or are the kids today both stronger and weaker than 20 years ago?
I pose this question because I recognize that kids nowadays learn a lot more a lot earlier than we did. Technological advances has made knowledge, both good and evil, more accessable to anyone who wants to know.
However, this new generation of teens have no idea how to handle stress. There are exceptions, usually those who participate in organized sport, but even those are not nearly as prepared to deal with real life as those who were teenagers 20-30 years ago. I place the blame on parents and government.
Parents need to begin early teaching the children life skills. This does not mean giving a 2 year old a choice between Cherrios and Lucky Charms. As a parent it is your responsibility to make sure they eat healthy, but you need to give them responsibilities and allow them to reap the consquences of their actions as soon as they are able to make intelligent decisions.
Government plays a role, in that they have gone too far in regulating how children should be raised. I realize that most of the rules are on the books to protect children from abusive situations, however, it handcuffs reasonable parents from exercising their rights to properly raise their children.
That is My Two Lincolnstm
Pastor J
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
Random Thoughts
Greetings Fam!
I have no specific topic to rant about today. I had a decent week, except a bug tried to make me sick. This week at Andrews University was Spiritual Emphasis Week and the guest speaker was Jose Rojas. I attended the required chapel on Tuesday and then my wife and I went out to the meeting tonight.
For those who don't know, I rarely even visit Pioneer Memorial Church (the campus church for Andrews). Much like the Oakwood College Church, PMC is this temple that, in principle, has been dedicated to God, but in practice is an exercise in all that is "good and Adventist". I purposely refrain from the regular worship service because they have the "holy" service that is quiet and serene, and caters to old white people who believe that when they get to heaven, they will float around on clouds with their little harps and just glow like little cherubim throughout all eternity.
I choose not to worship like that, because I don't worship a quiet and serene Lord. I serve a Lord of action and noise. Read your Bibles and you'll see the heavenly worship scene in Revelation 4 as one with movement, shouting, and singing. But is not why I brought it up.
I am bringing this up because Pastor Rojas made a couple of profound statements at the beginning of his message tonight. He spoke about the ugly history of the U.S. and though he does not mention the Jena 6 specifically, I have to believe that it played a role in him bringing it up. He talked about the injustice that "minorities" have suffered and how he still gets pulled over because he "looks Mexican" and is required to prove his citizenship.
Then he told all the Blacks, Mexicans, and others that we need to get over the past and move on with the present and future. And while he was speaking as a minority, it seemed to me to be politically motivated. It is true that minorities do not need to blame their every downfall on "the man", however, it is difficult to move on and get over the past injustice, when we are constantly faced with new injustices, like the response to Katrina, Jena 6, and countless daily examples of prejudice and racial profiling that we encounter in the U.S.
Rojas made a good point that if we hold on to the anger and resentment, it will only cause us to be stuck and not be able to move forward. So tonight I am releasing the hurt and pain caused by past injustice. I forgive those who have mistreated me due to their ignorance. This forgiveness is unconditional. I will love my enemies, as Jesus loves those of us who constantly hurt Him through our sinning, the biggest sinner being me!
However, this will not stop my pursuit of justice and equality. Over the last few weeks, God has been working with me. I asked Him help me focus my ministry, so that I could hone my skills and be the best minister I can be for Him. I have recognized that my focus is threefold - the use of technology in ministry, urban outreach and social gospel ministry, and music ministry.
Now that I have my focus, I will strive to help those who are in ministry, and need to expand their ministry, through the use of the many technological means. I will also cater my messages to focus on reaching the lost. Unfortunately we have many lost within the walls of our church. I will begin there and then reach out to the world. Finally, I am going to be very serious and calculating in completing my album. The Lord has blessed me with the gift of singing and I begin the project with new vigor this coming week as I will travel to record with a producer.
My prayer is that each of us will recognize that time is too short to keep playing church and doing things the way they have been done in the past. We need to access the power God has for us. Rojas' theme tonight was faithfulness. He recounted for us the story of Joseph and how Joseph was faithful, first to God and then to he earthly masters. And because Joseph was faithful, God blessed not only him, but also everything he put his hand to do. What a powerful testimony!
We all need to strive to this level of faithfulness. I am asking God to allow everything I touch to be blessed. My goal is to be a blessing to all I come in contact with, in some form or another. I challenge you to join me in venture. If there is anyway I can be a blessing to you, please let me know. Silver and gold, I may not have, but what God gives me, I will share with you. It may be a word of encouragement or a discount on some of our services (shameless plug for Truly Blessed Communications), but however I can, even if it is simply praying for you, I will. Peace & Blessings!
