

I remember Flip Wilson saying “The Devil Made Me Do It!” It was funny. But…
What does God make you do? We talk so much about The Struggle, The Man, Haters, Racism, Sexism, Abuse, Sinning, Backsliding, The Electric Slide, The Cha Cha Shuffle (That’s the devil!) and everything else that’s wrong with the world, it’s like that’s what we believe in.

I like to ask – why not. I mean life is so wonderful with possibilities, I dare people to give me a good reason why not to explore the next one. I got SO many actual answers, I am beginning to be certain that we expect the devil to prevail. We expect evil. And if that’s what we expect, then that’s where our trust is. So it seems like we trust the devil more than trust God. That can’t be. Can it?

We wake up everyday and proclaim God’s goodness to the world. Then we go out there. And by the time we get back…It’s not all the fuzzy bunnies and little birds chirping. It’s who got on our nerves and why we need a drink and temptations that we may or may not have given in to.

God promised us blessings. He didn’t say how. He didn’t say what or which or who or when. He just promised. Isn’t that good enough? I mean - he’s God. Isn’t THAT good enough? Aren’t we good enough?

He is. I am. We are.

Trust me. God told me.

Trying to Fail

Current mood: confident
Category: Life

Steve Harvey went off on a tangent this morning so had to find something else. I came upon the local "People's Station". A lady was getting advice from the special guest. (No idea who the special guest was, but she had a British accent so she must have been smart.) This lady was a stay at home mom with about six kids. The lady kept saying nothing was working. Everything she had been trying was failing. The guest gave her options and the lady kept saying I tried. I tried this. I tried that. Try. Try. Try.

All I could think was - she can tell her children she tried when they get knocked up, knocked out, and knocked around. Steve Harvey already called trying - failing with honor. Is that the best our children can hope for? To fail with honor?

I had already been thinking about how much lazier we are than our parents. And maybe this is why. The baby boomers, rich or poor, DO things. We don't do anywhere near as much as they did or do now. And half the shit we say we do we don't actually do. We only try to do those things. We try everything.

When it comes to trying, we got the Baby Boomers beat. We might have it backwards. Some of us try a lot of things and all we end up doing is recreational. We try school, we try occupations, we try marriage, we try to make a living. But we do dates. We do drinks. We do drugs.

Perhaps we should turn it around. Let's do a whole lot of living. Try dating. Try drugs. Try anything we don't plan on doing forever. Let's do the things we don't mind doing forever.

We are the "Just Do It" generation. So just quit trying to fail.


*Standing ovation* and the crowd goes WILD!!!! Ok I guess u got ur muse back, that was fantastic...love this blog!!! 5 kudos!!!
Since I've gotten older I've definitely been in "Do it and Get it Done" mode...Is it b'cuz I feel I have less time to do it and no more playing around I don't know....but great piece Jason.

23 kudos!!!!!!! Excellent Blog! I see u did get your muse back lol. Just because she had a British accent doent mean that she is necessarily smart. Very true statement bout the systematic teaching of our children to "FAIL WITH HONOR" as if u are already knocking yourself out of the game before u even play. lol

JR

Don't try, DO IT.

A Hans Conzelmann Quote, Christianity and Being Christian

Current mood: cultured
Category: Religion and Philosophy

"The church lives on the fact that modern research about Jesus is not known amongst the public."
Hans Conzelmann (German theologian and New Testament scholar.)

"Good Girl...", the church lives on a lot more than that. In fact modern religion, ANY ONE (Tagalog, or that one with the puppies), lives off the people's lack of esteem. Knowing the real Jesus would be like knowing the real Buddha or Mohammad. The truth will set you free but free people don't build churches.

We just spent lent improving ourselves. Some of us finally went to church for the year (at least until Christmas) two weeks ago.

Now what?

If we continue the journey we began, it's entirely possible we could leave our churches. Jesus did.

So they pimp us. From the pulpit, from the prayer/chanting meetings, from Venice Beach to Miami, from Jonestown to wherever people gather claiming to have the key to life; the goal is a captive audience. CAPTIVE.

If we accept the common rhetoric - "Man is weak", "We are all sinners", "We are not perfect"; we begin to internalize these shortcomings and lose self esteem. With low self esteem, we go right back to our religion, or we back slide and self destruct until we end up back to religion.

Take a look at the different clubs and groups within any religion. The focus is temporary fixes, socials, Vegas Trips, and investment clubs so we can get more money give. Show me the focus on lasting joy and life satisfaction. In virtually every modern religion a focus on getting the bills paid has led us away from learning to be complete individuals.

We are broken and leaking dollar signs and all the "modern gurus" are chasing after our pockets.

Just a thought.


It's rare that I comment on blogs anymore, given that I dare not do it while working, and if by some abnormal way or reason, a coworker winds up reading this comment, uh...I'm on a late lunch.

So I'm compelled to respond, not add to some would be list of haters. Thanks for your insight with this one (you know i do enjoy your blogs, even when i don't comment :)), now here's two cents worth of mine just for the sharing. I'm inclined to defend the church. Not "THE church," MY church and others and Christianity, even as our "Next Step Sunday" approaches in two days - "Next Step" representing the next step my church has taken towards their land fund, which is hiring the architect, and "Next Step Sunday" being the one Sunday that the church's members, myself included, have prayed will be the Sunday that the church will have 100% member participation with the offering, all to go to the land fund.

