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| Thoughts on Creating a Separate Christian State |
| 05.26.04 (10:55 am) [edit] |
[b][i]These words are from a friend[/i][/b]
Why would you want a theocratic monarchy?
Look, this isn't a revolution. I can't speak for the Directors of this, but it seems to me it's just a group of concerned citizens who are seeing the USA go down the sewer fast -- ushered in by both sides of the political
spectrum. These citizens would like to see the original principles of Judeao-Christian ethics that created and constructed the USA - be reinstated. There is a minority tyranny and a government HATE program against Christianity (even to the point of "public education" which is now re-education camps to hate the founders and Christianity!)
Many Christians choose "Sissyanity" (perversion of Christianity and very weak in morals) and don't stand up to wrong. Common sense and what the people desire has been thrown out for the few and by their activists friends who are high in government.
I am sure, as I can say for myself, we all thought this way for a long time now. I thought that 9/11 would have awakened the nation. Sadly, it did not. As time goes by, they blind the public more and more and more. To the point where we are told we are not tolerant enough to people that hate us and want us all dead for being Christian Americans. (and falsely told its all our fault which the Sissyanity people buy into).
On top of this, while the 10 Commandments were taken out in Alabama, and banned in every school and public place in the USA(teachers suspended if they even say "BLESS YOU" to a sneeze), we see the government, including George Bush's government, fight FOR Islam to have more rights in the public square and in all public avenues (Look it all up).
I, for one, do not recall, and knowing my history and current events, that Islam nations created anything remotely "free." THEY are theocracies and as
we see everyday, the most intolerant and murderous groups in the world (let's stop pretending that they are anything but - look at the deeds -- not the words). What has unleashed them more, is the "tolerance" of their wrongs (feeds the beast). They are free to worship as they please, but have no right to walk into our nation and take down the very thing (Christianity) that gave them this right and created it. Then they play the card that was handed "RACISM!" And we all run and back down. (Their cry of racism is the real racism - not us! Christianity taught me that REAL racism, rare today,
is bad. Slavery was bad. But I'm now sick of hearing about it as we here it more today than when there were slaves. Again, reality check!)
So who do we have to represent us other than ourselves? George Bush says he is Christian but has shown very little Christian leadership. I think he is a
very nice, well meaning man and far better than that Slug that is running against him. Bush is a good man, but a weak leader. So, given all this, we, the people now have to take it in our hands as granted by the Constitution and Bill of Rights. We, the people, will not tolerate the rape of our religion. We, the people, will not tolerate the HATRED and taking down or OUR religion to be replaced with Secularism and Islam. (This is not a war
with anyone -- this is our God given right!) In reality, the homosexuals and the secularists and Muslims should be asking for their own state. Funny how it's not really about their rights, but destruction of ours!) And how much destruction can we take?
As I see it, we are saying, "do what ya'll have to do -- let us have ours and let us be." Thus a peaceful resolution. My personal fear is not our group going to make metaphorical war out of this but the other sides. They clearly HATE Christianity for some deeply distorted psychological reason. They have declared social war upon us and have won every battle.
Of course, the responsibility of what we want to do is huge. Power then transfers and that is never easy. That is why the Directors are asking us not to get into huge religious arguments. This is important to remember. We
need to stick to the basic ones that have brought us here: Homosexual marriage being the last shot at Christianity that any of us can stand. We have been way TOO tolerant to our own demise. Since suicide is a sin, I
assume we will now stand up to this oppression and hatred of Christians, the very religion that brought about the state of tolerance. We have tolerated homosexuality. It has not tolerated us. Remember, tolerance means putting up with what you don't like. The new tolerance as is enforced by the government, etc, means that you and I have to "agree" or you are intolerant.
Food for thought. Keep it simple. Don't get too whacked out on revolutions and ideas of Kings and theocracies. Be prepared for DAILY attacks as we already see on here and people who will try to confuse the issues of
homosexuality, etc. Pray for guidance. Keep emotions in the balance and trust in the Lord.
Personally, I would just like to wake up in America again. And hear church bells ringing loud on a Sunday morning as villagers walk, bike and drive to church. Not by government decree, but by respect and faith.
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| The Lord's Drastic Measures to Keep His Children |
| 05.21.04 (1:04 pm) [edit] |
Before I was saved I lived a life of sin. I am still a sinner and will always be, but this was before I knew Christ. Although I did not do drugs, alcohol or a lot of other common sins done by teenagers, I did steal. Because I believed I had to be cool and popular, I thought I needed to have the best clothes. And because I was very poor, the only way I knew how to get these clothes was by stealing.