Pastor J
I have no specific topic to rant about today. I had a decent week, except a bug tried to make me sick. This week at Andrews University was Spiritual Emphasis Week and the guest speaker was Jose Rojas. I attended the required chapel on Tuesday and then my wife and I went out to the meeting tonight.
For those who don't know, I rarely even visit Pioneer Memorial Church (the campus church for Andrews). Much like the Oakwood College Church, PMC is this temple that, in principle, has been dedicated to God, but in practice is an exercise in all that is "good and Adventist". I purposely refrain from the regular worship service because they have the "holy" service that is quiet and serene, and caters to old white people who believe that when they get to heaven, they will float around on clouds with their little harps and just glow like little cherubim throughout all eternity.
I choose not to worship like that, because I don't worship a quiet and serene Lord. I serve a Lord of action and noise. Read your Bibles and you'll see the heavenly worship scene in Revelation 4 as one with movement, shouting, and singing. But is not why I brought it up.
I am bringing this up because Pastor Rojas made a couple of profound statements at the beginning of his message tonight. He spoke about the ugly history of the U.S. and though he does not mention the Jena 6 specifically, I have to believe that it played a role in him bringing it up. He talked about the injustice that "minorities" have suffered and how he still gets pulled over because he "looks Mexican" and is required to prove his citizenship.
Then he told all the Blacks, Mexicans, and others that we need to get over the past and move on with the present and future. And while he was speaking as a minority, it seemed to me to be politically motivated. It is true that minorities do not need to blame their every downfall on "the man", however, it is difficult to move on and get over the past injustice, when we are constantly faced with new injustices, like the response to Katrina, Jena 6, and countless daily examples of prejudice and racial profiling that we encounter in the U.S.
Rojas made a good point that if we hold on to the anger and resentment, it will only cause us to be stuck and not be able to move forward. So tonight I am releasing the hurt and pain caused by past injustice. I forgive those who have mistreated me due to their ignorance. This forgiveness is unconditional. I will love my enemies, as Jesus loves those of us who constantly hurt Him through our sinning, the biggest sinner being me!
However, this will not stop my pursuit of justice and equality. Over the last few weeks, God has been working with me. I asked Him help me focus my ministry, so that I could hone my skills and be the best minister I can be for Him. I have recognized that my focus is threefold - the use of technology in ministry, urban outreach and social gospel ministry, and music ministry.
Now that I have my focus, I will strive to help those who are in ministry, and need to expand their ministry, through the use of the many technological means. I will also cater my messages to focus on reaching the lost. Unfortunately we have many lost within the walls of our church. I will begin there and then reach out to the world. Finally, I am going to be very serious and calculating in completing my album. The Lord has blessed me with the gift of singing and I begin the project with new vigor this coming week as I will travel to record with a producer.
My prayer is that each of us will recognize that time is too short to keep playing church and doing things the way they have been done in the past. We need to access the power God has for us. Rojas' theme tonight was faithfulness. He recounted for us the story of Joseph and how Joseph was faithful, first to God and then to he earthly masters. And because Joseph was faithful, God blessed not only him, but also everything he put his hand to do. What a powerful testimony!
We all need to strive to this level of faithfulness. I am asking God to allow everything I touch to be blessed. My goal is to be a blessing to all I come in contact with, in some form or another. I challenge you to join me in venture. If there is anyway I can be a blessing to you, please let me know. Silver and gold, I may not have, but what God gives me, I will share with you. It may be a word of encouragement or a discount on some of our services (shameless plug for Truly Blessed Communications), but however I can, even if it is simply praying for you, I will. Peace & Blessings!
Pastor J
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Christians & Jewelry
I received a friend request on my MySpace page from a pastor who, in his picture, was where the traditional white clergy collar and also had two earrings.
Now let me preface that I am not judging so much as wondering what the point is. I grew up in the SDA Church where jewelry for men and women was taboo. This was justified by a couple of old testiment texts where God told the Children of Israel to remove their jewelry and the fact that in Revelation the harlot is bedecked in jewelry.
I am not here to debate whether or not it is a sin to wear jewelry. I just want to know why a Christian would wear jewelry, more specifically, why would a Christian man wear earrings? Given the fact that most men my age and a little bit younger grew up in a culture that if a man worn an earring, they were gay. It was not a misunderstanding or being prejudice, that was just the reality of the situation, because only women, or those who wanted to be feminine, pierced themselves.
