Ann Lenaers
- Relationships , Spiritual Living , Understanding Your Faith
- October 16, 2019
- 0 views
Who Are You To Judge?
I have an evangelist friend who created a Christian alternative to yoga. She was formerly a dancer and loves a good stretch, so she infused her faith into a workout routine. I find it admirable the way she reminds us that our body is a temple for the Holy Spirit and that we should include Jesus in the way we care for our physical health! A few weeks ago she shared an article on social media talking about a new craze called “rage yoga” where people yell, swear, and drink alcohol during their workout. Accompanying the link to the article she simply wrote “This sounds like a really bad idea! A better option here” with a link to the page for her stretching program. After seeing this, a woman decided to completely tear into her in the comments. I have not seen such a bold keyboard warrior in quite awhile, and that’s really saying something in the modern world. She went off about how Jesus sat at the table with sinners and that is where she would be found. She accused my friend of not being a good Christian, suggested she was not fit for her calling in evangelism, and repeatedly condemned her saying she was passing judgment in a way that only God has the right to do – all for saying something might not be a good idea. This woman dug her heels into shaming my friend. Set aside for a moment my desire to defend my friend and sister in Christ. Looking at this objectively, this post said absolutely nothing about Jesus and did not actually criticize anyone. She just said she felt it was a bad idea without sharing her reason why. When she tried to reply to the accusations, she calmly explained to the woman that it’s not healthy to dehydrate and poison yourself with alcohol while working out and that swearing isn’t a good coping mechanism. These are just fact statements based on our knowledge of health. This further angered the woman as she continued to accuse her of passing judgment. This story paints a clear picture of something I’ve seen a ton of people do lately, especially in the Christian community. I’ve grown tired of the rudeness happening among the body. People get easily offended about things, then they jump to responding in a way that surpasses even an eye for an eye, becoming more like die for an eye. Christians are instructed to turn the other cheek, so I find these disputes hold a unique hypocrisy, lacking the grace in execution that they so strongly insisted wasn’t present to begin with. It’s time for us to mature in how we address our concerns. Point 1 – Our freedom in Christ is not a license for chaos. Even though we are under grace, we are still called to live a holy life to the best of our ability, letting our old spirit man die to the sins of the flesh and be born again in Christ. When Jesus sat down to the table with sinners, they were called to repent and follow him. Point…
Nelson Hawkins, Jr.
- Spiritual Living , Understanding Your Faith
- September 4, 2019
- 0 views
Identity and Growth
Whew what a long summer! Alright, now that we are headed into autumn, which is ironically the harvest time, we will be talking about a type of harvest and manifestation, or rather, how things grow. And by things, I mean us. Let’s just get started, shall we? So for the last two sessions we have been talking about identity, and the struggle with identity, and more specifically what were the elements of our identity, and why we struggle with our identity. It ultimately boils down to our natural progression struggling with our spiritual progression to understand that first, we are made in God’s image and likeness, and then, we have a God-given purpose we must rely on God and His power to cultivate within us. We also are a part of a family and have a race/ethnicity, but those are easy(ier) to identify with (Psst: that’s that struggle). But what does that growth look like? Well, first, I want to briefly analyze the stages of natural and spiritual growth..just bear with me here: The Nurturing Phase (Birth-5yrs): Usually lots of crying and questions. The Discovery Phase (6yrs-11yrs): Usually we develop distinct personalities at this point. The Identity Phase (there’s that word again, 12yrs-21yrs) Surveying (12yrs-15yrs): We need to look around. Experimental Phase (15yrs-18yrs): We start to do. Closure of Identity (18yrs-21yrs): We “figure out” what we’re going to do. Culture Shock (18yrs-26yrs): What we know isn’t what we know. Career Selection (26yrs-32yrs): We choose where we are going. Family Life/Prep for Retirement (32yrs.