“Dear optimist, pessimist, and realist, while you guys were busy arguing about the glass of water, I drank it! Sincerely, The Opportunist!”
This quote was thought provoking and an eye opener for me. It made me think of the highly repeated adage, talk is cheap. We can sit and talk about any and everything under the sun, how it should or shouldn’t be done, what should’ve been don, what needs to be done, so on and so forth. Once done talking then what?
If we think we’ve accomplished something we are deceiving ourselves. We can walk away the optimist and down the pessimist or realistic in the conversation but what does that do? Does that make us feel better or as if we are better than? The fact of the matter is whether the optimist, pessimist, or realist it was all talk and no action and therefore meaningless and pointless when it’s all said done. As the good book says, Faith without action is dead!
Now, while it is better to be an optimist than a pessimist, it is best to be an opportunist. I think of the words to a song, get up get out and get something. Do something, as the choice to do absolutely nothing and not get involved is still a choice.
We can talk about the state of the nation, our state, our city, the schools in the inner city, racism, discrimination, lack of resources. Talk is good it is great to have an open forum and discussion to share ideas. Once this is all done opportunity is still knocking and waiting on someone to not only knock on the door but go through it if necessary.
So let’s not just talk about it but be about it!
Sincerely,
A reformed optimist turned Opportunist!
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
A blog created to E-nspire, E-ncourage, E-ngage, E-nform, and E-mpower!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
WITH WHO'S EYES
"Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it." Anne Lamott
With Who’s Eyes?
This morning I took the time to watch Bill Winston it has been over a week since I have been fed the Word visually and audibly due to a hectic schedule and my personal decision to sleep. Today however, I was blessed as always.
The message was about focusing less on impressing others and focusing on solely impressing Yahweh by living His Word. In the message Winston referenced Peter’s decision to step out of the boat and walk on water. How at that time Peter wasn’t concerned with the others in the boat or what they thought. In that moment he saw Jesus on the water and he asked Jesus, Lord if it is you bid me to come to you on the water. Imagine what would have happened had Peter asked the other disciples what they thought first. He may have let those who were doubters, negative, skeptical or anything outside of faith filled deter him from even asking Jesus to bid him to walk on the water.
Yes, the disciples all walked with Jesus however these are the same disciples that Jesus had to speak to and say in Mark 9 "O unbelieving generation!" replied Jesus; "how long must I be with you? how long must I have patience with you?” In this scripture the disciples were unable to cast an evil spirit out of a boy and heal him. They should have been able to but they did not believe. How do I know? Because that is how Jesus addressed them, o unbelieving generation!
Scripture says when you ask in prayer BELIEVE whatever you ask is yours. We have to examine our belief systems. So the question of with who’s eyes goes to with who’s eyes do you see yourself? Are you like Peter who saw Jesus on the boat and saw himself (Peter) the way Yahweh saw him (Peter) and therefore he (Peter) asked Jesus bid me to come to you. Or would you have had to consult the disciples in the boat?
Hear me, when you read this loud and clear, just because a person is in church weekly or multiple times a week, read’s their bible, watches church programs etc. doesn’t mean that they are walking and living by faith nor does it mean that they are believers. Yes of course seek Godly counsel but remember you can go to God for yourself as well. Ask your self are you going to someone for advice that has used their faith and belief to advance in life. Are you going to someone who is usually positive and upbeat? Are you consulting the counsel of someone who has what it is you desire or has done what you are trying to do?
Why must you do this? Because you do not want to allow someone else’s vision of you to determine how far you can go and what you can do. This includes parents, close family, friends, anyone whom you are close to. Yes they have your best interest at heart but usually people limit others by their own limitations. So it is not only about not trying to impress others it is also about needing to go to others for validation or approval. Learn to read the Word, live the Word and walk by faith. I like the way Winston said it, “believe Yahweh in spite of your circumstances.”
