Denzel Caesar/Julius Washington

I can almost guarantee you that a good percentage of women (black women), have no idea what this play is about. But just as confident as I am in that assumption, I am just as confident that that entire good percentage of women who have no idea what the play is about, will go see the play. (myself included)

I’m a victim of the "You’re My Wife" Exploitation.

Hi everyone. My name is Khristi, and I’m a victim of the “You’re My Wife” Exploitation.

I remember the day of my first attack. I was just 19 years old. I just recently gave my life to Christ and was serious about changing my life, when he approached me. It all started as a friendly exchange of advice between two individuals. As time went on he wasn’t so friendly anymore. Piano tunes went from Kirk Franklin to Brian Mcknight serenades. And before I knew it, he layed it on me; Khristi, God told me you’re my wife”. I was elated. To be this particular man’s wife was an honor. I immediatley assumed my position, skipping not one, but two steps in the process. But alas, sadly to say, he drifted away and my fairytale pseudo-spiritual pre-mature engagement, was no longer. I didn’t see it coming. I didn’t even realize that I had been victimized. So I hid into the crevasses of “woulda, shoulda, coulda”.
Until my next attack.
They told me that we were destined by God to be together. They told me that God spoke to each one of them personally, that he was my husband. And I believed them. Not God. I believed it. Not God. I believed the prophesy. Not God. But alas, sadly to say, he drifted away, far, far, away, and my fairytale pseudo-spiritual, pre-mature engagement, was no longer.
Until the next attack.
And the next.
And the next.
And the next.
“Khristi God told me.” “Khristi God told me.” “Khristi God told me.”
“You’re MY Wife.”
It was a little over a year ago when I was last victimized. As he turned to me on his last words and said to me, “Khristi, I’ve been praying about us”, I had enough. I said, “What did God say, and don’t tell me He told you I’m your wife?” He was thrown off. I had beat him at his own game.
Silly, Silly, Silly manipulators. Not confident enough in your own abilities to win me over that you whip out your bag-o-spiritual tricks to spook me into believing that I’m your wife? Ha! I’m sure if you really were confident enough in your own abilities to win me over, you wouldn’t have needed to use God in your own selfish endeavor. I mean, He would’ve been there all along.

When?

Here I am...5 years later.
Still questioning Your existence....as many time as You've shown Yourself to me.
Still wondering if You speak...as many times as You've spoken to me.
Still amazed at Your grace...as many times You saved me.
Still questioning Your motives...as many times You loved me.
So, when will I believe?
When will I finally believe...in You?

A Woman's Take on the Womens' Road

Tennessee- 10.9 seconds to go in he 2nd half. Pat Summit screams over to her team like Sensei said to Johnny of the Cobra Kai's in his final match against Daniel in The Karate Kid: "Hey! This 'aint over. Finish it. Finish it!" Yikes! And I think we all remember the look on Johnny's face when he said that to him. How can anyone play under that much pressure? So of course they have absolutely no star players so this is another one that goes to the coaching. Pat Summit is the winning-est basketball coach in history (men and women) with 882 wins. 882. 882. I mean who wins 882 games? I'll tell you who. Pat Summit, that's who. They'll crush Michigan State but unfortunately they'll lose to LSU.

Baylor- Who?

Michigan State- Yet another average team with yet another above average coach. Coach McCallie came 5 years ago. 1st year: Division Semifinals. 2nd Year: WNIT Semi-finals. 3rd Year: 1st round NCAA Tourney 4th Year: 2nd round NCAA Tourney 5th Year: NCAA Final Four. Now granted she won't get further than that this year, but that's quite a track record. It definitely guarantee's her some better recruits next year.

LSU- They have something no other team has going into the Final Four: Star Power. Seimone Augustus leads the way milking 20ppg and completely embarrassing anyone who guards her. She's going to show up every night. She'll be tournament MVP and they'll take the trophy back to Louisiana.

Bad Ideas (Top 5)

5. The Hotpockets commercial where the boy informs his mother that he has a baseball game that is about to start. At the end, they show him in uniform with a pepperoni Hotpocket in hand, about to start his game. Not only is it bad to eat before a game, but Hotpockets is about the furthest thing from a healthy snack for an athlete. If I were the coach, I would bench him and fine his mother for such a stupid move.

4. JJ Reddick not wearing socks...particularly when playing basketball. Personal superstitions are only acceptable when sanitation is present.

3. Heather Locklear’s “career move” to choose NBC’s LAX over Desperate Housewives. Desperate Housewives averages over 30 million viewers every Sunday and LAX is about one show from cancellation. Granted, working with Blair Underwood would just about guarantee a pleasant day at work, but still.