The history of piercing is telling. Earrings and nose rings started out as a way to mark people as slaves. Earrings also became a way that women wore the wealth of their husbands. If you thought bling was bad now, it was so bad in ancient Rome that "there were women known as auriculce ornatrices, special doctresses whose sole occupation was the healing of ear tumors and of injured or infected ears.1
My main question is this: If you grew up without having earrings, what would motivate you to get your ears pierced as a Christian adult? We are all taught that our bodies are the temple of God, would God tell you to punch a hole in His temple? As Christians, our focus is supposed to be to bring glory to God. The purpose of jewelry is to make ourselves look better. There is no health benefit to having earrings. There is no spiritual benefit to getting our ears pierced. We have no record of a command to the follower of God to pierce himself. In fact the only command to pierce is for a slave. As Christians, we pride ourselves on being free. Why would we wear the symbol of slavery of we are free?
I am not bashing anyone who wears earrings. However, I am disappointed every time I see a minister of the Gospel with an earring in their ears. As Christians, we are supposed to be distinct. Those who are not born again as slaves to sin, so them wearing earrings is entirely appropriate. For those of use who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and made free through the power of His grace, we should want to cast off every symbol of slavery.
I pray that this post has made you think about your appearance in general. It is no sin to look good. As representatives of God Almighty, we should look like children of the King. However, we should not look good to bring glory to ourselves, but rather in order to help people see the glory of God.
Pastor J
1. Kunz PhD DSc, George Frederick (1909). Book of the Pearl. N.Y. The Century Co.
Now let me preface that I am not judging so much as wondering what the point is. I grew up in the SDA Church where jewelry for men and women was taboo. This was justified by a couple of old testiment texts where God told the Children of Israel to remove their jewelry and the fact that in Revelation the harlot is bedecked in jewelry.
I am not here to debate whether or not it is a sin to wear jewelry. I just want to know why a Christian would wear jewelry, more specifically, why would a Christian man wear earrings? Given the fact that most men my age and a little bit younger grew up in a culture that if a man worn an earring, they were gay. It was not a misunderstanding or being prejudice, that was just the reality of the situation, because only women, or those who wanted to be feminine, pierced themselves.
The history of piercing is telling. Earrings and nose rings started out as a way to mark people as slaves. Earrings also became a way that women wore the wealth of their husbands. If you thought bling was bad now, it was so bad in ancient Rome that "there were women known as auriculce ornatrices, special doctresses whose sole occupation was the healing of ear tumors and of injured or infected ears.1
My main question is this: If you grew up without having earrings, what would motivate you to get your ears pierced as a Christian adult? We are all taught that our bodies are the temple of God, would God tell you to punch a hole in His temple? As Christians, our focus is supposed to be to bring glory to God. The purpose of jewelry is to make ourselves look better. There is no health benefit to having earrings. There is no spiritual benefit to getting our ears pierced. We have no record of a command to the follower of God to pierce himself. In fact the only command to pierce is for a slave. As Christians, we pride ourselves on being free. Why would we wear the symbol of slavery of we are free?
I am not bashing anyone who wears earrings. However, I am disappointed every time I see a minister of the Gospel with an earring in their ears. As Christians, we are supposed to be distinct. Those who are not born again as slaves to sin, so them wearing earrings is entirely appropriate. For those of use who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and made free through the power of His grace, we should want to cast off every symbol of slavery.
I pray that this post has made you think about your appearance in general. It is no sin to look good. As representatives of God Almighty, we should look like children of the King. However, we should not look good to bring glory to ourselves, but rather in order to help people see the glory of God.
Pastor J
1. Kunz PhD DSc, George Frederick (1909). Book of the Pearl. N.Y. The Century Co.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
A Day To Remember
Like many, I remember exactly where I was when I heard about the planes flying into the twin towers. I was in a Greek class at Oakwood College and my wife phoned me with the news. At the time, they thought it was a terrible accident, but I immediately knew it was something more. As the day progressed we learned the degree of hate against the U.S. that is held by many radical Islamic leaders.
In the days that followed, a highly patriotic spirit swept across the nation. You were either for us or against us. Prayer was encouraged from seemingly heathen politicians and church attendance was at an all time high. Unity was promoted across racial and economic boundaries.