We must stop letting outside natural things effect our spiritual, super natural lives! We must look at how we see ourselves and also why we see ourselves this way. Our image starting being shaped in our homes, schools, and friendships and this image was not necessarily the image of Yahweh. Then we have to ask ourselves are we continuing to be the image that we were told we are by people or the image that Yahweh created us to be.
Once we do that, then we can go forth live by faith and walk on water :-)
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
With Who’s Eyes?
This morning I took the time to watch Bill Winston it has been over a week since I have been fed the Word visually and audibly due to a hectic schedule and my personal decision to sleep. Today however, I was blessed as always.
The message was about focusing less on impressing others and focusing on solely impressing Yahweh by living His Word. In the message Winston referenced Peter’s decision to step out of the boat and walk on water. How at that time Peter wasn’t concerned with the others in the boat or what they thought. In that moment he saw Jesus on the water and he asked Jesus, Lord if it is you bid me to come to you on the water. Imagine what would have happened had Peter asked the other disciples what they thought first. He may have let those who were doubters, negative, skeptical or anything outside of faith filled deter him from even asking Jesus to bid him to walk on the water.
Yes, the disciples all walked with Jesus however these are the same disciples that Jesus had to speak to and say in Mark 9 "O unbelieving generation!" replied Jesus; "how long must I be with you? how long must I have patience with you?” In this scripture the disciples were unable to cast an evil spirit out of a boy and heal him. They should have been able to but they did not believe. How do I know? Because that is how Jesus addressed them, o unbelieving generation!
Scripture says when you ask in prayer BELIEVE whatever you ask is yours. We have to examine our belief systems. So the question of with who’s eyes goes to with who’s eyes do you see yourself? Are you like Peter who saw Jesus on the boat and saw himself (Peter) the way Yahweh saw him (Peter) and therefore he (Peter) asked Jesus bid me to come to you. Or would you have had to consult the disciples in the boat?
Hear me, when you read this loud and clear, just because a person is in church weekly or multiple times a week, read’s their bible, watches church programs etc. doesn’t mean that they are walking and living by faith nor does it mean that they are believers. Yes of course seek Godly counsel but remember you can go to God for yourself as well. Ask your self are you going to someone for advice that has used their faith and belief to advance in life. Are you going to someone who is usually positive and upbeat? Are you consulting the counsel of someone who has what it is you desire or has done what you are trying to do?
Why must you do this? Because you do not want to allow someone else’s vision of you to determine how far you can go and what you can do. This includes parents, close family, friends, anyone whom you are close to. Yes they have your best interest at heart but usually people limit others by their own limitations. So it is not only about not trying to impress others it is also about needing to go to others for validation or approval. Learn to read the Word, live the Word and walk by faith. I like the way Winston said it, “believe Yahweh in spite of your circumstances.”
We must stop letting outside natural things effect our spiritual, super natural lives! We must look at how we see ourselves and also why we see ourselves this way. Our image starting being shaped in our homes, schools, and friendships and this image was not necessarily the image of Yahweh. Then we have to ask ourselves are we continuing to be the image that we were told we are by people or the image that Yahweh created us to be.
Once we do that, then we can go forth live by faith and walk on water :-)
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
Friday, February 24, 2012
CHRIS BROWN AND RIHANNA
Let me start this off by saying I am tired of hearing the media and others scrutinize and crucify Chris Brown. It is as if everyone that has something to say about them has never made a mistake in their lives that they needed forgiveness for. As if they are all perfect and without sin. It makes me think of the people that wanted the adulterer stoned in the bible. Jesus simply said he who is without sin cast the first stone and one by one, they walked away until there was no one left but the woman and Jesus.
It is amazing that Yahweh is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and remember them no more. So if I was Chris Brown, I would start telling people I do not know what you are talking about. Truthfully, with a straight face Chris Brown can tell them he doesn’t know what they are talking about. When we go before Yahweh and we confess our sins, Yahweh forgives and forgets. So if you are still talking about what you did last year, years ago etc. that you repented for and turned your ways from, let me tell you that is the enemy or yourself that is reliving that. Yahweh doesn’t know what you are talking about because He forgot when He forgave.