I began to steal clothes my sophomore year in high school when a few of my friends got a job at the mall. It started off that we would come in and they would give us a free shirt if we bought something. Then we began to get a few free shirts if we bought something. Then we began to get a whole bunch of free shirts, shorts, jeans, shoes and anything else we could think of with out even making a purchase. We did this for as long as we could and at as many places as we could.
One time we weren’t even stealing clothes. My friend had his father’s store credit card and what we tried to do was buy clothes with the credit card and return them to another store for cash. We were in another state doing this and one store thought we had taken the clothes from the store and tried to return it. We had the receipt but they still called the cops. We were detained and were taken down to the police station. We did not get in trouble for the scheme we tried to pull but they did ban us from ever stepping foot in any of their department stores ever again. The police called our parents to make sure we were not runaways. We were only sixteen and in another state by ourselves. Things eventually worked out and we were released.
Then I remember another time when my friend worked in the men’s department of a major department store in the mall. I went in one night and took a whole bunch of clothes up to the counter. I gave my friend a hundred dollar bill and he put all the clothes in the bags and gave me my change of a few thousand dollars. I had two huge bags full of clothes. They were full of khaki pants, sweaters, coats, jeans and everything else that was popular at that time. I held both bags up to about my armpit and they were still dragging on the ground. I was walking through the mall as a sixteen year old boy carrying two big bags of clothes worth more than ten thousand dollars. People were staring at me the whole time until I got out to my car. Once I put the clothes in the trunk, my whole body began shaking. It was shaking because I was so nervous and because my body was so weak after carrying the heavy load. Once my friend got back to the house, he said that nobody has ever even purchased one of those bags half way full let alone two bags all the way full. We unloaded the clothes and took off for Myrtle Beach for the weekend. My friend quit his job and we never went back to that mall again.
My senior year in high school, I got a job at another mall in a department store. I had many friends working there who also stole clothes from the store and they told me how easy it was. So for the sole purpose of stealing clothes, I took the job.
Well, after a few weeks of working there, I was baptized and saved by Jesus Christ. Although I was born again, I did not repent as I was still stealing clothes from the department store. Well, just a few days after I was saved, my friend came in to get some free clothes. It was so easy, nobody could ever be caught. But as soon as my friend left with the free clothes, I heard my boss telling me to come to her office over the store intercom. I knew then and there that I was busted and that I was about to be in trouble.
Just when my name was called two other friends were in the store and they were like “you better run.” But because I was saved and had no fear in my heart I went to her office. There she played the tape of the theft in front of me and asked if I gave out free clothes and I said yes. Then she told me that she is never in her office, never. But for some reason something told her to go to her office at that particular time. Then she said something told her to watch the store cameras and record them. She said she has never done this before but for some reason something told her to do it. And then she saw me steal clothes from the store.
She told me I could call my friend and have him bring back the clothes and she wouldn’t call the police. After a half an hour of trying to get a hold of him, my manager called the police. Once they got there they only asked me one question. “Are you eighteen years old?” I had just turned eighteen a few months back so I sadly said “Yes.” I was handcuffed and taken out of the store and placed in the back of the squad car. The whole time I was not scared and did not think about going to jail. When they took me down to the police station I gave my side of the story. Then they placed me back in the squad car and I was hoping they would drive me home. But instead they drove me to the county jail.
There they took my fingerprints and took my mug shot. I was smiling from ear to ear during the picture. I knew the Lord was with me and I wanted it to show in the picture. I was then stripped and had to wear an orange jump suit with orange slippers. I was given a little bucket that had a mattress, a towel and a little pillow. I was put in a cell that already had two inmates so I was forced to sleep on the floor. My cell was in D block and I was with a former prominent gang member and a man who was arrested for a domestic dispute.
The next morning I read my name in the paper under arrests. I found out that I was being held on a D felony charge and a $35,000 bond. People were telling me that I was never going to be let out and that I would serve a year prison sentence easy. This was the first time I had ever been arrested or in trouble with the law. One time when I was seven I pulled a fire alarm and the fire chief had to yell at me extensively, but nothing more serious than that. I was in shock and did not know if I would be able to graduate high school, go on to college or just live to see the outside again. I spent the whole weekend in jail and slept most of the time.
When I was released, my brother and some close friends were there to pick me up. The officer asked if those where my friends out in the lobby being loud and rude. I did not know but I told him that they probably were. Then he told me to make sure they leave. So we left and I was once again free.