2. Take 5 Candybar. “If You Like Pretzels, Caramel, Peanuts, Peanut Butter And Creamy Milk Chocolate All In One Candy Bar.Then This Is The Candy Bar For You.” Yeah. And I also like pizza, potato chips, strawberries and Jello, but not all mixed together.

1.Mucinex’s infamous, Mr. Mucinex.
What about characterizing mucus was a good idea? I get nauseous every time I watch a commercial. Which completely distracts me from finding out what the actual product is all about; I mean...I know it has something to do with my nose.

Literalization to the 10th Degree

I fully appreciate the fact that opinions are subject to the individual. As it is, I myself hold diverse opinions that more than assuredly contradict mass perception. However, when opinion, specifically, the opinion of another member of the body of Christ, minimize and discredit the opinions having more specifically to do with Christian practice, in ways in which the underlying tone is to chasten the other member of the body, then I become rather defensive.

I read your article entitled, "The True Meaning of Easter" in search of additional material as to the origin of the ancient traditional pagan holiday which was a festival celebrating the dawn goddess, Estre. In your article you included supplementary information about the origins and/or the non-biblical authorities for Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Lent. I found this information insightful in every sense of the facts that were presented before me. Albeit, the dogmatic underlying insinuations I found slightly offensive. Well…offensive enough to write this letter. (-:

I was amused by your careful wording to say "there is absolutely no Biblical authority for such days" instead of using the phrase, "Biblical basis", because if you had used the phrase "Biblical basis", then you'd be skating on err.

First, I do agree with your statement that said, "Any grade school child can see that the Lord could not have died and been buried late Friday, spent three days and three nights in the tomb (Matt. 12:40) and risen again Sunday morning!" Then you stated that, "Truthfully, for the Christian, every Sunday should be resurrection Sunday." Every Sunday or time that we spend gathered in the assembly we are representing and celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord. However the assembly is also a place for teaching and instruction and exhortation to build up the strong Christian to go out into the world to spread the gospel of Christ through out lives and through our works as well as to grow spiritually and get closer to the Lord. Every Sunday or time spent gathering in the assembly is not and should not specifically be spent for the sole purpose of teaching on the actual event of the resurrection. If so then Christ would not have spent 40 days after the resurrection speaking to them about the kingdom according to Acts 1. So, in light of the added teaching and counseling etc., a day and/or a weekend set aside out of our yearly calendar is only appropriate for the proper reminder to the Body of Christ as to why we are who we are and why we live the way we live. Yes it was three days and three nights that the Son of Man spent in the heart of the earth. However, the celebration of a thing may not necessarily be the actuality of a thing. Even though it may seem as if is may demean some of the literal aspects of Christ's death and resurrection, Christ's rationale was for us to do these things specifically "in remembrance" or Him. He did not say "Do this in remembrance of me on this specific day, in this specific time". If so, then the Christian would have need to celebrate the Passover (which is also important), as well as to take Communion, which literally is the Lord's Supper, on that specific day each year.

Which brings me to another point; I have minor qualms when Christians become over-literal as a means to take their superiority to new realms and downgrade the laypersons who "don't know any better". Because there are so many other literal aspects of the Christian faith that we can dissect. For example, originally the communion table was a full meal shared between those in the assembly. Which is why it was called "The Lord's Supper". There were times that Paul had to admonish some because of their desire to go to take the Lord's Supper specifically for the purposes of getting a meal and getting drunk. But then again in light of your particular element that you refuse women clergy in your church. Or how about women speaking at all? Or women when they prophesy to wear head coverings? Well which one is it: Women silent or women prophesy? You see the scriptures aren't contradictory, yet it's the false exegesis and hermeneutics of the body making the word of God of no effect.

So these people, whether ignorant of the true meaning of Easter or not, will be judged by God and His word through the thoughts and attitudes of the heart according to Hebrews 4:12, being justified by righteousness by faith and not work.
Philippians 4:8,9
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things."
These things which I account to be true and noble and pure and lovely and of good report are the elements that celebrate the risen Christ, through whatever form they may come. These things are praiseworthy, don't you agree?