-65yrs.): We get the meat and potatoes out of life. Some of you just read this and said “What? I’m ‘xyz years old’ and haven’t done ‘abc thing’.” Relax. Identity is nuanced, and so is choosing a life path. But why this list? Well, by the end of Stage 1, we normally have a bearing of the heritage and ethnicity portions of our identity. We may have been introduced into the things of Christ, but we haven’t had a challenge yet to really get to know Him. Our parents are giving us everything (or should be, but that’s a discussion for the next blog). We normally don’t get a real experience with God until at least Stage 4 (kudos to those of you who got this earlier), and have to reconcile what we learned earlier with what we learn about God later in life. But how does learning God work? Here are the stages of spiritual growth: Born Again (John 3:1-7; Ephesians 1:13-14): That Day 0 Faith. Babe in Christ (1 Peter 2:2; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9): God loves on us and we learn our Word. Son(Daughter)ship (Hebrews 12:5-13): The two P’s, Purpose and (Spiritual) Pruning. God lays the groundwork for our full measure. Identity becomes solid. Overcoming the World (1 John 2:13b): This is where identity takes hold and doesn’t let go. (Basic) Spiritual Maturity (1 John 2:13b-14b): We know who we are in Christ in operate out of consistent empowerment. (Senior) Spiritual Maturity (1 John 2:27, Ephesians 4:12-15): Consistent empower is second nature; God is our own source, and identity is immovable. Let’s note a few things…
Tyrone Brackens
- Spiritual Living
- August 21, 2019
- 1 views
The Importance of Stillness: Silent Musings from God’s Holding Patterns
(To listen to this post, play below.) Do you feel the tension? Has the disillusioned process left you weary? Are you holding on for dear life to every prophetic promise that has been spoken in your life? Are you in a situation where you are targeted for your strength and prowess yet, it’s not your will but God’s will that prevails? Can you feel the sting of unrighteousness from a spouse, partner, friend, confidant, business associate or neighbor who doesn’t understand the position you have been called to heed in this moment in your life? Are you in a financial whirlwind with more bills than money presently to secure the debt? Did you ever feel like throwing in the towel and giving up? Well, you are not alone. Michael Jackson, Legendary Music Savant experienced the same trauma, drama, pain, upheavals, lies, deceit, aloneness, brokenness, and blindness and still was able create magic out of those insidious moments. Michael Jacksons’ hit song “You are not Alone” is a song from his ninth studio album History: Past, Present and Future, Book 1 (1995). If you can truly picture the irony of this song remember it was written by R.Kelly (R&B Sensation was wrote “Step in the name of Love”)who we all know has been in the media lately with tons of sexual misconduct allegations against minors. The important thing to note from R. Kelly and Michael Jackson as it relates to the holding patterns you may be experiencing at this moment is that you are not alone. There are thousands of individuals like you and me who has had difficult childhood experiences, near death experiences, abuse, neglect, betrayal, and just moments in time that has made us neglectful of the healing that needed to take place. Instead, we would keep trying to push past the pain as if it would just somehow go away. Many times, the shame that we created from our mistakes binds our hearts into a place, where we feel like a “Native Son” which Richard Wright explains as a black youth who lives in utter poverty. Although, we are bigger than our circumstances the weight of indifference and stagnation can make us feel like the mountain is too big to overcome. The embers of the psychedelic whirlwind want to speak to us in these moments, but we must settle in our hearts that its necessary to stay positioned for the turnaround. You might have been in the waiting room for the last 5, 10, 15, 20, years or longer. What’s important to understand is that God operates outside of time and may be a tough pill for your inner circle to swallow in this instant everything age. Overnight successes usually take in the ballpark of 15-20 years in some cases. Sometimes you will fly around and around until there are favorable conditions to land. Delay does not mean denial. Let nature take its course in your life and don’t try to change what seems uncomfortable and illogical to those in your inner circle. Approach the negativity head on in a logical and emotionally sound manner. Work on your…
- Spiritual Living , Understanding Your Faith
- June 26, 2019
- 1 views
Why We Struggle With Identity….
