Be Like David.....Not Like Mike!

Voddie Baucham has written an insightful article about the contrast between the acceptance speeches given by David Robinson and Michael Jordan recently during their induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. David elevated his team, his family, and his LORD....while Mike elevated--well--Mike!

Being a Chicagoan who was there during the dynasty of '90's, and even attending one of the championship rallies in Grant Park, all I can say is, Voddie's words are true. (Visit the Truth In Love Blog for article)

Would the Real You Please Stand

Who are you in the eyes of God? After all, that's all that really matters in this life and in the life to come.

It doesn't really matter what your friends think of you, or some might say; "Your peeps, your boys, your homey's, your crew.....," and, it doesn't really matter, for eternal purposes, what your family thinks about you. All that really matters is 'What does the LORD think, when He thinks about you?' In other words, 'How does the LORD see you?'

You see, it isn't hard to pretend to be a "good" person in the eyes of the world. If Marilyn Manson gave a Million bucks to fight poverty in Africa, it wouldn't surprise me if he'd be recognized as a "Great" humanitarian, despite the fact that he stands for much of what God opposes.

Or how about an example that's a little more personal? Let's say you were put up as a contestant on a game show called, "What kind of person are they?," and people all around you got to name things about you that they've identified to be true in your life. Chances are you'd do pretty well, after all, we don't 'normally' show our worst to society, do we?? You probably do your best, or at least make an effort, to be "seen" as a "decent" person in the eyes of the world, right?, and understandably so!

It isn't that hard to put on the facade of Godliness, while maintaining an inner desire for unGodliness, is it? Don't cuss in front of old people, own a bible, check Christianity (or some-other religion) on an application, don't murder people, stay out of jail, etc., etc.; you see where I'm going with this.

The same is true for those of us who openly, and unashamedly, proclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We too, can have a facade of Godliness, while in our hearts, maintain a desire for unGodliness, right? Am I the only one who can say "Amen" to this, or can you be honest enough to acknowledge what I'm saying? Maybe not all the time, but more often than you might care to admit, you feel your heart straying and begin desiring things that you openly denounced at your conversion and then again at your baptism.

We Christians, too, have our own "Christian Checklists," don't we. We believe that by checking these things off on our list, we somehow stay closer to God. Things like:

• Read your Bible
• Go to church
• Join a church
• Give any amount of money to church
• Don't drink, (or if you're Biblical), don't be a drunk
• Don't cuss (at least not in front of other Christians)
• Don't look "too long" at Beautiful Women
• Use words like; Brother, Amen, Sanctified, Hallelujah, etc.
• Use the ESV Bible (best version available!)
  
• Don't smoke
• Be Southern Baptist
• Don't get tatoos (and if you have them, remove them or hide them)
• Wear a tie to church
• Feather your hair

Okay, maybe not that last one! But you know what I mean. This is just a short list of things that we 'think' make us Godly. The list can be greatly expanded, and if you'd like to add to it, leave a comment! I just wanted to list a few things that I've seen in Christendom first hand, and have been guilty of committing myself. Like Paul, I consider myself the foremost among sinners, so don't think for a minute I'm pointing the finger!

Now, before I'm misunderstood, let me say clearly what I'm not saying. I'm NOT saying that the list above is a bad list to keep, UNLESS, of course, you're keeping it to "stay right" with God, or "be found" right with God to begin with. Like a religious person who has never repented of their own personal sin, received Jesus Christ as their own LORD and Savior, but yet, because they do some of the things listed above, believe they're acceptable to God. If you have repented of your sin, and received Jesus as LORD in your life, then keeping these things should be a "response" to what God has already done in your life, not an "initiator" to get God's attention!

Our righteousness can only come from life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, PERIOD! Nothing else you do can 'make' you righteous in the eyes of the LORD, so stop trying, begin trusting, and allow the Spirit of the LORD to move in your life purging you from things that are harmful to you, your family, and stand in opposition to your new life in Christ.

So, "Would the real you please stand," and allow God to begin His handy work!!!

Til Death Unites or Separates us,
TMD

The Journey Ahead

Will the path you're on get you to the future you desire?

Will the path your family is on get them to the future you desire?

Will your ultimate destination be where God wants to you to end up at?

These are some questions that we, as Men, must ask ourselves on a routine basis. Every decision we make should be toward the end goal of fulfilling our destiny as Men in the Army of God.

The factory setting of the heart is "R&R," (Rest and Relaxation), but this setting won't get us where we need to go. It'll get us somewhere, to be sure, but not where God wants us going. Trust me, I know!

Make the changes that need to be made. Seek after wisdom and pursue Godly counsel. Determine a destiny that's based on Scripture, then forge ahead like the ice-breaker before the small vessels. It may hurt and you might not get as much rest as you'd like, but hey, we're Men, right? This is our calling in life....this is what God wants from us....this is what Jesus showed us how to do with His life.