"Do this in remembrance of Me…"
-Lent is period of fasting and repentance traditionally observed by Catholics and some Protestant denominations in preparation for Easter.
-Ash Wednesday is the name given to the first day of the season of Lent, in which the Pastor applies ashes to the foreheads of Christians to signify an inner repentance.
-Palm Sunday is the day we remember Jesus' "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem, exactly one week before His resurrection (Matthew 21:1-11).
In Esther 4:3, most of these elements were included. "In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes." Although there may not have been specific days set aside, these were traditional aspects of the Jewish faith which held great representation and symbolic meaning. Under the New Covenant, people of the Christian faith have set aside practices that aren’t necessarily literal with the exact biblical names and days and times. Yet, these practices do, in fact, have biblical basis to them.
Colossians 2: 16,17
"Therefore let no one sit in judgment on you in matters of food and drink, or with regard to a feast day or a New Moon or a Sabbath. Such [things] are only the shadow of things that are to come, and they have only a symbolic value. But the reality (the substance, the solid fact of what is foreshadowed, the body of it) belongs to Christ."
Lastly, all of these things are indeed, symbolic in nature. It's the substance that lies behind them, which is to many believers, the power of the risen Christ. I hold fast to that.

________________________

p.s.- this guy's a total Nazi, by the way

A Woman's Take on The Road

Louisville- Onc word: Pitino. I mean, has he ever let us down? Can anyone think of one amazing recruit he has had? Probably not. So my point is this: This is the time when all the credit goes to the coaching and not to it's players. He's got years of successful seasons at Providence and Kentucky under his belt. He's the first coach ever to take three different teams to the final four. When it comes to tournament play, he knows how to get there and he knows how to stay there. He said, "Hey guys, this is how you come back from a 23-point deficit when you're playing in a regional final of the NCAA Tournament." And they listened. That's why they won.

Illinois- Dominating the game with organized basketball. They pass at least 4 times before they shoot. They always run the entire play and then make the great shot. Their transition and fast break is even organized. No street ballers here. So all you homeboy ballers out there, you can leave the trash talk at home cause the only way to stop these guys is by watching their tapes…Over and over and over again.

Michigan State- Just barely pulled away from that one, huh guys? "We survived,'' Izzo said. And that's exactly what that was. They just better be glad that Tubby Smith was stupid enough to leave Patrick Sparks on the bench the last 7 minutes of regulation or else there would have been no OT. Heart is what got them this far, but I highly doubt that heart is what will stop North Carolina.

North Carolina- Big Men. Lot's of Big Men. Big Play. Lot's of Big Play. Big Boards. Lot's of Big Boards. Not much else to say. I wouldn't be surprised if they just took this one home.

The Case For Christ

Matthew 16: 5-7
As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don't be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ”
Through one man over 100 prophecies (located in what is now known as the Old Testament) were fulfilled. Prophecy is what I believe, sets Christianity apart from other religions. Prophecy is what sets Christianity apart from religion. Webster's defines religion as;
1.a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
1. b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
2.The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
3. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.
Not once does it necessitate prophetic utterances whether through written or verbal form. God knew that humans are apt to concoct reason as to why the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as well as the Messiah Yeshua, are false. Therefore, since the beginning of time He has instituted a system of prophetic declaration.
Isaiah 7:14- Virgin birth of Jesus
Isaiah 40:3- The Messiah proceeded by a messenger
Micah 5:2- The Messiah born in Bethlehem
Zechariah 12:10- Christ's crucifixion
Ezekiel 20:34- The Jews will return to Israel
Deuteronomy 28:65-67- Israel would constantly be persecuted by many nations
Ezekiel 37:21-22- Israel returned as a Nation (1948)

What's dazzling about the God of the Jew and the Gentile is that He has declared time and time again that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. This sense of the God Jehovah's pansophical nature is what these prophetic utterances through biblical scripture, reflect. What amazes me the most about them is how God, through mortal men who clearly had err scripted in their very nature, revealed these prophecies through them. In the end, our doubt of the ability of God to use mortal man vanished through the manifestation and fulfillment and the eternal glory of God confirmed. He too can use the donkey to speak to us (Numbers 22:28)! "The angel said to me, 'These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.' (Rev. 22:6)

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And I am…persuaded that is. What persuades me are all the complex, yet simple elements of Christian faith that no one, Christian or non-Christian, seem to pay attention to and if so, it's either to prove Christianity to be fabricated or in chance when happened by in a scripture or a Sunday morning sermon. But taking the authenticity to prophecy, the substance of Christ's message, the realism of His deity, the hope of eternity, the option of salvation, the enlivening of discovering identity and the expectation of continued fulfillment of prophetic declaration, instigates my continued faith and forces me to eliminate any other for of reason apart from God.