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV) Before I get to the blog post proper, I almost never deal with NKJV. Not a knock on it, I just usually study from the ESV or the NRSV. <shrugs> About the Scripture itself though. Do y’all see this here? It’s kind of a big deal. Galatians 5:16-23 talks about the nature of the flesh, the nature of the Spirit, and how they do battle with each other, to literally prevent us from doing what we want (also see Romans 7:14-23). But why does this matter as it pertains to identity. Well, in the last entry, we talked about identity having four real elements to it: (1) Being made in God’s image and likeness, (2) purpose, (3) heritage, and (4) race/ethnicity. Well, most people don’t get authentically saved in their formative years (please don’t believe the statistics). Because most kids have a fundamental rebellion in their teen years (because they have to explore, more on that next time) and many don’t get to experience God for real until their 20s. This is when their heritage and race have been well established, and sometimes they are already pursuing (what they at least think) will be purpose. I can’t speak to everyone, but in my teen years, I knew there was a God and that He was supreme in the cosmos. But I didn’t know God. I went to church sometimes, and considered myself a Christian. And then when I was in college, a young lady did street evangelism ministry with me. Her: Where are you going when you die? Me: Heaven. Her: Why. Me: Because I’m a good person. God was like, “That’s adorable…” //imgur.com/ClQ956Q But why did I give the wrong answer? My identity didn’t line up, despite the fact that I thought I was a Christian. A few years later, I got saved, and got this answer right. (Although there were so many more to get wrong after) I would say that once we get saved and become that new creature, we have to switch all of our thinking over to that of Christ: mind, heart, nature…we even have to shift our gifting and talent to Christ…despite the fact that God put those in us to begin with. And that conversion is tough, because we know our heritage and our race (most times) our whole life, but most of the time we struggle with the “made in God’s image and likeness” part because we just weren’t wired that way. It takes a long walkthroughs in the Scripture, fervent prayer and supplication, and often years of long suffering to get to this point. Over the next couple of entries, we will juxtapose identity to our stages of life (natural growth), and our stages of spiritual growth. Join us then, okay?
Candace Paul
- Spiritual Living
- April 24, 2019
- 0 views
PART I: Not Surprised by The College Cheating Scandal…Here’s Why
Many of us have had to endure the mental anguish of a standardize college entrance exam. You, and a long line of other students, anxiously wait to enter the exam hall. You make sure there’s enough space between you and other test takers, then patiently wait for a proctor (usually a retiree with a bunch of free time) to place a neatly packaged and bounded exam on the table. Time is called. You take the test. You do your best. Then you wait on pins and needles for the results. Once they come…if you pass, you’re relieved! If you don’t…then you just regroup, settle on the fact that this time other test takers were more prepared than you, and then if the opportunity presents itself, you try again. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. That’s just how the cookie crumbles. But the single most basic assumption we adopted about this process, was its “fairness.” Well…We thought wrong. Background On March 12, 2019, the FBI announced that actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were part of a network of wealthy individuals paying millions to place their children into elite universities (see original story here). When news broke, people were incensed, probably because those of us who have gone through the college prep process, know how rigorous, costly, and tedious it can be. Furthermore, we also know how so much of it is left to chance. That day social media was on fire with people outraged, disappointed, or genuinely in a state of shock by the news. I, however, was none of those things. I was only surprised by the fact it made the news! Let’s Get Real… via GIPHY If anyone is under the illusion that this begins and ends with Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin and their cronies, you’re definitely not paying attention…to LIFE! First off, the “air of entitlement” is fostered very young in the United States – which plays a huge role in this. My dad who came to this country at 19, told me he never understood award ceremonies in the United States. It seemed like every single student received some award – even those undeserving. He came from a school system where students were publicly ranked, called on in class to provide answers, and they were expected to know the right ones. If students were unprepared, they fail. No exceptions. The only “awards” were passing grades and narrowly escaping the wrath of your parents. Now, I don’t necessarily agree with how hard they went to prepare students back then, but one thing was clear: All of them were prepared for life. All of my father’s classmates (even the ones who weren’t high ranking), can do complicated math calculations in their heads, are very well read, hardworking, and overall studious individuals. Many of them went on to become professors, successful entrepreneurs, or company executives. This isn’t to say that none of them experienced failure – I’m certain they did at many points. The difference is that they learned how to cope with failure, and in so doing, figured out how to win next time. Cheating is a Disservice to Your Kids.…
David Chandler
- Spiritual Living
- April 20, 2019
- 0 views
Christian Witches? Huh?
