Posted by NettieBee on Dec 27, 2011 in Uncategorized
“Christmas Just Ain’t Christmas Without the One Who First Loved Me”
This time of year is filled with bells-a-jingling, shopping carts a-packing, and credit cards a-maxing. Black Friday brawls, family fall-outs, and all out chaos reigns supreme from November – December. People are consumed with what I call the Christmas Commercial. You know what a commercial is, right? Well let me help you.
com·mer·cial [kuh-mur-shuhl]
noun: Radio and Television- a paid advertisement or promotional announcement.
adj. prepared, done, or acting with sole or chief emphasis on salability, profit, or success: able to yield or make a profit: suitable or fit for a wide, popular market:
We have been sold an idea, a promotion if you will, that Christmas is about showing how much you care by going into debt buying as many gifts as Visa, MasterCard, and American Express will allow. Who does all of this benefit? The ones you love? Why heck no. It benefits the ones doing this enormous sales pitch!!
Did my mug warmer or fuzzy socks keep me cozy for the first two weeks after Christmas last year? Yes it did, but it had no major impact on my life or the lives of the people I care about. Christmas was made to be so much more than stainless steel pots and a George Foreman grill. More than “He went to Jared’s,” “Every kiss begins with Kay”, or “you’ve got a friend in the diamond business”. More than big red bows on shiny, new, soon to be repossessed cars. More than trees, presents, reindeer, and big, fat, jolly white lies.
Christmas is about the first 6 letters of the word…Christ. Christ-mas is about a man who was born to die for you and for me. Christ-mas is about a man who was 100% man and 100% God, who stepped down from heaven and died a criminals death so that we can have an opportunity to experience life as He knows it, with His Father in heaven. Christmas is about the one who loved us waaaaay before we loved ourselves.
So don’t get sucked in by the never ending Christmas Commercial. Offer someone the love of Christ and help your family to understand that if they don’t get one gift, Christmas is still Christmas because Christ was indeed born!!
And if (by grace) you were blessed to have presents to wrap and a tree to put them under, then be thankful and grateful as you remember who’s birthday you’re truly celebrating and the real reason for the Christ-mas season.
Last night as I was getting ready for bed, I went again to look for my contact lens solution which has been lost since I got back from a trip I had recently taken to Texas. I could have sworn I put it in my backpack. Then I vaguely remember putting it in my pink carry on bag…at least that’s what I thought.
To my surprise and increased frustration, it was in neither place I had originally thought. Just as I was beginning to grumble aloud “I can’t find my solution!”, the Holy Spirit quickened my mind and the words I had just spoken hit me like a ton of bricks. I can’t find my solution…
I could hear God clearly say, “You’re right. You can’t find your solution.” You are uncomfortable because you can’t find your solution. You are blinded because you can’t find your solution. You are MAD as HELL because YOU can’t find your solution. The truth of the matter is, you have never really been able to SOLVE anything by yourself.
I could hear God urging me to quit trying to figure it out and let Him work it out. God is in control and He alone is the problem solver. He is the solution that you have been looking for all this time. Because He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins, we no longer have to bare the weight of our problems alone. Jesus has completely and eternally solved every problem Past, Present, and Future.
So last night, in my frantic search for my solution, God gave me so much more. He showed me in that instant that I am not in control. I do not have all the answers and I DEFINITELY – no matter how hard I look – CAN NOT find the solution.
“Dear Lord, thank you for being my ultimate problem solver. I will stop looking for the solutions and allow you to work everything out on my behalf. In Jesus name, Amen.”
These virtuous ladies are not only beautiful, but talented!! They bring the Word of God through song and they mean every word that comes from their lips. They compose, play instruments, dance, and sing! Now if this isn’t awesomeness, then I don’t know what is. GO GURLS!!
Check out their music on www.reverbnation.com/GodsGurls! Click the link below.
Posted by NettieBee on Dec 10, 2010 in Uncategorized
There is one word that can always make people spring into action. Especially us as African Americans. That word is FREE! If you want to see a crowd form in no time flat, just announce that somebody…anybody is giving something away. I have seen three things that never fails to have us lined up around the block: Free money, free food, and free before 10:00 at the club. That is a sad but true statement. Yet even sadder is the fact that when something is truly good for us, we can scarcely get a full house.
We as a people do not value important things like education, liberation, and salvation. The public schools have to go so far as to lock up parents for their children not attending regularly. And why is it that we would rather work for someone for $7 per hour than to make $40 per hour working their own business, simply because they don’t want to pay their own taxes.
At the very bottom of the things to do list for many is salvation. Although it is absolutely free, we act as if we can do without it. Jesus paid a high price so that we could have eternal life. If we compare salvation to the other things that causes us to rush to get in line, we will begin to see the actual value.