Yet even in the above definition of religion and my understanding of the similarities it holds with that which I practice, I still cringe every time someone refers to me as religious. Maybe I should attribute it to the category amongst others that it's placed in. Or maybe when someone says it I'm thinking that their perception is a preacher stealing money, a religious homophobe screaming hate on the street, a white woman with big hair and a lot of makeup or a big black woman in a big hat suffering from a bad case of sensationalism. It could be many of reason. However, I could think of a better word that best describes what I practice that I'd much rather people ask: Do you practice truth? Of course it can seem awfully condescending. But if other "religions" were so confident in their practice and belief, then they too would jump on the truth bandwagon. Truth is a fact, an actuality, a standard. Religion on the other hand is like basketball; just another sport. If you happen to like basketball or consider basketball to be your nitch, then you play basketball. Otherwise there is a wide array of other sports such as soccer, badminton, tennis and baseball, that are available for you to play. But, because truth is a standard then there are no other options or tradeoffs or exchanges. So I practice truth and life my lifestyle as a disciple of Christ.

There is a two-fold case that is presented before me. A case on which Christ's stands trial and one in which I stand trial. In Christ's case I had made myself a judge along with the rest of the world against His claims of authenticity. However at the same time in my trial I had been found guilty. Yet, just before my sentencing a man, Christ Jesus, came to implore to the judge my release, while He himself, took my sentence. How could I put this man on trial twice, for two crimes that He did not commit? And I found Christ not-guilty in the trial in which I sat a judge and asked Him to become the Savior and the Lord of my life.

Case Closed

The Legend Moves On

At a loss for words on this day that I have been informed that Tamara Braun will be exiting General Hospital. Since my schedule has kept me from my previous GH obsessions when I was 13, catching up on an episode has rather been more of a privilege for me. And truthfully from all of the ghastly character and plot changes over the years, if it weren't for actors to the likes of Tamara Braun and Maurice Bernard, I would have divorced myself from allegiance long ago. But alas, it was only two weeks ago that I conversed with my comrade about my marvel at Tamara Braun's acting abilities and talent. She is without a doubt one of my favorite, if not my absolute favorite actress. We were expressing at how much star potential she has. My friend (who happens to be an accomplished actress herself) said that Tamara Braun has "Julia Roberts" potential. That she does. She came on the scene a few years ago, replacing another actress (Sarah Brown), who at the time had created this character named Carly and made it her own. We all thought that there was no way anyone could replace her when she left. We were wrong. In came Tamara, who struck many in the beginning as sort of an "over actor". But she had to prove herself, and since then she's taken the Carly character that Brown had created and made a Carly of her own. She beasts (a word I use when someone is completely amazing at what they do, outshining everyone around them) everyone on the set and finally...finally...there is someone in this world who can act in a scene with the great Maurice Bernard and hold their own. Tamara Braun is a class act. I've always thought that there was absolutely no way that much talent could stay hidden within the realms of a daytime soap. I knew that Hollywood had to someday be introduced to her talent on a large scale. I knew she had to go. I just didn't think it'd be so soon.

The Misfit from Santa Rosa

What can I say about Pastor Matthew? I can confidently, honestly say that I have never, ever in my life met anyone like this man before. I'm sure my two confidants that came along with me this week would agree, so I am not just saying this as one person. Never. It almost makes you wonder, why it almost seems as if he's been hidden away because it's perplexing why 1 out of every 10 people have not heard of him. Let me explain:
-He has this way of exerting authority without even having to physically exert authority, if you know what I mean.
-He's not churched, meaning, he's more of a misfit, if you know what I mean.
-He probably has the most understanding about ministry than I've ever seen from anyone ever.
-He is one of the boldest people, if not the boldest person that I've ever met.
-And when all is said and done, he's astoundingly the most humble and down to earth person that I've ever met in his position.

His announcement to the board this week was bold. It was awe-inspiring. It was simply that it was time for the LHWE to be launched. And how awesome. For this person to carry around a testimony and a ministry within himself of this magnitude for so long to say 7 years later; It's time. That's patience and obedience and faith.

I don't say this as some hypnotized religious groupie waiting to jump on the bandwagon. If you know me at all you'd know it's not my style. I don't say this to put him on a pedestal of pride, because truth be told if he even read this blog at all he'd make me delete this. I am saying this because I want to share with you all what I believe will soon be shared with you by another. And I just wanted to be the first to tell you.

P.S.- "A Time to Heal" Sexual Healing Conference - Philadelphia, June 2005 -
Matthew C. Manning

Quote Of The Week

"Call it sour grapes, but will somebody please explain to me how Vermont beat Syracuse? Vermont is supposed to beat Syracuse in field hockey or team snow shoveling, not basketball. The second string from Allen Iverson's posse could have beaten Vermont. The Jackson Five could have beaten Vermont with one glove tied behind Michael's back."
Jim Armstrong , a sports columnist for The Denver Post, on Vermonts Cinderella Story in the NCAA Tournament.

