You’re more than a donut hole….

I can’t help but agree with this which is why I had to share. Please feel free to share your thoughts.

Married people in successful relationships and folk with the gift of singleness (those who don’t need relationships like apostle Paul) tend to be Judgmental or non-empathetic towards people like me. (Single man needing a wife or a woman needing a husband) yes I said needing! I hear it all, “you’re like a doughnut and need to fill your center with Jesus“, (PLEASE) then I ask what if you’re a donut hole? (Like a Dunkin munchkin) and they say, “you need to get bigger with Jesus on the outside. You need to fast more, you need to go to church more, you need to pray more, you need to read your Bible more, you need to eat more roughage,” I hear it all. 

They’re almost arrogant in their statement when they say “LONG AS YOU GOT KANG JESUS YOU DON’T NEED NOBODY ELSE.” Okay let’s just say you’re right, my question is why didn’t God say that same thing to Adam in the garden? Adam, why you tripping I’m right here, you don’t need nobody else I’m all you need, feel your center with Me! Now I hear the Bible scholars say well he needed Adam and Eve together to be fruitful multiply and replenish the earth. I don’t agree because God could’ve made 7 billion people at the same time within six seconds and placed them strategically all over the earth.

The truth is God did it this way for a reason. He took Eve from Adam’s side for a reason, and placed inside of Adam a love for Eve like no other and vice versa. (We’ll get into that on another post.) God is love and with in Himself lies the most intense and greatest of all intimacies and He just wanted to share it as a gift to the human race. That’s why falling in love/choosing to be in love, a deep soul intimate connection and sexual intimacy feel so good because it’s God’s gift we’ve just perverted and distorted it.

Although there’s a joyous side of love there’s also pain, heartache, tears and confusion, but I still try. Now I understand the “you need to be whole” conversation but I still believe that two people touching and agreeing can bring God into their circumstance and let him be the ultimate healer. So for all you perfect people out there that don’t need what I need, pray for me. And for all you single people out there like me that want to be in love, keep believing in true love because it does exist, and when you find it love and appreciate it like it’s your last day on earth. Let’s trust God together.

Love
f.

Post courtesy of The Real Fred Hammond’s Facebook page.

BARBERSHOP CONFESSIONS

For those of you that frequent black barbershop’s you will know that this is a place where confessions are made and discussions are had. I am unable to speak on other types of shops in this manner, but the barbershop is a place to get saved, talk about racism and the female race.

Yesterday’s subject was on female pastors and the white man keeping the brother down. Of course, I played with the iPhone and looked into space trying to avoid eye contact, so that I would not be dragged into this discussion. I wanted my haircut and to leave as soon as possible. I was not successful, as someone insisted that I give my opinion on the matter. So there I was in the presence of one white guy, an Asian guy, a couple of Spanish guys, and the rest where black males.

Continue reading via BARBERSHOP CONFESSIONS.

Your Front Door

Have you ever heard of the saying “sweep around your own front door before you try to sweep around mine” or perhaps you’ve heard of “if you dig one ditch you might as well dig two”.

So many people today spend their whole life trying to dig ditches for others to fall in all the while not realizing that they just may fall in themselves. We spend too much time trying to tear other people down or point out their flaws when we have so many of them ourselves. The bridges that we burn can be damaged beyond repair. Why do we do these things? Do we truly feel much better about ourselves? When you look in the mirror at the end of the day do you smile and say “boy, am I a great person?”

Whispering and gossiping behind peoples backs is what the Bible calls “sowing seeds of discord” and God speaks very plainly about how he feels about this sort of thing. They are frowned upon so much that He calls it an abomination to him!

Proverbs 6:16-20 (New Living Translation)

¹⁶ There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests:
¹⁷ haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent,
¹⁸ a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong,
¹⁹ a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.

Know that it does your self no good to do such things. Whether you are on the job pointing out all of the short comings of your co-workers to present yourself spotless in the boss’s eyes or behind your spouse’s back you nag and complain to your friends, the truth still remains the same, you can never get ahead by stepping on your sisters and brothers. The same people that you step on to get on top are the same ones that you meet going back down.

Moral of the story is…you never know when you too may need a helping hand. You never know when you may need a little patience and mercy when you’re not meeting the mark. God may use that same person that you have been beating down to show you the same mercy that you should have shown. They may even have what you truly need so it’s very important that you treat others as you would have them to treat you. Strive for peace and keep your slate clean so that you can look in the mirror at the end of the day and smile and know without a doubt that you are truly …a great person. God loves you!

Get it together!