Til death unites or separates us,
TMD

Chicago Public Schools Give Their Students "Birthday Sex"

To kick off their "Back to School" campaign this year, Chicago Public Schools CEO, Ron Huberman, (an openly gay man who recently adopted a child with his gay lover), enlisted help from R&B star, and CPS graduate himself, Jeremih. "Great," you might say, "Wrong," I say. (Click for full article.)

Jeremih's biggest hit is a song entitled "Birthday Sex." It's about a young man wanting to give his girl what she "really" wants for her birthday, Sex!

C'mon, CPS, c'mon Mayor Daley, you all speak about how our children are the future and how they need to be protected and "well" educated, and then you give them Jeremih as a role model, who's suppose to entice the kids to show at school on Sept. 8th, via Twitter updates. Seriously???

The CPS doing this doesn't surprise me one bit. I went through the CPS system, K-12, and know they aren't known for their commitment to excellence or Godliness. So them doing this...is well...Caesar running Rome. When asked about the lyrics and whether they're appropriate for kids, CPS CEO Ron Huberman said; “We don’t condone any behavior we think is not healthy for our students. . . . But, he’s a great role model for our kids. . . . it's a song like any other song you hear." WHAT???

My concern, however, is for the children in the CPS who come from Christian homes. If you're reading and not a Christian, you still should find this appaulling, but if you're a Christ-follower, you should be thinking long and hard about the biblical command to "bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (Eph. 6:4)

Jesus also said the greatest commands were to " '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.' "(Luke 10:27)

Then there's Psalm 1, which reads:

¹Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
²but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

³He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers. ⁴The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

⁵Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
⁶for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Are we doing everything we can, maybe not 'want,' but 'can,' to ensure that our children are able to obey these words? Or, might we be even contributing to our children sinning against these words of the Lord??? Hm...that's between you and God.

If you have kids in the CPS system please understand what type of mentality the CPS is promoting by, First, having an openly gay man running the show, and Second, by enlisting a guy like Jeremih to be the voice of influence who your kids are to suppose to listen to via Twitter updates to show up at school on Sept. 8th.

Can children love the Lord and serve Him with all their hearts, and abstain from evil and meditate on the word of God, while getting their education from the CPS??? Sure, even a broken clock is right twice a day. That's called God's enabling grace. Should we put that grace to the test though? Certainly not.

With upwards of 88% of children who grow up in Christian homes walking away from God by the end of their 2nd year of college, shouldn't we be thinking that maybe we've gone off course somewhere??? Perhaps....maybe....there's a better way? I'm just askin' the question. Ultimately, ALL of us need God's grace to move in the hearts of our children if they're to love and serve Him with their lives. So I'm not saying that I have all the answers, but I do believe the Word does, and it's there where I look to make decisions about the gifts He's given me, and I hope you do as well! May God be with us...

**Parents Only: Still need more? Click here to read the lyrics to "Birthday Sex", and click here to see the video.**

Life Without God

What would life without God be like?

I thought about that as I looked at this picture of the little boy facing the giant Sumo Wrestler. It made me think back to the days when I wasn't walking with the Lord, and how I felt when life threw me a challenge.........(very overwhelmed!)

I didn't have any assurance that my decisions would work out. I didn't know whether I was doing what was best. And I certainly didn't believe there was much hope. It was what it was, and that's just how life is--or so I thought.

Then one day, the Lord opened my eyes to His reality. He allowed me to see Him for who He really is--a loving a caring Father who watches over His children--and to know Him personally, not just know "about" Him theoretically. The gospel--which I had heard growing up--made perfect sense to me for the first time.

I had always heard that Jesus died for sinners, but wasn't convicted that I was one. I had always heard that there was a heaven and a hell, but wasn't convicted that I'd be spending eternity in one of those two places. I had always heard that Jesus could save me from God's punishment for my sin, but wasn't convinced that Jesus' death on the cross was a death He died for me and not just the "good" religious folks.

You see, friends, going through life without God can be as overwhelming as being the little boy in this photo. You feel like you just have to take whatever life throws at you. Your kids will be what other kids are. Your marriage will be what other marriages are. The future will be whatever the "future gods" say it will be, and so on and so forth.

This was me for a good portion of my life before the Lord revealed Himself to me and allowed me to hear what He had been telling me my whole life--I love you, I want to forgive you, and I want you to spend eternity with me! I now see that God had been telling me this my whole life, but I wasn't willing, nor wanting, to hear His voice. I believe He's always telling these same things to everybody alive, but like me, not everyone is willing, nor wanting, to hear what He has to say. So, they go on with life, facing insurmountable challenges thinking there isn't a better way, an easier way, and a more certain way, when the whole time God is telling them "There is."

Jesus said "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) God has offered you rest, will you receive His offer? God is offering you forgiveness, will you receive His forgiveness? God is offering you eternity in heaven, will you spend it with Him?

I leave you with these beautiful words that Jesus said to all mankind during His time on earth, and that He still says to us today....

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill,
and to destroy. I have come that they may have life,
and that they may have it more abundantly."
-John 10:10