Forgiveness is one of the hardest things it seems for people to do but it is what Yahweh expects of us. The servant asked Jesus how many times should he forgive his brother, 7 times, Jesus replied no seventy-seven times. You mean to tell me I have to forgive someone 77 times for the same thing they keep doing? Yes. Let’s take it one step farther, if you go before Yahweh in prayer and you have an issue with your brother, your prayers are not heard/answered!!!!!
Now back to Chris Brown and Rihanna. We have NEVER, NEVER EVER EVER, seen a mug shot of Chris Brown, why?????? Rihanna had bite marks on her. If a man beating up someone why would he have to bite her? Could it be that he was in a position where his only defense was to bite her?
Before you get outraged, no I do not believe that a man should hit a woman. I also do not believe that a woman should hit a man and then say he shouldn’t hit her back. I do believe that EVERYONE LET ME REPEAT EVERYONE has the RIGHT to defend themself if they feel threatened.
So what happened that day between Chris and Ri Ri, we will truly never know because we were not there. Yes we have pictures of a bruised Ri Ri with a swollen eye. Again I ask, why don’t we have any pictures of Chris Brown? We as consumers always have to ask questions and dig deeper. The media can feed us anything or say anything. Like they keep saying Bobby Brown showed up to Whitney’s funeral with an entourage, how about he has 5 kids and a mom. He showed up with his family. For the average person, you hear entourage, you think negatively, and you are actually letting the media think for you instead of thinking for yourself.
To end this I like the way Nikki Lynette put it in the RedEye today, “Have we considered for a moment that she is over it? And I know it pisses a lot of people off to think that she’d get past the violence…but guess what? You don’t get to decide how a person heals. You don’t get to dictate for Rihanna who she is allowed to forgive.” Rihanna doesn’t want to walk around with the stigma of a victim she has forgiven and forgotten and maybe the rest of the world should too!
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
It is amazing that Yahweh is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and remember them no more. So if I was Chris Brown, I would start telling people I do not know what you are talking about. Truthfully, with a straight face Chris Brown can tell them he doesn’t know what they are talking about. When we go before Yahweh and we confess our sins, Yahweh forgives and forgets. So if you are still talking about what you did last year, years ago etc. that you repented for and turned your ways from, let me tell you that is the enemy or yourself that is reliving that. Yahweh doesn’t know what you are talking about because He forgot when He forgave.
Forgiveness is one of the hardest things it seems for people to do but it is what Yahweh expects of us. The servant asked Jesus how many times should he forgive his brother, 7 times, Jesus replied no seventy-seven times. You mean to tell me I have to forgive someone 77 times for the same thing they keep doing? Yes. Let’s take it one step farther, if you go before Yahweh in prayer and you have an issue with your brother, your prayers are not heard/answered!!!!!
Now back to Chris Brown and Rihanna. We have NEVER, NEVER EVER EVER, seen a mug shot of Chris Brown, why?????? Rihanna had bite marks on her. If a man beating up someone why would he have to bite her? Could it be that he was in a position where his only defense was to bite her?
Before you get outraged, no I do not believe that a man should hit a woman. I also do not believe that a woman should hit a man and then say he shouldn’t hit her back. I do believe that EVERYONE LET ME REPEAT EVERYONE has the RIGHT to defend themself if they feel threatened.
So what happened that day between Chris and Ri Ri, we will truly never know because we were not there. Yes we have pictures of a bruised Ri Ri with a swollen eye. Again I ask, why don’t we have any pictures of Chris Brown? We as consumers always have to ask questions and dig deeper. The media can feed us anything or say anything. Like they keep saying Bobby Brown showed up to Whitney’s funeral with an entourage, how about he has 5 kids and a mom. He showed up with his family. For the average person, you hear entourage, you think negatively, and you are actually letting the media think for you instead of thinking for yourself.