Free money: He who trusts in the Lord will prosper (Proverbs 28:25). God has promised that those who give their lives to Him will not have to worry about the perils of this world because He will protect us and provide us with everything we need.
Free food: Because everyone is dead in sin, we all need to eat the Bread of Life. Jesus is the bread of eternal life because He takes away sin and makes us whole. In John 6:35 it states “He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Free before 10: No appointment necessary, you can just follow what Romans 10:9 says and you will be saved. There is no cut off time for the free pardon of your sins through Christ Jesus!
So I encourage you dear Brothers and Sisters, spring into action right now and go get your salvation. It’s FREE, FREE, FREEEEEE!!
When was the last time you saw a bird pacing the ground trying to figure out where it was going to put its eggs? When was the last time you walked by a tree and saw a bird sitting in its nest rocking back and forth and tweeting hopelessly? When was the last time you saw a bird making a square nest? When was the last time you saw a bird just taking a leisurely walk when it has the ability to fly?
If you answered yesterday to any of those questions, then you are either a really bad liar or have a really good imagination.
Birds are creatures created by the most high God, just like you and me. The only difference is, birds operate in divine order and we…..well, DON’T! You haven’t seen a bird pacing the ground trying to figure out where it is going to put its eggs because birds are natural carpenters. They take sticks and twigs and build a house just like the second little piggy. They are great at it too. And because God designed them with homing blueprints, they build their homes the right way every single time. ROUND and not square.
Now humans on the other hand, who God made a little lower than angels and crowned with glory and honor (Psalms 8:4,5) don’t have the same belief system as the birds. We don’t operate according to the blueprint God gave us. We are so “educated” that we are always trying to improve upon God’s perfect design. Everywhere you turn, you see square nests built by some disobedient human. We live our lives in direct opposition to God’s order.
So what you’re telling me is the bird had a disturbed look on its face as it hopelessly rocked back and forth tweeting in distress? Riiiight. I can just imagine what God would do to the ridiculous bird that won’t go get the worms, won’t get up and build a nest, and won’t use the wings it has to fly. We are just as ridiculous as the above scenario. Unfortunately, we smart people don’t do what we need to do to get where we need to be. We are slothful, lazy individuals that want everything handed to us. This is contrary to the Word of God which states “Any person that doesn’t work, neither does he eat.” 2 Thessalonians 3:10. As a result, we are hunger stricken, homeless and trudging through life instead of prospering in health and wealth and soaring as eagles.
The truth of the matter is that we could take a lesson from the stereotypical “dummie” of the animal kingdom. Birds know that God has made a way for them and they have no need to change the process up or operate out of order. They know what method works and they WORK IT! Because of their faith, their lives are made easier. If one tree gets chopped down, they move right on to the next one. People need to begin to operate as birds and live our lives according to the purpose God has predestined for us. We must trust God at all times, in all situations. Some trees may fall in your life, but you have to have enough bird brains to get up, dust yourself off, and find a new tree.
So the next time someone calls you a “birdbrain” don’t get angry. Just tell them thank you and continue to a walk in fervent faith.
When I think of goats, I think of growing up in Grenada, MS where farm animals were plentiful, but not so much in the urban areas. However, there was this one goat that lived in the city limits, not too far from our neighborhood. This goat was white, huge, and baaaad.
Everybody was terrified when it made its weekly escape from the backyard. People would warn us as we walked in the neighborhood, “Watch out. The goat is on the loose again.” If we ever encountered it, we knew it would surely chase us down the street and wreck havoc on anything it could get its teeth around. Anything from laundry hanging on the lines, food in the neighbors vegetable garden, or maybe even a small child if it could catch one. Nothing was off limits to this mischief making animal.
In hindsight, the goat was really doing what it was made to do. Goats are known for being curious (nosy), mischievous (messy), and baaaad (disobedient). If you think about it. You probably know some people with these same characteristics.
Some of your closest friends may be goat-like in their behavior. They need to know about everyone’s business, they are constant sowers of discord, and you can ask them anything, but you can tell them nothing. These people can lead a sheepish person right into the hands of the enemy. As a matter of fact, the enemy uses these people for that exact purpose.
Oh they look unsuspecting and harmless, but do not you turn your back on them. They are likely to give you a swift kick in the rear without so much as a second thought. They are the animal that will test out every inch of a fence to see if will find a weak board or wire. And once they do, they exploit it every chance they get.
We as believers need to be aware of the “goats”. Just as a goat looks for weaknesses in the fence, the “goat-like” will look for weak people to prey on and often manipulate. They are similar to “sheep”, but there is one main difference. The inability to follow. People can train a goat to walk on “leads” as well as pull a cart, but they are not natural born followers like their cousins the sheep. Therefore, it is next to impossible to truly put these mischief makers under submission.