Since then, a number of things have happened. President Bush has gotten us into a war that have cost thousands of lives. A number of freedoms have been stripped away in the name of security. Laws have been put in place that set the stage for marshall law at the whim of the government. And in the last few years, after the period of racial harmony, there has been a rise in racial profiling and incidents where minorities, mainly blacks and Arabs have been been the victims of hate that has not been seen since the 1950s and 1960s.
Most disturbing is the plight of Jena 6 in Jena, LA. It is a sad fact that this level of injustice could happen in the U.S. in 2007, however, this is not an isolated incident of racism. Within the U.S. and even in the churches, there is a culture of systematic racism. There is a prevailing thought that the conservative eurocentric style of worship is the only correct way to have church.
Now this is really only true within multiracial churches like the Seventh-day Adventists and United Methodists, along with others that came out of churches started by those of European background. It is particularly seen among those of African descent that have roots in colonized countries. Because many of the first missionaries were white Americans and Europeans who taught, and still teach, that any culture, other than their own, is inherently evil.
Mind you, most times they will not just come out and say it, but by teaching that things must be done their way, it is implied. They use texts about becoming a new creature to justify their teaching, however if you look at the biblical accounts, God never requires a person to forsake their culture, but rather forsake sin. Many times conversion does not require a change of language, dress, or vocation, unless they go directly against biblical principles.
The problem I see is that many so called Christians have not truly had an encounter with Jesus. Such an encounter would transform their hearts to allow them to see people through the eyes of agape love. This would keep them from practicing injustice against their fellow man. It will help them to make a positive change in their community. It will transform the U.S. from a country that lives within a evil dichotomy to a nation that would exercise the power it holds in order to bring peace and prosperity to a dying world in need of so much.
My prayer is that each of use will look within ourselves and ask God to remove that which is not like Him and then work to influence those within our area of influence to make the world a better place. Peace & Blessings!
Pastor J
In the days that followed, a highly patriotic spirit swept across the nation. You were either for us or against us. Prayer was encouraged from seemingly heathen politicians and church attendance was at an all time high. Unity was promoted across racial and economic boundaries.
Since then, a number of things have happened. President Bush has gotten us into a war that have cost thousands of lives. A number of freedoms have been stripped away in the name of security. Laws have been put in place that set the stage for marshall law at the whim of the government. And in the last few years, after the period of racial harmony, there has been a rise in racial profiling and incidents where minorities, mainly blacks and Arabs have been been the victims of hate that has not been seen since the 1950s and 1960s.
Most disturbing is the plight of Jena 6 in Jena, LA. It is a sad fact that this level of injustice could happen in the U.S. in 2007, however, this is not an isolated incident of racism. Within the U.S. and even in the churches, there is a culture of systematic racism. There is a prevailing thought that the conservative eurocentric style of worship is the only correct way to have church.
Now this is really only true within multiracial churches like the Seventh-day Adventists and United Methodists, along with others that came out of churches started by those of European background. It is particularly seen among those of African descent that have roots in colonized countries. Because many of the first missionaries were white Americans and Europeans who taught, and still teach, that any culture, other than their own, is inherently evil.
Mind you, most times they will not just come out and say it, but by teaching that things must be done their way, it is implied. They use texts about becoming a new creature to justify their teaching, however if you look at the biblical accounts, God never requires a person to forsake their culture, but rather forsake sin. Many times conversion does not require a change of language, dress, or vocation, unless they go directly against biblical principles.
The problem I see is that many so called Christians have not truly had an encounter with Jesus. Such an encounter would transform their hearts to allow them to see people through the eyes of agape love. This would keep them from practicing injustice against their fellow man. It will help them to make a positive change in their community. It will transform the U.S. from a country that lives within a evil dichotomy to a nation that would exercise the power it holds in order to bring peace and prosperity to a dying world in need of so much.
My prayer is that each of use will look within ourselves and ask God to remove that which is not like Him and then work to influence those within our area of influence to make the world a better place. Peace & Blessings!
Pastor J
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Are You Ready For Some Football!!!
Okay folks, this blog is not always going to be about serious stuff. For those who know me, I am a Football FAN! I am excited that football season is starting tonight. I need Reggie Bush, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning to dominate tonight. I play fantasy football and they are all on one of my teams. Reggie Bush is on all three.
To make sure there is not any confusion, I am a DALLAS COWBOYS FAN all the way. I have no problem recognizing other good teams and players, but I am ultimately loyal to Dem Boys. I predict a 12-4 or 11-5 season with a trip to the conference playoffs at least.