As soon as I was released from jail, I went home and took all the clothes I had in my closet that were stolen (well over four trash bags full worth $10,000) and donated them to needy children. From that day on I never had an urge to steal or to commit any crime.
I know for certain that it was God who was disciplining me for disobeying Him. For God is good and loves us so much that He is willing to do drastic things to get His children to follow Him. That something telling my manager to go to her office and watch the store cameras was God.
I did not have any clothes left except for just a few that my girlfriend had bought me. I spent the whole summer wearing a pair of boots that my girlfriend bought for me and a pair of shorts that I kept from my freshman year in high school. But it reminds me of Jesus’ command (which I didn’t know at that time) to rid yourself of all your worldly possessions and follow Him. I was blessed to do so.
I was very poor and my mother could not afford a lawyer or did not know any. But while I was in jail a lawyer called my house and said he would represent me. He was the father of a student from my high school. I was very grateful but did not know how I was going to pay for it. My arrest happened in April and it wasn’t until June that I got a call from the lawyer.
I had just had a graduation party that my mother put on for my brother and me. This too was a very big surprise. Although my family is really poor, somehow I managed to receive $500 dollars for graduation. I was so excited and immediately made plans to spend the money on some big trip or something for the summer before I went to college. But the next day I met with my lawyer and he said that I needed to pay him cash by tomorrow. Then I asked how much I owed him and he said $500 dollars, the exact amount that I was blessed with from my graduation party.
At first I was like, “No, not my graduation money.” But then I was like, “Yes, I’m so glad I got that graduation money so I can pay my lawyer.”
God had waited until my graduation party for the lawyer to ask for the money. God is good and He has His own time that we must not question. What at first I thought was a disaster of having to lose all my graduation money that I had worked four long hard years for was actually a blessing from God for me being obedient and serving Him. We will never fully understand everything that happens, but I believe that if we have total faith in Him, He will show us the big picture when it is all over.
God Bless
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| A Special Call for Salvation |
| 05.19.04 (10:27 pm) [edit] |
[b][i]This is a letter to a special friend. I put in on the blog in hopes that someone will also feel the Spirit in it and accept Jesus Christ. I love you[/i][/b]
You were born for greatness! You were created for the Lord Jesus Christ’s glory. You were born for a specific purpose that is far greater than our hearts or minds can fathom. All of this true even though we may not see it this way.
One thing struck me tonight when you said that you were not spiritual. That may be true but Jesus has definitely had a hand in your life. He has looked after you and over you. He has sent out his angels to provide for you and protect you. Although you may not have accepted Jesus Christ into your heart or know Him personally, He has known you and loved you since the creation of His universe.
Before I was saved and accepted Jesus Christ into my heart as my personal savior, He was walking with me and guiding me. But the devil also had his hand in my life and did everything he could to destroy my heart, my mind, my future and my life. The devil did all he could, and used all the people and tricks he could to stray me off of my path of purpose and righteousness.
I don’t want to battle you with the struggles I faced growing up because I know that you have faced and overcome greater and more challenging obstacles and barriers than I did. We all have faced some kind of opposition.
But I grew up fatherless, living with my mother and grandparents. My grandparents hated my brother and me and treated us as if we were the devil himself. Then our teachers disowned us and did all they could to discourage us and steal our self-esteem. We were labeled everything from drug dealers, gang leaders, armed robbers, etc. We were never shown any love or respect from anybody who had authority over us. This was true for all my close friends. I lost all my friends at an early age. One became a dad in seventh grade. Another friend fell to drugs and alcohol and by his freshman year, being on house arrest, dropped out of school. Another friend dropped out as soon as he was sixteen, and another one is now serving a life time sentence for voluntary manslaughter. I seen so much negativity and disaster in my personal life, but still was able to never smoke, drink alcohol, or do drugs in my life. I was also able to make the honor roll ever since third grade, have perfect attendance all through school and make it to college. My brother and I were the only ones out of all my family and friends to graduate high school.
I thought at an early age that I had the worst family ever. I felt that they all hated me and wanted to see me fail in life. My family used to always tell my brother and me that we were going to be bums when we grew up. They used to call us nasty names and cuss at us. My family and environment (through the work of the devil) tried to steal my heart. The devil did this to destroy God’s glory and steal me away from His kingdom in heaven. But I knew deep down inside that my heart was good and that I was destined for greatness. I don’t know what it was but I knew that I was meant for something greater. There was a great call in my life and in my heart.