I Feel The Need To Repeat Myself

At this point, it doesn't matter who you hate more because either one is equally unhealthy. It is in my deduction from ample experience that hatred aimed in the wrong direction is disastrous. I don't even find misfortune in pain, if in the end, that pain has produced fruit. So yes, you find more pain and despair, but your digging is in vain. Your endless hole is the result of your desire to seek change as you insensibly obliterate yourself from the equation. If you agree that you are, in fact, the created, then you'll also agree that your sole responsibility is to surrender to the Creator. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, "The Devil made me do it". But, it is lucidly evident that pain and evil exist through man. Therefore, in spite of Satan's tempting and constant badger, man is the subject through which it exists. Man does have free will. Man has the choice to surrender their spirit to evil…to Satan…to unrighteousness. At the end of the day even the bible thrashing Christian exterminators that constantly remind us to love our neighbor and turn the other cheek, associate a bad person with evil. So, when evil visits us who consider ourselves "good", or even "Christian", we are perplexed at how our "good" God could allow such evil to happen to us good people. And I'm definitely not an advocate of the sadist God theory. However, I don't believe that God wishes pain and despair on His children though it is pain and despair in vain that is the worst disaster of all. You see, man's free will has opened doors of evil to pervade throughout our declining world for centuries and generations. As a result, the "good" have become victimized (especially children [vulnerability]) So the reality of pain cannot be escaped. But it can be overcome. This pain that we experience can be used to glorify the kingdom of God and make a bold statement that this pain will not be in vain. But it's with use of our own free will to surrender our spirit man to it's Creator, that we will conquer this reality. Lewis says, "The human spirit will not even begin to surrender self-will as long as all seems well with it." So, you're right. Life doesn’t have to be this way. He could stop it. He could change it. But it starts with you.

I'm the Newest Member of the J.J. Redick Fan Club

Like I said: I'm The Newset Member of the J.J Redick Fan Club.

Scouting Report: A streaky shooter, but still one of the purest in the country ... Has terrific elevation, discipline and poise in his form ... Releases the ball at the top of his elevation ... Much of the reason for his hot and cold tendencies lies in his shot-selection, not mechanics ... Possesses range that borders on unreal, and he occasionally gets caught up in that ability ... Will take 3-pointers from well beyond the stripe ... Uses his outside shooting ability to create mid-range shots for himself, throwing pump fakes to open up pull-up jumpers ... Has solid finishing ability when he gets deep in the lane, but is not an outstanding athlete ... Defense needs improvement.

Like I said: I'm The Newset Member of the J.J. Redick Fan Club.

Career Notes: One of the best pure shooters in the country ... unlimited range and ability to create open shots makes him an All-America and All-ACC candidate ... exhibited the skills at both ends of the court that make him an oustanding player, not just an outside scoring threat ... Duke's leading returning scorer from a year ago (15.9 ppg) ... ranks eighth on Duke's career chart with a .397 (197-of-496) three-point field goal percentage and seventh with 197 three-point field goals ... started 65 of 70 career games, averaging 15.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game ... ranks 46th on the scoring charts with 1,084 career points ... the ACC career (.939) and season (.953 -- 2003-04) free throw percentage leader ... has reached double digits in scoring 55 times entering 2004-05 ... has made at least one three-point field goal in 67 games and at least three triples 41 times ... has nine games in which he's made five or more three-point field goals ... recipient of the Grant and Tamia Hill Scholarship.

Like I said: I'm The Newset Member of the J.J. Redick Fan Club.

Stat Stuffer: Connected on 61 consecutive free throws at one point in his junior season. Set a Duke freshman record with career-high 34 points against Virginia. Scored 30 points, including 23 in the final 10:05, in the ACC Tournament championship game against N.C. State. As a sophomore, scored 20 points or more in 10 regular season games, including 28 against NC State, 26 against Maryland, 25 vs. Virginia and 24 vs. Florida State and Georgia Tech. Ranked second in the nation with a .953 (143-of-150) free throw percentage. Set the ACC record with 54 consecutive free throws made. His 102 treys ranked fifth on Duke's single-season chart while his 1,084 career points became the 14th-best total by a sophomore in ACC history (third-best by a Duke player). Was only the fifth sophomore in school history and 22nd sophomore in ACC history to reach 1,000 career points.

Extra Extra: Oh and did i mention that he says to himself Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strenthens me", before he shoots a free throw?

Like I said: I'm The Newset Member of the J.J. Redick Fan Club.