A dear friend of mine sent me a video on my Facebook timeline. It contained an exuberant black woman talking about a Christian witches convention in none other than Salem, Massachusetts! I couldn’t believe what I was watching, much less hearing—Christians calling themselves witches. As discerning, bible-believing Christians, we should not be surprised at any of this. Scripture warns us that the end of the age would be marked with the rise of false teachers, false Christs, and false prophets, and they would be invading the local churches. The Apostle Paul disputed with these individuals on more than a few occasions. 2nd Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come unless there is a falling away first (apostasy from the one true faith), and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” Notice in verse seven, Paul talks about the mystery of iniquity being here and at work. “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work. Only he that letteth will let until he is taken out of the way.” Warnings about false teachers and the spread of false doctrine spreading throughout the church became a theme in the New Testament epistles. 2nd Timothy 4:1-4, 2nd Peter 2:1-19. Jude 1:4. 1st John 4:1-3, but Deuteronomy 18:10 is pretty apropos for the subject of this treatise. Christians are not to have anything to do with witchcraft, the occult or the secret, hidden things. God’s word says that the secret things belong to Him alone. Inclusionism Since churches are becoming more accepting of other beliefs (inclusionism), anything can be considered “church” these days. Postmodernism is running amuck in this spiritually starved, social media, starlit, culture. Everyone claims to be spiritual, so they get involved with a group, or jump on the internet and claim they are some sort of “teacher”. This is part of the reason why so many social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is so popular. Who would ever thought Christians would be calling themselves “witches”. Yet, here we are. Popularity is Powerful The occult is rising in popularity now. It has gained an attraction, especially with young people today as a result of the breakdown of the family structure. Satan is waging war in our youth’s lives since they do not have the protection of a loving, Godly father in the home. The mothers are getting younger, and more preoccupied with the love of the world as opposed to the love and protection of their children. In fact, they do not want the responsibility of caring for them. That is why they become adults and become victims of false doctrine, aberrant religious movements, or become members of cults. If we had more godly parents (mom AND dad who are COMMITTED to one another in a marriage relationship), we would not have so many young people attracted to these things. Getting involved in the occult is strictly forbidden in scripture (Deuteronomy 18:10). Christians are not to delve into the Devil’s domain. Not only is it spiritually dangerous, but it is against God’s commandments. Calling yourself a “Christian”…
- Spiritual Living
- June 8, 2018
- 0 views
The Tragic Suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain
(To listen to this post, play below.) From the outside looking in, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, had it all. According to Goodhousekeeping Kate Spade had an estimated net worth of $150 million in 2018, and Anthony Bourdain was also doing very well with a net worth of about $16 million. Both celebrities had wildly successful careers doing what they loved. Spade, was an industry leader in fashion who built a household brand, best known for her line of designer handbags. Likewise, Bourdain introduced us to his love of food and travel, while sharing the untold stories of amazing people and places each week on CNN. So, what happened? It’s hard for us to wrap our minds around suicide – especially when their lives seemed great. Secret Battles None of us can know what a person is battling in secret. Sometimes, guilt, heartache, fear, and rejection may feel so real, that it also seems inescapable. Bourdain never hid his ongoing struggle with depression, and drug addiction. In his bestselling novel, Kitchen Confidential, Bourdain described his fast paced life being a celebrity chef and all the drug use that came with it. Spade also struggled with similar problems. According to a People Magazine article, Spade struggled with anxiety and depression for years. Spade’s husband confirmed she was seeking help for her mental illness, but the two had been living apart for ten months – although not formally separated. Life Under a Microscope I imagine these secret struggles are amplified by fame. Where as many of us can suffer a hardship and get through it – without the world knowing or critiquing; that’s the luxury celebrities don’t have. Everything they say and do is picked apart and analyzed. One small misstep or off-the-cuff remark can become a catastrophe that not only affects them emotionally, but may have major implications for their businesses and brand moving forward. This in essence becomes the trap. So much of what celebrities do rests upon likability, that it prevents them from telling someone they’re in crisis. Instead of being totally transparent about what’s happening, they’ll think, “How might this be used against me?” That question prevents them from getting help. They may try to find peace in other ways, but question if it can ever truly be found. So, what can we do as outsiders looking in? Show Compassion It may be hard to fathom how people with so much money can have problems at all. But we all know money doesn’t solve everything. Sometimes the hardest fought battles are internal, which no amount of money can repair. Furthermore, it’s not that celebrities don’t have problems…they’re just different problems. Staking your livelihood on trends, likability, popularity, keeping people’s interest, and materialism is ultimately unfulfilling, and celebrities find out fast and hard. In many ways, you can become “famous” without people really knowing or caring about who you are. To many people, Kate Spade may have been the “hand bag designer” or Anthony Bourdain, “the traveling food guy”, but not much else. I remember when Princess Diana died in the car crash and how photographers rushed to the scene – not to help, but to snatch…
- Spiritual Living
- April 18, 2017
- 0 views
Aren’t We ALL Collateral Damage??