I hope you enjoy the season, I will be in my yearly time management, lack of sleep on Monday nights, studying during commercials while watching the games, time until February. Peace & Blessings!
Paator J
To make sure there is not any confusion, I am a DALLAS COWBOYS FAN all the way. I have no problem recognizing other good teams and players, but I am ultimately loyal to Dem Boys. I predict a 12-4 or 11-5 season with a trip to the conference playoffs at least.
I hope you enjoy the season, I will be in my yearly time management, lack of sleep on Monday nights, studying during commercials while watching the games, time until February. Peace & Blessings!
Paator J
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Welcome (Read Before Any Other Post)
Greetings!
I al so pleased that you decided to check out my blog. I am new to this, but someone suggested I start this blog to get my message across.
With this posting, I want to qualify my subsequent posts. I am a minister in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church and I am currently working on my Master of Divinity at the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. I am of mixed ethnic background (black with between 1/4 to 3/8 mix of white), however I was raised in a primarily African American experience in Pensacola, FL.
I dealt quite a bit of racism in my youth, but I was able to get an expanded worldview during my almost 9 years in the U.S. Army. However, I am very sensitive to racial matters, particularly when situations are not being addressed.
Also, I am not the typical SDA, by any stretch of the imagination. I enjoy fellowshipping with Christians of other denominations. I am heavily involved in the Urban Gospel movement and I have a passion for youth and urban ministry. My military experience has helped to shape my thinking towards ministry. I apply many of the military principles to my ministry.
I feel that the best way to deal with issues (social & religious) in a direct manner. I have issues with hypocrisy in the church. I tend to speak my mind (with a filter) whenever I see injustice and hypocrisy. I take issue with many so called conservative Christians (especially withing the SDA Church) that suppress those who are culturally different then they and try to do away with ideas and methods that are not to their preference. This is especially disturbing when they are engaged in practices that blatantly go against biblical principles.
I want to make this disclaimer: I am not one to claim flawlessness or pristine piety. I don't have a past that is without skeletons and a number of bad behaviors. My present is not spotless either, but God is working on me. I don't claim to be totally correct on every subject, however, I will not purposely lie and if I find out I am wrong about something, I will gladly admit my mistake and try to correct it.
That being said, I hope to bring to light some things that I have observed and hope to correct. I will be dealing with a number of issues such as racism, music, news, etc. I welcome feedback and if you have something that you would like to comment on, you can email me at PastorJ@wtbcradio.com. Check out our websites:
Truly Blessed Communications
WTBC Radio
Thanks for stopping through. Peace & Blessings!
Pastor J
I al so pleased that you decided to check out my blog. I am new to this, but someone suggested I start this blog to get my message across.
With this posting, I want to qualify my subsequent posts. I am a minister in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church and I am currently working on my Master of Divinity at the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. I am of mixed ethnic background (black with between 1/4 to 3/8 mix of white), however I was raised in a primarily African American experience in Pensacola, FL.
I dealt quite a bit of racism in my youth, but I was able to get an expanded worldview during my almost 9 years in the U.S. Army. However, I am very sensitive to racial matters, particularly when situations are not being addressed.
Also, I am not the typical SDA, by any stretch of the imagination. I enjoy fellowshipping with Christians of other denominations. I am heavily involved in the Urban Gospel movement and I have a passion for youth and urban ministry. My military experience has helped to shape my thinking towards ministry. I apply many of the military principles to my ministry.
I feel that the best way to deal with issues (social & religious) in a direct manner. I have issues with hypocrisy in the church. I tend to speak my mind (with a filter) whenever I see injustice and hypocrisy. I take issue with many so called conservative Christians (especially withing the SDA Church) that suppress those who are culturally different then they and try to do away with ideas and methods that are not to their preference. This is especially disturbing when they are engaged in practices that blatantly go against biblical principles.
I want to make this disclaimer: I am not one to claim flawlessness or pristine piety. I don't have a past that is without skeletons and a number of bad behaviors. My present is not spotless either, but God is working on me. I don't claim to be totally correct on every subject, however, I will not purposely lie and if I find out I am wrong about something, I will gladly admit my mistake and try to correct it.
That being said, I hope to bring to light some things that I have observed and hope to correct. I will be dealing with a number of issues such as racism, music, news, etc. I welcome feedback and if you have something that you would like to comment on, you can email me at PastorJ@wtbcradio.com. Check out our websites:
Truly Blessed Communications
WTBC Radio
Thanks for stopping through. Peace & Blessings!
Pastor J
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