Making Relevant An Absolute God In A Postmodern World

Postmodernism has not reached the peak of it’s agenda yet. It’s not even close. And i don’t believe that it will until it has infiltrated more than just the minds of those who are disappointed in God. It’s schema has to reach those individuals who inhabit the essence of it’s definition: people of all ethnicities, shapes, sizes, social backgrounds and upbringing. So, with this in mind, even the literal thought of making relevant the substance of this blog would be a difficult task because to many, at present, postmodernism is just for the rejects. But it won’t be long before postmodernism is preached from the pulpits unless we, as the body, proclaim with self-assurance that our God is absolute and Christ is the absolute way to eternal life. (Henceforth why Christianity, before it was Christianity, was originally called “The Way”. Acts 9:2)

The following is a quote from a recent black history month commercial:
“I grew up in a black church and I’m very thankful for that experience as well as the effect gospel music has had on my life. I couldn’t be the person that i am today without them.” Generally, this statement would appear innocuous, but it can easily be used as bait to cultivate postmodern thought. As an African-American, a part of the richness of our culture is the tradition of religion. More specifically: Christianity. The fellowship and assurance that Jesus would “make a way” and that God was with them and would bring them out was what brought many African-Americans together during times of adversity. From slavery all the way to the Civil Rights Movement, church was a vital part of cultural and family intimacy. Not to say that these reasons were all void because they were all brought closer and gained a love for Christ. However, now that that same pressure is not a major element of our everyday lives does not mean that Christ and His message as well as His deity and means to salvation is annulled. Christ is just as relevant today as He was 400 years ago to not just the African-American, but to ALL. Our different experiences are used to bring us closer to “one Lord, one faith and one baptism”. (Ephesians 4:5)

Man’s reason. Man’s logic. I’d much rather one identify themselves with “atheist” rather than postmodernist for the following reason: A person who identifies them-self as a postmodernist is simply accepting various beliefs and ideas as suitable to his or her own needs. Most times this does not exclude the idea of God from the equation. But, if there is a God, or if one claims to believe in a God, then most times they do not consider God’s power to liken to that of man. If so then God would be called Man, in which then you’d be a five percenter, which is contradictory because if man was God then man’s power wouldn’t be limited and man’s power, is in fact, limited. Hence for the most part, we all agree that God’s power supercedes that of man. Furthermore, God’s logic can also be considered to be greater to that of man. God’s logic rises above the natural therefore it is super-natural logic. Postmodernism encourages individuals to use their own logic to create an environment conducive for themselves within the confines of their own reason. So, postmodernists can, in a sense, create their own personal God. But how is it that one who is natural, with their own natural logic, construct one who is supernatural who will contain a supernatural logic? It’s impossible for the natural to create the supernatural. Which is why God is the creator and sustainer of all things natural. The only thing about postmodernism that I can accredit is that God is universal. However, God being universal denotes his availability to all of humankind, no matter what background. It means that the Creator desires relationship with the created. What it doesn’t mean is that His makeup, structure, love and law are subject to the individual based on our theoretical reason. So, in this sense, with all it’s contradictions, even in spite of our differences, I can’t find ground of deference for the postmodernist. But the atheist on the other hand is more absolute in nature. By eliminating God completely from the picture then they are free to explore their desire to live and educate themselves off of their own logic. (not advocating for atheism, just making a point.)

As Christians, we can’t let the “world” convince us that we are using bigotry as a means to bind people into religion. I told one of my mentees the other day, “I can care less if I never see you at church again, as long as I know that you’re relationship with Christ/God is flourishing and active”. This approach may seem a bit radical to the one that’s never missed a Sunday service, but that’s the reality, because people can grow up in church their entire lives and never miss a beat and still be walking in sin and have a non-existent relationship with the Lord. We can’t let the world convince us that Christ’s message accepted individuals in the state that they were in. It is clear that Christ messages did in fact accept ALL individuals, yet not in the state that they were in. It is furthermore, our responsibility to be accountable for our individual actions by making sure that the message of Christ is being presented in the manner that He executed which is one of love and intolerance.

Khristi World News

**I know I sound awfully ungrateful, but I realize there was a time when I would be excited about going to any part of California, but it seems as if this time, all I can think about is how I wish I was going to Los Angeles instead of San Fran. But i’ll have my opportunity this summer if Kai ever gets around to telling me when her CD recording is.

**I’m back to my old habits of wanting to quit my job everyday. The interesting thing is that I have a great job with a pretty good salary. Most of the time I just want to quit because someone is getting on my nerves. But come on, that’s no reason to search aimlessly through the classifieds.

**Teaching my class has been interesting. I haven't been able to focus in on establishing a consistent curriculum for this class as much as I did for the last one. I feel bad. I'm so busy, it's like I don't even get around to thinking about it until the day I have to teach. I mean, they say they're enjoying it. But, as a teacher and one who aspires to be a career professional professor, I can not be slacking in what I have not yet mastered.