We must realize that we are in battle. We were born into war. The battle is over our hearts. When Mary gave birth to baby Jesus that was an act of war. During birth, the devil appeared in the sky as a fiery red drag having seven heads and ten horns. “And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.(Revelation 12:4)” As she gave birth to Jesus, God called Him up to His throne. Then Michael and his angels fought a war with the dragon and his angels. Michael won. “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9)” Then the devil, setting up his kingdom here on Earth, has declared war on all of God’s children. “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her off spring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:17)” You must realize that the devil is real and that he is on earth. And all he wants is to steal your heart, draw you away from Jesus and deny you your righteous place in the Lord’s heaven. He deceives the whole world. Therefore he attacks all the youth at an early age and deceives them to believe that they are worthless and unworthy of God’s salvation and grace. The devil wants you to believe that you are inferior, less than, and a disgrace not only to this world but also to God. This is absolutely a lie!
God created you in His image. He knew you before you were born. You are no mistake and your life thus far is no mistake. He has given you your characteristics, abilities, strengths, flaws, environments and people in your life to mold your heart to love Him. He wants nothing more than for you to accept Him as your personal savior and begin a personal relationship with Him. Jesus Christ knows you, loves you and He will find you! He found me.
I woke up one Sunday morning my senior year in high school and was told by something inside of me to go to church. I never been to church, I didn’t grow up in the church, I didn’t even know where a church was. But as I was driving the Lord lead me in the direction to a church that some of my friends went to. As soon as I heard the choir sing and saw all the people stand and praise the Lord, I felt this unreal, indescribable sensation rush all throughout my body. My eyes began to flood with tears of joy. I was just so moved. Then a lady of the church asked if I was ok. I said yes, that I had never felt better. Then she asked me if I had given my life to Jesus through baptism. And I said no. Then she asked if I would like to.
I was so scared because I thought during baptism I had to be naked and in front of the whole church. Even though I was scared, I surrendered my whole being to this lady and to the Lord. I didn’t care what any one thought of me naked, I was going to be with the Lord. To my delight, I was given a robe. After being baptized, I was on an all time high. I felt so amazing, like I was finally the man that I was always called to be.
That night I did not get much sleep. But I remember so clearly the dream I had. I was either lying down or standing, but I was looking to the sky. Then I saw this huge cloud that I began to draw nearer to. Then I lifted my hand and extended it to the cloud. A figure appeared that I will never forget. It was Jesus reaching out to me, touching me. It was so real. It was so amazing.
Every morning my grandmother would wake me up for school. She would yell at me from the bottom of the stairs and wouldn’t stop yelling until I was out of bed and in the kitchen. Usually it would take a while for me to wake up, but not that day. I was wide awake. I began to walk down the stairs slowly. When I got close to the bottom, my grandmother just stared at me in shock and awe and exclaimed, “Wow! You looked like a King when you walked down the stairs.” My grandmother had never said anything nice to me, but she could see the light of Jesus coming from me.
After being saved I was on fire for the Lord. I remember calling a meeting for all the student leaders one morning. I didn’t know what I was going to say but I knew I had to call a meeting. I had a whole lecture hall full of close to a hundred students. I stood up there and to this day I don’t know what I said. I just remember speaking from my heart and letting the Holy Spirit talk and work through me. All I remember is all the students crying and coming up to me hugging me after I was finished speaking. A lot of things that happened around that time are a little blurry, because it wasn’t me doing anything. I felt like a shiftless body being moved by a force greater than myself. This is the power of the Lord. And this is the power that the Lord will grant to you if you are willing to sacrifice and lay down your life for Him.
I was once like you. I had a passion to be great, to lead, to serve, to help, to make great changes in the world, to make huge impacts, to do great things with myself. I had this deep and sincere love and passion for my friends and all those around me. You have all this. There is just one ingredient, the most important one, to make this the most powerful force ever: that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Before the man Jesus could be Jesus our God, He had to be baptized. There was a man who came before Him that was to lead the way. In the Old Testament he is called Elijah. Elijah becomes John the Baptist. John the Baptist baptizes Jesus and God bestows upon Him all the greatness and power of His heavenly kingdom.
Much like Jesus, there was a man who came before me. This man was named Sonje Jenkins. I did not know Sonje personally, but I knew his very best friend Darnell. He told me the story about how they both went to play college basketball together and how Sonje developed a severe heart condition that should have stolen his life at an early college age. Sonje and Darnell then became deacons for Calvary, the church I was saved at. Sonje was the man who baptized me, put me under the water, cleansed me of my sins, and washed away the blood. It was Jesus who then entered my heart and saved my life. Living through a severe heart condition that could take his life at any time, Sonje lived his life to the fullest for Jesus. Less than a year after my baptism, my mother came to Indiana University to bring back my brother from home. As she walked in the room, she told me that Sonje Jenkins had died. He died in his sleep right after he woke up in the middle of the night to say goodnight to his mother and his daughter. They don’t know that he was the man who baptized me, but all I did was cry like a baby in my mother’s arms when I heard the news. I was so devastated and destroyed inside. But then I immediately realized that he was called home by Jesus to serve His kingdom. And I know for sure that Jesus allowed him to live for the special purpose of saving me (along with others he saved).