To end this I like the way Nikki Lynette put it in the RedEye today, “Have we considered for a moment that she is over it? And I know it pisses a lot of people off to think that she’d get past the violence…but guess what? You don’t get to decide how a person heals. You don’t get to dictate for Rihanna who she is allowed to forgive.” Rihanna doesn’t want to walk around with the stigma of a victim she has forgiven and forgotten and maybe the rest of the world should too!
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
Thursday, February 23, 2012
WHITNEY HOUSTON
The death of Whitney Houston came as a shock. I was lying in bed taking a nap before going to a birthday party and received a text from my mother that Whitney Houston committed suicide. The text immediately woke me up, the nap was over. I watched a bit of CNN, checked Twitter and then began to get ready for my friend’s birthday party.
A few things bothered me. The first thing that bothered me were the jokes and rude comments on Twitter. Considering Whitney is now deceased I believe in respecting the dead PERIOD. While people were so focused on cracking jokes about her drug use, I felt they were insensitive to the fact that she left her daughter behind along with her mother and other people who loved her.
That also made me wonder what leads someone to decide that they want to take their own life. How low and lonely they must feel to just simply want out. There is the age old debate that if you take your own life you don’t go to heaven. However, I think about a verse in the bible can’t quote it directly but Yahweh simply states that He is and He can do whatever it is He chooses to do, He can have mercy on whom He chooses to have mercy on. So where Whitney is now is between her and her creator.
The second thing that bothered me was the treatment of Bobby Brown. It seemed within the Houston family he was public enemy #1, why? Whitney Houston was a grown woman when she met Bobby Brown she was actually 6 years older than him. Nevertheless the picture was painted that a bad boy turned a good girl bad. Well, I always thought that we have free will, freedom of choice, and are responsible and accountable for our decisions and the consequences that come along with them.
So to have malice, disdain or whatever it may be for Bobby Brown is the right of Cissy Houston and others in the family nevertheless it is not right. Bobby didn’t do or make Whitney do anything she didn’t want to do. Truth be told if they were doing drugs we don’t know who was leading the drug use to begin with.
However, in blaming Bobby or being angry at Bobby that takes away Whitney’s responsibility and we are all responsible for our own actions and should be treated as such. The moment we are treated as if we are not responsible and we answer with well so and so made me do it and had they not did this I would not have done that, we take away our power and become victims.
Whatever lead Whitney to give up on life and choose to take her own life we may never know. I pray she is resting in peace, I pray that her daughter find the strength to live a victorious, healthy, happy, prosperous, drug free life. I also pray that their family be strengthened during this time of loss instead of torn apart.
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
A few things bothered me. The first thing that bothered me were the jokes and rude comments on Twitter. Considering Whitney is now deceased I believe in respecting the dead PERIOD. While people were so focused on cracking jokes about her drug use, I felt they were insensitive to the fact that she left her daughter behind along with her mother and other people who loved her.
That also made me wonder what leads someone to decide that they want to take their own life. How low and lonely they must feel to just simply want out. There is the age old debate that if you take your own life you don’t go to heaven. However, I think about a verse in the bible can’t quote it directly but Yahweh simply states that He is and He can do whatever it is He chooses to do, He can have mercy on whom He chooses to have mercy on. So where Whitney is now is between her and her creator.
The second thing that bothered me was the treatment of Bobby Brown. It seemed within the Houston family he was public enemy #1, why? Whitney Houston was a grown woman when she met Bobby Brown she was actually 6 years older than him. Nevertheless the picture was painted that a bad boy turned a good girl bad. Well, I always thought that we have free will, freedom of choice, and are responsible and accountable for our decisions and the consequences that come along with them.
So to have malice, disdain or whatever it may be for Bobby Brown is the right of Cissy Houston and others in the family nevertheless it is not right. Bobby didn’t do or make Whitney do anything she didn’t want to do. Truth be told if they were doing drugs we don’t know who was leading the drug use to begin with.