**The Picasso play is going a whole lot better than expected. I’m having a great time at rehearsals. I have one more monologue to tackle through memorization and i’ll officially be off book. Show goes up in about a month. But, since I was only doing this for experience and to help me with the Once Upon a Dream production, production dates and times will remain anonymous.

**Speaking of Once Upon a Dream, my motivation for this project has become inconsistent. I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing or an expected thing. I attribute most of this to the 16 more months we have until production. But, our first full board meeting is on Tuesday. Hopefully, that’ll stir me up.

**DLG Productions (Daddies Little Girls) is officially a NJ non-profit organization, in which Once Upon A Dream is our first official production. I have yet to grasp the full vision of what it is God desires to do with us, but i’m sure if I stopped my sulking and complaining for a few moments, i’d realize the magnitude of it.

**I spent time in Harlem this past weekend with an old friend. We spent so many years in college hating each other, I forgot how cool she was. Now I wonder, if we had never split apart, how much more fun would I have had those last two years?

**I got a full tuition grant to Princeton (Seminary), which leaves me very little room for excuse if by chance I wanna bail. Now if I can just get a little more money, maybe I can move on campus. No not maybe. Maybe is not an option. I Must Move.

**I am so disgusted with Div. 1 women’s college basketball. There is nothing exciting about the league this year and worst of all, no one exciting. The Associated Press can’t figure out who’s number one probably because there is no number one. There’s only one play (Matee Ajavon) on Rutgers that’s playing organized basketball and everyone else (Pondexter included) looks like they’re in Rucker Park, playing street ball with the guys, Connecticut can’t figure out who’s playing point, and somehow Temple (no offense to my school) has made it into the top 20.

**I am a semi-finalist in poetry.com’s $1,000 and $10,000 poetry contest. I didn’t submit the poem thinking i’d get that far, but now that I think about it, i’m glad. I submitted “Remember Lori”, a poem about a friend of mine who passed in November. If I win, I was thinking about giving some to her husband. Yeah, i’d probably do that.

to be continued...

I'll Probably Never Know

I commend him on his attempt to use anthropomorphic strategy in his "Pastor's Corner" to reach the wide audience of laypersons within his congregation that may subscribe to his e-mail devotions. But sometimes...sometimes his apparent nature of intellectualism creeps on in there and some of us are just left hangin'. Next time I see him, i'll have to tell him "You took me to the bottom of the ocean on this one Pastor". And although i'm not exactly sure if he was trying to be deep, I'll probably never know 'cause I can't swim that deep.
p.s. - And that promotional piece at the end: "And speaking of cruises..." HA!

Dear Friend:
A recurring observation in my household concerns how amazing it is that large ships are able to float in the ocean and small objects sink instantly upon being dropped in the water. Of course, one of my sons can provide all of the laws of physics that describe this phenomenon. But the rest of us are in awe of this seemingly paradoxical reality.
What is clear is that the shape of the ocean liner creates a capacity to float on top of water even when the ship weighs thousands of tons of pounds. One does not need to know physics to understand that there is a lesson to be learned.
Our lives often become heavy and our paths can be as turbulent as the ocean’s waves. But if we are built correctly and have the correct spiritual shape, we too can withstand the turbulence of great waters and like cruise ships, we can float instead of sinking.
Hebrews 12:1 says this: “… let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us…”
Speaking of cruises, the first time I ever experienced a cruise was when the church gave me a cruise as a gift for my first pastoral anniversary in 1991. This was a trip that I will always remember. Since that experience, I have had numerous other cruise trips and each has been more enjoyable.
But the cruise that should surpass all cruises, will be the one held this August by the Couple’s Ministry of our church. Not only will we enjoy all of the amenities of a luxury cruise ship, but we will also have speakers and workshops that will help us enrich our relationships with our spouses and discover new ways to avoid sinking under the weight of life’s responsibilities.
This “Imagination Couple’s Retreat Cruise” will sail August 11 – 15 and will be the experience of a lifetime. I want to invite all of our married couples to join us for this life-changing weekend. The $200.00 deposit deadline is March 15. You may register online at www.fbcsomerset.com today.
God bless you.
Sincerely,
DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.Senior Pastor

TV's Hots and Nots.

**I always wondered how i'd feel about Maurice Bernard 10 years later. And nothing has changed. Even at the ripe age of 42 I think, he's still amazingly gorgeous. I think he's got the whole non-aging Blair Underwood thing going on. In the words of a past Daytime Emmy Awards host, "The show should be called, 'General Maurice Bernard Hospital'. " YOU"RE HOT.

**Why don't they just call Making the Band 3, "Making the Beyonce"? I don't think P. Diddy has had an original thought since he ran the New York City Marathon. YOU'RE NOT.