You have a million things going on. Your mind is racing and there are hundreds of thoughts running through your mind at any given moment.  You want to make the best decision for yourself but you’re not sure where to start. You can’t fully focus on one subject without thoughts of another crowding your mind. You are distracted. You are overwhelmed. You are not at your best and everyone else notices it. It’s starting to show up around you. Your car, office, and home are dirty. You are eating as if you constantly have the munchies. There is dis-ease all around you, and you feel like you are at your wit’s ends…..Continue Reading  Get it together!.

 

Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital! ‘This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck.” He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so…Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t. Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

Aurthur Unknown

HOW TO:Make Your Marriage a Success

This is ESPECIALLY for the single people but EVERYONE should listen. If we start out correctly we have a greater chance at having a successful marriage.

The Birth Of The Hymn “PRECIOUS LORD”

Back in 1932, I was a fairly new husband. My wife, Nettie and I were living in a little apartment on Chicago’s south side. One hot August afternoon I had to go to St. Louis where I was to be the featured soloist at a large revival meeting. I didn’t want to go; Nettie was in the last month of pregnancy with our first child, but a lot of people were expecting me in St. Louis . I kissed Nettie goodbye, clattered downstairs to our Model A and, in a fresh Lake Michigan breeze, chugged out of Chicago on Route 66.

However, outside the city, I discovered that in my anxiety at leaving, I had forgotten my music case. I wheeled around and headed back.

I found Nettie sleeping peacefully. I hesitated by her bed; something was strongly telling me to stay.   But eager to get on my way, and not wanting to disturb Nettie, I shrugged off the feeling and quietly slipped out of the room with my music.

The next night, in the steaming St. Louis heat, the crowd called on me to sing again and again. When I finally sat down, a messenger boy ran up with a Western Union telegram. I ripped open the envelope….
Pasted on the yellow sheet were the words:
YOUR WIFE JUST DIED.

People were happily singing and clapping around me, but I could hardly keep from crying out.
I rushed to a phone and called home. All I could
hear on the other end was “Nettie is dead. Nettie is dead.'”

When I got back, I learned that Nettie had given birth to a boy. I swung between grief and joy. Yet that same night, the baby died. I buried Nettie and our little boy together, in the same casket. Then I fell apart.

For days I closeted myself. I felt that God had done me an injustice. I didn’t want to serve Him anymore or write gospel songs I just wanted to go back to that jazz world I once knew so well. But then, as I hunched alone in that dark apartment those first sad days, I thought back to the afternoon I went to St. Louis. Something kept telling me to stay with Nettie. Was that something God? Oh, if I had paid more attention to Him that day, I would have stayed and been with Nettie when she died.

From that moment on I vowed to listen more closely to Him. But still I was lost in grief. Everyone was kind to me, especially one friend. The following Saturday evening he took me up to Maloney’s Poro College, a neighborhood music school. It was quiet; the late evening sun crept through the curtained windows.

I sat down at the piano, and my hands began to browse over the keys. Something happened to me then. I felt at peace. I felt as though I could reach out and touch God. I found myself playing a melody. Once in my head they just seemed to fall into place: ‘Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am worn, through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light, take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.’

The Lord gave me these words and melody, He also healed my spirit. I learned that when we are in our deepest grief, when we feel farthest from God, this is when He is closest, and when we are most open to His restoring power.

And so I go on living for God willingly and joyfully, until that day comes when He will take me and gently lead me home.

– – – –Tommy Dorsey

For those too young to know who he is, Tommy Dorsey was a well-known band leader in the 1930’s and 40’s.

Did you know that Tommy Dorsey wrote this song? I surely didn’t. What a wonderful story of how God CAN heal the brokenhearted!  Beautiful, isn’t it?

Worth the reading, wasn’t it? Think on the message for a while.

 

Encouragement When All Is Gone

David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. – 1 Samuel 30:6, KJV

There may come a time in your life when you find that all that you hold valuable is gone. Your job, your spouse, your children, your home—everything you truly loved and held dear is gone. To compound the problem, you also find that the individuals you thought you could count on have not and will not come to your aid. People that you trusted, loved, looked out for, and even blessed are too often the first to align themselves against you when you need them most. When you need an encouraging word, when you desire some level of human assurance, people you thought you could count on may be the first to withhold the very thing you need to help turn your situation around.

I pray that you never find yourself in this predicament. However, if you do, remember that you are not necessarily in your situation because you were disobedient. The spiritual fact is that evil tests and puts the most pressure on the most worthy souls. No one has been greatly used of God who did not experience the great fires of adversity. If you are there, it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with your level of anointing. No one was more anointed than Jesus, but He found Himself in the midst of adversity.

Sometimes there will be no one to encourage you. Every now and then you must take it upon yourself to independently lift your own spirit. You are going to have to encourage yourself.