Anywho, LA brings up valid points here, so readers, especially those unfamiliar with God, church, religion and denominations, take it and heed, but don't necessarily group these points into all religions and churches. Seekers and lost ones and buyers beware. These systems and cycles exist and lead to questioning are they really for the greater good or their greater pockets. But don't be led astray from the bigger picture. The bigger picture being that we need to be saved. God commands us first (and I'm not talking literal Commandments, so please, no corrections), rather teaches us in His Word, that YES, man is weak and are not perfect, and we ALL are sinners, and that in addition to that FACT, we ALL will go to HELL. Yes HELL is real. It is not a gimmick. Along with that, He teaches YES WE ALL WILL GO TO HELL unless we accept His son Jesus Christ as the savior that He is, not by works of righteousness, thus us being saved. (I am more than willing to share the Gospel and its detailed information for anyone who wants to hear it too)

Once saved, we are commanded to be baptized. If you are Catholic and more than likely at this point disagreeing with me, read up on the Word, not the missilettes. God says obey His Word and His only, only the Bible, the Living Word, aka Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life and no other doctrine. He tells Christians to test the spirits and other religions in this world against what the Holy Bible says. Do that. Anywho, once saved, be baptized - Baptism, being fully dunked in water, not trickled with it. Baptism being an outward expression of your inward decision of salvation. (Read the Bible.)

After baptism, we are to Go and spread His Word, as commanded in the Great Commission - look it up - it's in the Bible.

ALONG with, not before or after, but ALONG with all the aforementioned, God says.........da da na na........find a local church. Given LA's blog, how do find the right church and a good church. First pray. Prayer works and God answers. There's churches everywhere. Research them and test their doctrine against the Bible.

LA says to "Show me the focus on lasting joy and life satisfaction." I profess, you can find it in church - don't mistake my words - you can find that in a strictly Bible believing church that puts God first before it's needs, it's Pastor, it's money, it's members, because that church will in fact show you how God can be the key to all of that in your life. They exist. Las Vegans, visit mine - www.sh-baptist.com - Southern Hills Baptist Church.

I got more to say but "lunch" is over so if I get a moment, I'll continue. Until then, LA you know I love you. Readers, LA too, God Bless, and I pray you know Christ. I pray you are saved. Feel free to message me, if you have questions or concerns with your own salvation. I promise, I'll direct you to scripture, not my own opinions or ideas.

2k's for actually pulling me to write this time.

I didn't want to start rambling but I was headed there. There will be in any religion or belief system a right way and a a right assembly. I also believe that my church has gotten it right. The key in this blog is to be careful. The bible warns and its true no. The false prophets outnumber the trues. And they are EVERYWHERE! In my church (a la the pope [Yes I'm a catholic who doesn't believe in the pope]) In Christian churches. In Moslem temples, In synagogues. At the Kingdom hall. There is even some wiccan broad out there stealing money from her coven. I saw her on Maury!

We have to believe in something, just be careful

Read more: Dave Ramsey is the Man. I should devote a blog to promoting him. SO many of us need him

I'm not anti-religion but I agree with the idea that many people cleave to religion for all the wrong reasons.

And I especially zoned in on these phrase

"The truth will set you free but free people don't build churches."

I thought this was apt after seeing the news clips and photos of the HUGE white temple that the FDLS built on their compound guarded by armed security.

"the goal is a captive audience. CAPTIVE."

Yep, there are many religious captives in this country. There are the obvious captives like the adolescent girls of the FDLS. There are the captives of guilt. There are the captives of fear.

Religion should be about freedom, not captivity.

Hummmm, I dont know where to start, especially being that me and L.A. are good friends and we have never had a conversation about religion. Personally I think that salvation and what L.A. would refer to as lasting joy and life satisfaction(great quote) comes from within. Church attendance can be an excellent vehicle to self-realization of this concept. At the same time I dont think its the only way to grasp this concept. We have to look internally to find whatever it is that tells us to be good human beings(not just Christians, etc). Once this is accomplished then move on into the world accordingly, weather it be at church, the workplace, at home, with friends and family, etc. Gods word resonates in all of us from birth, not just when u become baptized(BTW im non-denominational). We have been systematically taught that salvation comes from going to Church every Sunday and that is not true. U can be saved at home, or at work, or on the corner. NOT JUST IN CHURCH! When I have more ill post a comment!

That's MY DOG!

Yall Trippin: Nelly for President

This is to all the people who keep talking about how much money Oprah has. YALL TRIPPIN! She don't even have no bling. Have you seen how many chains Nelly has!?! CRAZY. What Oprah got? Books?!? Books don't shine! Shit! Even I got spinners! (On my keychain). And people keep saying she getting paid for producing. I ain't heard her name screamed on no records. And we play all the hot shit at Club Crunk. QUIT TRIPPIN! Forget Barack Obama. Its all about Nelly for president.












I'll bet multiple people all around the country have these dumb assed thoughts. When did we decide to support our insecurities. When did over compensation become confidence and waste spell success? We look up to some of the most insecure people on the planet and end up guided by their fears. The result being a radical multiplication of our own fears.





So maybe when we complain about Oprah not being in the "hood" all the time, maybe she is actually doing more for us by not misleading us than some others are who continue to mislead us everyday.






[This blog is almost 12 years old. Below are the comments from my MySpace readers.]




hilarious but sad cuz it's oh so true!


WOW..
im frightened



Keep keeping it real bro. Keep Keeping it real.



Oprah doesn't need to be "hood." And a lot of those rappers aren't all that "hood" either. Anytime they're trying to go to Hollywood and shit. It's the dumb followers who buy into that bs. How can LIL Wayne be gangster if he's working on everyone's cds. lol I met him in person and despite all the tattoos, he's an intelligent lil guy.

I would like to meet Oprah one day because she understands the concept of do what u can, when u can. How much money does a person need to live off on? Think Bill Gates.



I appreciate this blog and the recognition of this thought and breakdown.