**Joel Osteen and his supermodel preachin wife Victoria. You guys are always so happy. I find myself constantly being tempted to turn the channel when you're on because truthfully, I just don't want to hear another happy, positive, sermon, that usually convicts me in the state that i'm in. You guys are always on point, on schedule, professional, dressed to impress and ready to worship with all the same energy put on all elements. YOU"RE HOT.

**Top Model. Bringing back whatshername from last season with the red weave who got the drink thrown in her face, was who's brilliant idea? Unfortunately i'm not home on Wednesday's, so i'm going off of hearsay and commercials. YOU'RE NOT.

**Their Eyes Were Watching God. Oprah, I realize that Halle Berry is your new teacher's pet. But, what about that Michael Ealy? Have you seen him lately? Now I may not have seen the movie yet, and I don't know if I will. But I do know one thing. HE'S HOT.

**Rap Wars. I think every few years when the rap industry promotions team realizes that rap is becoming commercialized, a good fight needs to break out to stir up that good ole' gangsta image. Even though you have a few Grammy's 50, and a few Caucasian suburban teenagers have downloaded you on their ipod, and your newest single is titled "Candyshop", you're still hard bro. YOU'RE NOT.

**The Newlyweds. I think the most interesting thing about Nick and Jessica is the fact that they're uninteresting. A superstar, fashion guru, spoiled, daddy's girl and a former boy band, grassroots, independant, sports fanactic. What really makes the show is the mix of old sitcom music with orchestra symphony and horrow flick sountracks that they play in the background. What they're doing may not be funny, but the music sure is. THEY'RE HOT.

Moment Loafers

I want you to understand that i'm trying here. No, not you. You! Yes. All Of You! All of you moment loafers out there who think that your moment is the only one that counts. There are actually those of us out here who are desperately trying to please you. But at the moment, I need a moment of my own to vent my exhaustion pipes until I wake to yet another day of pleasing you. I know that when I'm occupied within your particular element of attention, you assume that you persist to carry that attention throughout, even in your absence, but this is not so. When I have left your presence, I am before yet another one, much like yourself I may add, who requires the exact same amount of attention, breaking a basic rule of economics called opportunity cost. But for some reason, you don't think that you're the opportunity forgone. None of you do! I realize that you think I have nothing better to do than to make up silly complicated curriculums for high schoolers and teach them in the midst of the non-existent schedule that you think I have. I realize that you think that I have nothing better to do than to sit around all day and start a production company and that your busyness is far more complex than mine. I realize that you don't think I work and that I can just up and hop on the plane with you and fly to Miami for a week or that I have the liberty or even the sanity to just up and go to dinner right after work. I realize that because i'm not married with kids you think that exempts me from having any "real responsibilities". I realize that you think that I have nothing better to do than to send e-mails to my board members and ask them to do things all the while badgering them to complete one minor task of actually opening the e-mail up and reading it. I also realize that when you ask me to do something last minute you assume that I had nothing to do in the first place and when I say that I am busy, then you are flabbergasted at how it is at all possible within my non-existent schedule to have anything at all to do. Furthermore, I am even more understanding of that fact that when I finally get a moment to myself that it is then called laziness or worse, "luck", because in the midst of your hectic schedules, I am taking a break from what you all assume was really, nothing to begin with.
But what I really want you to realize, is that I'm tired and you're beginning to bug me.

Quote of the Week

"If my relationship with God had been dependant on man, not only would I not be Christian, but I would have committed suicide a long...time...ago." me

Desertion In The 9th Hour

Dennis Bratcher once quoted that the name Immanuel, in one occasion in the gospels, was written not as a name for Jesus but as a confession of the nature of God as revealed in Jesus who is the Christ. I thought this interesting...that God was with us through the physical incarnation of Jesus Christ. I didn’t find it interesting because I never knew that God was manifested through His son, Jesus the Christ. Conversely, I was engrossed by one man, Jesus Christ to carry the fullness of the glory of God within His self and then at his lowest point...the time when He needed God the most...the time when this manifest presence and exemplified nature to be magnified the most, we read “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”

The pain.

The agony.

Desertion in the 9th hour.

Jesus experienced the distress of 9th hour desertion. Time and time again, I counsel individuals who have spit on the name of Yahweh all because of what seemed like 9th hour desertion. The pain that was not caused by God, but by men, but allowed by God because of the greater weight of glory far more exceeding and eternal. So it was permitted. And now...and now salvation is available to all. And now...and now Christ is on the throne soon to return to gather His sheep for their crowning. And now...and now, we have power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Just imagine, if some of us had endured our afflictions even though we felt desolate. Imagine the exceeding glory that would be presented before us. Have you asked God the same question?

I have.