However, in blaming Bobby or being angry at Bobby that takes away Whitney’s responsibility and we are all responsible for our own actions and should be treated as such. The moment we are treated as if we are not responsible and we answer with well so and so made me do it and had they not did this I would not have done that, we take away our power and become victims.
Whatever lead Whitney to give up on life and choose to take her own life we may never know. I pray she is resting in peace, I pray that her daughter find the strength to live a victorious, healthy, happy, prosperous, drug free life. I also pray that their family be strengthened during this time of loss instead of torn apart.
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
A POOR MINDSET EQUALS POOR FINANCES
Allen Iverson a once successful NBA player who made 200 million dollars plus in his career is reportedly now broke. In no way is this shocking to me, I have read the stories and heard the reports that many professional athletes end up broke after retirement.
Allfinancialmatters.com states that 60% of NBA players go broke after retirement, 60%! I think about the lock out and how some NBA players were looking for jobs, I believe one was working at Menards, Home Depot something. The players that weren’t as popular, known and didn’t have endorsements were crying broke/poor and saying that the Kobe and LeBron’s of the NBA didn’t care about their financial problems because they were rich.
So I went on-line to Google, my favorite, and I researched how much a bench player in the NBA makes in year 1. The starting salary was $400K+. Four hundred thousand dollars…now $400K isn’t millions but it isn’t pennies either. I no longer felt sorry for the bench players. They are making more money in a year than some people will make in 30 and they were crying no one cares about us we need money! Really? Are you serious? I think the problem was they didn’t think about themselves and didn’t plan properly.
Let me tell you right now neither their nor our problem is ever money. It is our mentality towards money. Imagine if everyone lived within their means, no one bought anything on credit, everyone made sure all their bills were paid first, every lived even below their means. What would happen? We would all be prepared in some way for financial surprises. Not to say that you can plan 100% and ensure that you don’t come into financial difficulties but when you complain that your $40K/year salary is not enough go talk to a family that is surviving and living with $10K/year. Go and speak to the person who makes minimum wage but still manages to save money for a rainy day.
Just because you make it and amass wealth doesn’t mean you are supposed to take care of your entire family, friends, and have an entourage either. Empower people, help them to amass their own wealth. Start businesses and employ your family and friends whom are competent, trustworthy, reliable and dependable and show them while learning yourself how to become a boss.
A poor man in mind will always be poor. As a man thinketh, so is he. I don’t care how many millions you give some people, with a poor mentality, they will end up poor again. Think about all the people who win the lottery and then go broke again. Why? They never changed their mindsets. They didn’t take the time to reach out to a financial planner or advisor or if they did they fully trusted the person that handled their money and never took the time to check on it themselves. A lot of celebrities have fallen into the latter trap. There was an episode of the Oprah show where Oprah was talking to Serena Williams and she told her to sign her own checks!
Always be in control of what’s yours and more importantly know your limitations and seek the help, guidance, mentorship, and wisdom of someone whom can help you. Take for instance Donald Trump, he’s filed bankruptcy more than once if I’m not mistaken yet he turns around and remakes millions. Why? His mindset. He knows that he’s made a million before and he can do it again, he knows the right people and has the right contacts to make it happen.
So what is the moral of this story? Teach your children about finances and money early. While you are teaching them educate yourself. More importantly we as African Americans need to educate ourselves and our own children. When your child is old enough to say mommy buy me, they are old enough to know where money comes from, what currency is, the difference between being a boss and an employee, earning a paycheck and signing paychecks!
Need help? Start off with the game Rich Dad Poor Dad for Kids by Robert Kiyosaki, there are others out there as well.
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
Thursday, February 9, 2012
1 FOR 10: LOVE CONQUERS ALL, AGAPE!
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
7 “You shall have no other gods beforea me.
8 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
11 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. 15Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
17 “You shall not murder.
18 “You shall not commit adultery.
19 “You shall not steal.
20 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
21 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Many people focus on the 10 commandments only so I will, however, the law contained hundreds of commandments to follow. In Romans, we are told that we are no longer subject to the law but we are under grace. Why? Because it is almost impossible to keep the entire law. You may be thinking what is she talking about it is not hard to keep the law. Remember there is more to the law than the 10 commandments.