These types often have seeds that are just as baaaad as the parent. These “kids” are billy’s, I mean bullies and have heads as hard as bricks. They rally to make the life of the less rambunctious (aka sheep) a living hell. If they are not causing trouble, they are probably leading some unsuspecting child astray.
I urge the believers to beware of the goats. They are not to be trusted. And as I heard a wise man say, “Stop referring to your children as “kids, because they are not the offspring of the mischief maker.” Unless of course…..you are indeed one of those baaaad goats.
About ten years ago, there was a game show called The Weakest Link. Contestants on this show would come together and play as a team answering general knowledge questions in rounds until time runs out. Each question is worth money which has to be “banked” in the kitty before the round ends. At the end of each round, all the contestants must vote one player out of the game, (more than likely the one who performs the worst). The player who receives the most votes is declared the weakest link and is dismissed from the show. The dismissed player leaves the stage in what is called “The Walk of Shame” but not until the host says with no feeling or remorse, “You are the weakest link, goodbye.”
Many people would slot the host of this game show as cold and harsh, but the truth of the matter is, you are only as strong as your weakest link. If there are people on your team that are spiritually weak, then there is a chance that that one weak link could be detrimental to the team. It’s not to say that the stronger ones should not try to help the weaker ones, but if after several failed attempts to get that person up to speed, how long must one put up with the foolishness. Once the Word has been presented to a person, it is their decision to either take it or leave it.
The children of God have a serious issue with using the authority that we have been given by the spirit of the living God to dismiss weak links from our lives before they destroy all semblance of structure. If people know the Word of God, yet refuse to line up with it and fully submit to God, then they simply need to be dismissed. UN-APOLOGETICALLY!!
Here are a few examples of dismissible behavior:
There are some “church folks” that show up every time the church doors open. They sing, dance, and shout like they are saved, sanctified, and filled with the precious Holy Ghost, but as soon as service is over it’s…”Child, did you hear about so and so??” You are the weakest link, Goodbye.
Some “church folks” proclaim that they know and love Jesus with all their heart, soul, and mind. They are holy rolling, bible toting, scripture quoting Christians; yet they are the meanest, nastiest, haughtiest, people you would never want to meet. You are the weakest link, Goodbye.
And then there are the plain old, “can’t get right Christians”. They love their own selfish ways and desires more than they love God. They would rather do whatever the Hell they want and suffer the consequences later. Just as long as they can get what they want when they want it. The “God knows my heart” Christian. The “all have sinned” Christian. The “don’t judge me” Christian. The “God is still working on me” Christian. The “God is just to forgive” Christians. Now this is the sorriest excuse for a believer. As a matter of fact. They are not believers at all. Don’t walk, run from this devil! YOU ARE THE WEAKEST LINK! GOODBYE!
It is time to stop playing around with the livelihood of the ministry. If a person does not want to be a doer of the Word of God, then that is their decision. They will have to be the one who suffers the consequences. But just like God hates lukewarm Christians, the church should too. So vomit them out!! You are the weakest link. Goodbye!
Paid in Full by Eric B. and Rakim is possibly one of the most sampled rap songs of all time and for good reason. The lyrics, although simple, are very profound. They tell of how a young man is short of money but he refuses to get the money by the means he used before he was “righteous”. He used to rob and steal, but now he is using the gifts he possesses to get “Paid in Full”.
Thinkin of a master plan
Cuz ain’t nuthin but sweat inside my hand
So I dig into my pocket, all my money is spent
So I dig deeper but still comin up with lint
So I start my mission- leave my residence
Thinkin how could I get some dead presidents
I need money, I used to be a stick-up kid
So I think of all the devious things I did
I used to roll up, this is a hold up, ain’t nuthin funny
Stop smiling, be still, don’t nuthin move but the money
But now I learned to earn cos I’m righteous
I feel great! so maybe I might just
Search for a 9 to 5, if I strive
Then maybe I’ll stay alive
So I walk up the street whistlin this
Feelin out of place cos, man, do I miss
A pen and a paper, a stereo, a tape of
Me and Eric B, and a nice big plate of
Fish, which is my favorite dish
But without no money it’s still a wish
Cos I don’t like to dream about gettin paid
So I dig into the books of the rhymes that I made
To now test to see if I got pull
Hit the studio, cos I’m paid in full
With hits like “Girls, Girls, Girls” and “Big Pimpin”, which chronicles his many women and “hoes all across the globe”, Jay-Z is not exactly what one would call a “conscious rapper”. But in his song “Beach Chair” we see a different side of Hov that proves that he does have a deeper spiritual side. Good for you Jigga! You get the 4H-Hip Hop Has Hope Award!! Take a bow!