Around 2009, I remember the news touting the success of an U.S. air strike in Yemen that killed 14 Al Qaeda operatives – including Anwar al Awlaki, thought to be an Al Qaeda leader and ideologue. Video footage of the airstrike was shown repeatedly on the 24 hour news cycle and was hailed a “win” in the war against terrorism. Although U.S. intelligence officials identified the hit as a training camp comprised only of Al Qaeda fighters, this camp was not in a remote location. Many reports confirm this camp was based centrally in a small town resulting in forty-one civilian deaths. As political pundits casually referred to the loss of life as “collateral damage”, I couldn’t help but wonder… aren’t all those lacking power and wealth collateral damage? Collateral damage is military terminology used generally to describe deaths, injuries, or other damage inflicted on unintended targets. Obviously, war isn’t pretty and these types of deaths are the natural result of conflict. But let’s be real, some people are more likely to be collateral damage than others. On the latest episode of the popular HBO series Billions, Bobby Axelrod (Axe) received a very special gift for his birthday from his employee and friend. It was a $360,000 down payment on a spot for Axe and his family in an opulent, fully-fortified, underground bunker made for lodging during a catastrophic event. Axe, a billionaire himself, somewhat scoffed at the idea of waiting for the mayhem to end with other pampered billionaires. After all, he could build his own bunker or use one – or both of his private jets to fly him and his family to a secluded island for safety. But, isn’t that where the rubber meets the road? As much as the elite try to convince us otherwise, keeping you and your loved ones safe during war is all that matters. Ironically, very few people have the luxury to ensure this outcome. While Bobby Axelrod is a fictitious character, the monetary strength he represents is far from unreal. Well connected men and women – with tremendous wealth, advocate war everyday. The catch is, they will never see a battlefield or experience the “unintended consequences” of war. Check out this real life luxury underground bunker. Essentially, our world leaders and the super rich can gamble with actions that might incite international conflict because their families will be safely whisked away from danger. Their children will only hear the bombs, yet feel none of them. It’s only the rest of us that will truly know what it means to be collateral damage should war break out on American soil. So, if you’re like me, and don’t have a billion dollars to your name, we literally can’t afford to advocate war. Praising drone strikes, unreasonable displays of force, and tough talk, is easy to do, from the comfort of your suburban home or over priced condo. These actions are much harder to praise watching buildings burn while frantically rummaging through broken concrete and shattered glass for missing family members. But make no mistake; if war happens here, unless you’re like Bobby Axelrod with a million dollar spot reserved in a secret bunker, hoping to survive the chaos will also be your end. That’s why it’s in our…
- Spiritual Living
- September 24, 2016
- 0 views
What’s Distracting You from Your Calling?
One morning you say to yourself, “Today, I’m going to finally tackle these loose ends.” You’re up early and you’re pumped. You’re almost ready to get started… then you get a notification. Oh look! An old high school friend liked a meme you posted about friendship. Just to be nice you return the favor and like something she posted. Since you’ve done that much, what’s the harm in giving your newsfeed a quick scroll? Right as you’re about to put your phone down and hop in the shower, Twitter starts blowing up! The beef between two of your favorite celebs has gotten out of control! Now you’ve got to read what happened while you slept. It wouldn’t be right to break your commitment now! By the time you finish commenting, liking, and posting, you look up and most of the day is gone.