Allow me to prove my point Deuteronomy 21:18-21 says "If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. They shall say to the elders, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard.' Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid."
Now I can say at times I have a stubborn and rebellious child, but Yahweh, and I am not going to take him to the elders to be stoned to death. In me not doing so, I would be breaking the law! Thank Yahweh for Jesus and grace.
So when grace came in we received 1 for 10. What is our 1 commandment Luke 10:27 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.”
To love, we are commanded to LOVE. Yahweh loves us with an agape love, unconditional. We can do everything to Him and other things that we are not supposed to do but if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us. Please keep in mind that does not negate reaping what you have sown!
So, what is Love? 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. (I Corinthians 13:4-8)
It is difficult, DIFFICULT, to love someone unconditionally but it is what Yahweh ask of us. It is amazing, we can lie, cheat, steal, do something, anything that the bible specifically tells us not to do yet when we go before Him with a sincere hard and confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us. Not only does He forgive us but He forgets that it ever happened. That’s awesome. However, if our child, relative, significant other and/or co-worker wrongs us we have 3 choices, we can forgive and forget, we can forgive but not forget, or we can choose not to forgive. Most people choose options 2 or 3. Why? And don’t say because we aren’t Yahweh! Part of it is due to our flesh (pride etc.) and it is also because in order to learn how to LOVE the way that we should we have to be put in situations where we have to be patient, kind, forgiving and so on even when we feel wronged by someone else. It is our choice, our own free will to decide to act out of love or act out of flesh and disguise it as love.
When we feel wronged, that usually causes strife in our relationships. Bill Winston blessed, BLESSED me this AM because I was experiencing strife in my relationships this week. He said, “Strife is an enemy of love and it breaks down your spiritual immune system.” The one thing we have to remember is that it is not people that we are fighting with. What we should be fighting is the good fight of faith. Outside of that we have to recognize that we wrestle not with flesh and blood but with the rules, spiritual hosts of wickedness, principalities (Ephesians 6:12). People are not our problem heck I won’t even say the enemy is my problem. Instead of focusing on people we have to think about the driving force behind them at times. We have to also remember sometimes that driving force is behind us.
Strife, being in strife with someone else makes us spiritually vulnerable. Vulnerable means that you are weak in an area or some areas and that also means that you can be a victim of deception or simply choose to make not so good decisions because you are in a vulnerable state.
So what do we need to do? WE need to work on practicing LOVE at all times because Faith only works in LOVE. Yahweh is LOVE, LOVE conquers ALL. Trust me it is easier written in this blog than done as this is something that EVERYONE, I promise you EVERYONE on the face of this earth struggles with in one way or another. Nevertheless, let us learn how to act in love towards ALL of mankind, ourselves, and Yahweh (in reverse order).
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
7 “You shall have no other gods beforea me.
8 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
11 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. 15Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
17 “You shall not murder.
18 “You shall not commit adultery.
19 “You shall not steal.
20 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
21 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Many people focus on the 10 commandments only so I will, however, the law contained hundreds of commandments to follow. In Romans, we are told that we are no longer subject to the law but we are under grace. Why? Because it is almost impossible to keep the entire law. You may be thinking what is she talking about it is not hard to keep the law. Remember there is more to the law than the 10 commandments.
Allow me to prove my point Deuteronomy 21:18-21 says "If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. They shall say to the elders, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard.' Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid."
Now I can say at times I have a stubborn and rebellious child, but Yahweh, and I am not going to take him to the elders to be stoned to death. In me not doing so, I would be breaking the law! Thank Yahweh for Jesus and grace.
So when grace came in we received 1 for 10. What is our 1 commandment Luke 10:27 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.”
To love, we are commanded to LOVE. Yahweh loves us with an agape love, unconditional. We can do everything to Him and other things that we are not supposed to do but if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us. Please keep in mind that does not negate reaping what you have sown!