The only way to do this is to focus upon and have trust in God’s Word. Find out what God has to say in His Word about your situation. If God said it, that settles it. You can count on Him to do all that He has said. Do all that you can do. Make a commitment to the application of His Word in your situation. Encourage yourself with the truth of God’s love for you, His commitment to bless you, and the reality that He cannot lie.

 

 

Excerpt from 100 Days of Inspiration

Written BY: Anthony Collins

Anthony has been successful for over 30 years, holding executive level positions with Fortune 100 companies. He has overcome tragedies, addictions, disasters and close calls. He writes to help others see and accomplish what it has taken him decades to understand. You can purchase this book at 100 Days of Inspiration or visit his website at Tony Ministries.

The Power of Prayer (Forgiveness)

Recently I found myself very disappointed in someone I considered a good friend. They did something to me that I felt (and still feel) was totally unacceptable and it was hard for me to swallow. I knew that I needed to forgive them and let it go but I just couldn’t wrap my head around it at the time.

Not wanting to hold a grudge, I began to quote any and every scripture I could remember (and maybe a few I made up) on forgiveness. But it seemed the moment I stopped quoting scripture, I got mad all over again.

Throughout that week, I kept rehearsing what happened and when I shared it with my husband and my sister, I got even angrier – it was like every time I told the story, the fire was being fueled. So I decided that I needed to stop talking about it because that was not helping the situation.

I’m sure you have all been there before …maybe it wasn’t a friend, perhaps it was a sibling, a co-worker, a neighbor or even someone at church. Whoever it was, they crossed you in some form or fashion and raised your blood pressure. You found yourself on this never ending cycle of anger because you couldn’t quite let it go.

In time, I realized that forgiveness is very hard in our own power… and at some point, I cleared my head and took it to God in prayer …and yet again, God amazed me with his ability to bring an inner peace in the midst of any situation.

Prayer is by far the greatest weapon we have. Prayer causes you to change your perspective on things.

While in prayer, God reminded me of the many times I had turned my back on Him. The many times I had disappointed Him. Yet, not once has He held back his forgiveness towards me.

He also reminded me that no one except Him is flawless, so I must not put people on a pedestal or expect them to never let me down. Yes, we expect certain things like respect from our friends, however at some point, we have probably all disrespected someone we cared about. How is it that we expect people to always be willing to forgive us but when the tables are turned – watch out!

Through prayer, I realized it was alright for me to be hurt by the situation, but it wasn’t alright for me to dwell there. God healed my wounds and gave me the courage to step back out and not allow this situation to dictate my mood, attitude or behavior towards the person who offended me.

There is something to be said about the power of prayer …next time I won’t wait so long to use it!

Written by Tanya James, Founder and president of The Master Plan. Tanya James is the author of From Promiscuity to Proverbs 31: Getting Off the Fence of Sexual Immorality. For more information about Tanya, log onto www.armedanddangerous.biz or www.themasterplan.biz.

Renewing Your Mind For Relationships

One of the ways that I healed from an emotional unhealthy mindset was listening to messages and mini sermons several days throughout the week. Sunday is a great blessing and all, but when it came to feeding my spirit and renewing my mind I needed more.

My favorite place to go on-line and get information that pertained to me and my personal issues and situations was OnePlace.com. There are so many different ministers there and so many different ways to listen, learn, and grow. You can search through the archives and find topics that relate to what you are going through at any given moment, that is what I did and still do til this day. It’s so helpful! Especially when your Pastor doesn’t talk much about Parenting, Friendship, or Marriage. Or it may just be that you are having some major issues with your in-laws and for that whole month at church you guys are reading the book of Revelation.

With all that being said, I’ve listed a few places that I think can be helpful to anyone if they open up and allow it.

With Dennis Rainey you get something like a teaching interview.

Family Life Today

With June Hunt you get something like a counseling session.

Hope for The Heart

And with James McDonald you get brief 30 minute sermonets that bless your soul!

Walk In The Word

It’s doesn’t do us any good to come up with excuses like “I don’t have time” because the messages can be downloaded and listened to in your car while you are driving or on your iPhone or Pod while you ride the bus, work out, get your nails, hair and toes done. We find time to watch our favorite T.V. Shows, go to the movies and out to eat, I’m sure we can find the time to feed our souls. It’s when you are really hungry for change that you will eat.

Most of the times people find a bunch of other unhealthy people to talk to and they validate what they are feeling and they think they are ok. But if people lie to you or just can’t give you the truth because they themselves don’t know it, you can’t grow as an individual.

It takes a lot to find a great person to hook up with forever when you are jacked up yourself. Inside you say “I want someone who will treat me good, not beat or cheat. Provide, protect, love, respect, submit, honor,” and on and on the list goes. But if you are emotionally damaged and refuse to admit and then take actions to change, more than likely you won’t attract that type of person.

Recognize, realize, and then renew!

Shared by The Relationship Stuff