So, what is Love? 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. (I Corinthians 13:4-8)
It is difficult, DIFFICULT, to love someone unconditionally but it is what Yahweh ask of us. It is amazing, we can lie, cheat, steal, do something, anything that the bible specifically tells us not to do yet when we go before Him with a sincere hard and confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us. Not only does He forgive us but He forgets that it ever happened. That’s awesome. However, if our child, relative, significant other and/or co-worker wrongs us we have 3 choices, we can forgive and forget, we can forgive but not forget, or we can choose not to forgive. Most people choose options 2 or 3. Why? And don’t say because we aren’t Yahweh! Part of it is due to our flesh (pride etc.) and it is also because in order to learn how to LOVE the way that we should we have to be put in situations where we have to be patient, kind, forgiving and so on even when we feel wronged by someone else. It is our choice, our own free will to decide to act out of love or act out of flesh and disguise it as love.
When we feel wronged, that usually causes strife in our relationships. Bill Winston blessed, BLESSED me this AM because I was experiencing strife in my relationships this week. He said, “Strife is an enemy of love and it breaks down your spiritual immune system.” The one thing we have to remember is that it is not people that we are fighting with. What we should be fighting is the good fight of faith. Outside of that we have to recognize that we wrestle not with flesh and blood but with the rules, spiritual hosts of wickedness, principalities (Ephesians 6:12). People are not our problem heck I won’t even say the enemy is my problem. Instead of focusing on people we have to think about the driving force behind them at times. We have to also remember sometimes that driving force is behind us.
Strife, being in strife with someone else makes us spiritually vulnerable. Vulnerable means that you are weak in an area or some areas and that also means that you can be a victim of deception or simply choose to make not so good decisions because you are in a vulnerable state.
So what do we need to do? WE need to work on practicing LOVE at all times because Faith only works in LOVE. Yahweh is LOVE, LOVE conquers ALL. Trust me it is easier written in this blog than done as this is something that EVERYONE, I promise you EVERYONE on the face of this earth struggles with in one way or another. Nevertheless, let us learn how to act in love towards ALL of mankind, ourselves, and Yahweh (in reverse order).
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
BLACK HISTORY MONTH – INVENTORS & INVENTIONS PART I
#1 Nathaniel Alexander was the first to patent the folding chair. His invention was designed to be used in schools, churches and at large social gatherings.Fact
#2 Andrew Jackson Beard invented the "Jenny Coupler" in 1897, a device which allowed train cars to hook themselves together when they are bumped into one another. The device saved the lives of many railroad workers, who originally had the dangerous job of hooking the moving cars together by hand.
#3 Henry Blair, the second African-American to receive a patent, invented a corn seed planter in 1834 and a cotton planter in 1836. Blair could not read or write and signed his patent with an X.
#4 Otis Boykin invented electronic control devices for guided missiles, IBM computers, and the control unit for a pacemaker.
#5 C.B. Brooks invented the street sweeper in 1896. It was a truck equipped with brooms.
#6 Henry Brown created what is now known as a "strongbox", a metal container to store money and important papers that could be locked with a key.
#7 George Carruthers invented the far ultraviolet electrographic camera, used in the 1972 Apollo 16 mission. This invention revealed new features in Earth's far-outer atmosphere and deep-space objects from the perspective of the lunar surface. Carruthers was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in 2003.
#8 In 1897, African-American inventor Alfred Cralle patented the first ice cream scoop. His original design remains in wide use, even today.
#9 African-American mechanical engineer, David Crosthwait, Jr. created the heating systems for the Rockefeller Center and New York's Radio City Music Hall.
#10 David Crosthwait, Jr., who created the heating system for New York City's Radio City Music Hall, holds 39 U.S. patents and 80 international patents pertaining to heating, refrigeration and temperature regulating systems.
#11 Mark Dean along with his co-inventor Dennis Moelle created a microcomputer system with bus control means for peripheral processing devices. This invention allows the use of computer plug-ins like disk drives, speakers, scanners, etc...
#12 African-American surgeon Charles R. Drew is often credited with the invention of the first large-scale blood bank.
#13 The first sociology department in the U.S. was established by educator and civil rights leader, W.E.B. Du Bois.
#14 Sarah E. Goode invented a bed that folded up into a cabinet in 1885. Contrary to popular belief, she was not the first African-American woman to receive a patent, but the second.
#15 In 1899, African-American golf fan Dr. George Franklin Grant received a patent for the world's first golf tee. Grant, however, never marketed his invention, instead giving the tees away to friends and fellow golfers.
#16 Thomas L. Jennings was the first African-American to receive a patent in 1821. It was for a dry-cleaning process in 1821. He used the money earned from the patent to purchase relatives out of slavery and support abolitionist causes.
#17 Lonnie G. Johnson, an engineer who performed spacecraft system design for NASA, invented the Super Soaker water gun—the number one selling toy in America in 1991.
#18 Frederick Jones held over 60 patents, with most of them pertaining to refrigeration. His portable air conditioner was used in World War II to preserve medicine and blood serum. (http://www.biography.com/tv/classroom/black-history-inventions-and-discoveries)
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
#2 Andrew Jackson Beard invented the "Jenny Coupler" in 1897, a device which allowed train cars to hook themselves together when they are bumped into one another. The device saved the lives of many railroad workers, who originally had the dangerous job of hooking the moving cars together by hand.
#3 Henry Blair, the second African-American to receive a patent, invented a corn seed planter in 1834 and a cotton planter in 1836. Blair could not read or write and signed his patent with an X.
#4 Otis Boykin invented electronic control devices for guided missiles, IBM computers, and the control unit for a pacemaker.
#5 C.B. Brooks invented the street sweeper in 1896. It was a truck equipped with brooms.
#6 Henry Brown created what is now known as a "strongbox", a metal container to store money and important papers that could be locked with a key.
#7 George Carruthers invented the far ultraviolet electrographic camera, used in the 1972 Apollo 16 mission. This invention revealed new features in Earth's far-outer atmosphere and deep-space objects from the perspective of the lunar surface. Carruthers was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in 2003.
#8 In 1897, African-American inventor Alfred Cralle patented the first ice cream scoop. His original design remains in wide use, even today.
#9 African-American mechanical engineer, David Crosthwait, Jr. created the heating systems for the Rockefeller Center and New York's Radio City Music Hall.
#10 David Crosthwait, Jr., who created the heating system for New York City's Radio City Music Hall, holds 39 U.S. patents and 80 international patents pertaining to heating, refrigeration and temperature regulating systems.
#11 Mark Dean along with his co-inventor Dennis Moelle created a microcomputer system with bus control means for peripheral processing devices. This invention allows the use of computer plug-ins like disk drives, speakers, scanners, etc...
#12 African-American surgeon Charles R. Drew is often credited with the invention of the first large-scale blood bank.
#13 The first sociology department in the U.S. was established by educator and civil rights leader, W.E.B. Du Bois.
#14 Sarah E. Goode invented a bed that folded up into a cabinet in 1885. Contrary to popular belief, she was not the first African-American woman to receive a patent, but the second.
#15 In 1899, African-American golf fan Dr. George Franklin Grant received a patent for the world's first golf tee. Grant, however, never marketed his invention, instead giving the tees away to friends and fellow golfers.
#16 Thomas L. Jennings was the first African-American to receive a patent in 1821. It was for a dry-cleaning process in 1821. He used the money earned from the patent to purchase relatives out of slavery and support abolitionist causes.
#17 Lonnie G. Johnson, an engineer who performed spacecraft system design for NASA, invented the Super Soaker water gun—the number one selling toy in America in 1991.
#18 Frederick Jones held over 60 patents, with most of them pertaining to refrigeration. His portable air conditioner was used in World War II to preserve medicine and blood serum. (http://www.biography.com/tv/classroom/black-history-inventions-and-discoveries)
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)