This brings me to you. I tell you everything and leave it all out on the table because that is how great you are and how much you mean to Jesus and His kingdom. He is calling you, every day, every minute, every breath. He wants to give you life, make you reborn, give you the power and strength that you need to become a new and more powerful child of God. You have a great calling in life. Much like the one I have. Maybe my calling is to share with you the word of Jesus so that you may be saved and so you can in turn be glorious in Him. We all think that we are the special ones, and the ones called for greatness. My greatness may be to disciple to you. When I gave my life to Jesus, I therefore gave my life to all his children. John 15:13 claims, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” I lay down my life to you right now so that you may know and accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. I leave you with two scriptures: John 3:3, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” and John 3:15 “That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” The Lord has chosen you for His glory and greatness!
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| Honors Thesis |
| 05.13.04 (10:26 pm) [edit] |
I am beginning to write my honors thesis for my major in African American Studies. I have already completed and defended my other honors thesis in Sociology. The title of the research was “Choosing An Unpaved Path: A Look at the Factors Affecting College Aspirations Among First Generation, Low-income Males.” I have been trying to start and finish my honors thesis for African American studies since my sophomore year. But unfortunately, it has not been started or completed. But I believe this was the Lord’s plan.
Last summer I completed a research that discussed the historical and social factors that affect the educational experiences of working class Black males in predominantly White communities. I was expected to expand on this research by doing an international component looking at Black males’ educational experiences in London and Toronto. But then I learned about conservatism and things drastically changed.
I wanted to drop out of college all together. I stopped attending all of my classes this last semester (that reminds me I have to check my grades online). I was enrolled in all sociology classes and could immediately tell their liberal agenda taking shape in the class, especially social theory where we focused on Karl Marx. I was not going to complete my honors thesis for either major. But then I was awarded a grant to complete my thesis for sociology and felt it would be easier to finish rather than repay the money. Now I am in the process of getting approval from my professor to start this research about Black conservatism or basically conservatism and Black America.
I was so surprised that our libraries held many of the titles needed for my research. Authors that none of my professors have ever told us about were in our libraries’ collections. Authors such as Shelby Steele, Thomas Sowell, Star Parker, Abigail and Stephan Thernstrom, John H. McWhorter, Dinesh D’Souza, Walter E. Williams, Tony Brown, Larry Elder and many others were available.
But as I was writing down their call numbers and locations, I began to notice a trend. The majority of all these conservative books were stored in the undergraduate side of our main library. Our library has two sides; the graduate/research side and the undergraduate side. Books checked out from the research side are not due for two months and you can renew them as many times as you like. Books checked out from the undergraduate side are due back in two weeks and you can only renew them once. After that you are charged overdue fees. This often deters students from checking out books from the undergraduate side. Not to mention the undergraduate book collection is only half a floor compared to thirteen floors full of loads of books. Is this a university ploy to silence conservative authors and position them in a manner that will force students to not check them out? I think so.
Also, I am being funded to write this research by the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program which I am a McNair scholar. This is a federally funded TRIO program so our funds come directly from the U.S. Department of Education. Not to mention the director, although she is a very nice lady, is a liberal. She has her office door tacked full of pictures that attack President Bush and is an avid member of PETA. So I will have to write my research plan in a liberal way that is deceptive in order to be paid. I was thinking about titling it “Supporting Our Own Demise: A look at Black conservative politics” or something to this nature. But when I turn in my final product it will be titled “Supporting Our Own Demise: Liberalism’s Deception and Destruction of Black America.”
Well, I’m just writing all this to let you know that I will probably be really busy writing this paper that I won’t be able to blog that much. I will try ever so often, especially when something inspirational comes into my life. I also write this to see if you have any suggestions on what topics or issues I should address in my paper. My thesis will probably just be an overview of all the issues. But who knows. Well, thanks for your support and I welcome any suggestions.
God Bless
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| The Lord Blesses Us, Even at McDonald's |
| 05.08.04 (10:22 am) [edit] |
It is the last day of the semester and my brother and I are standing in line at McDonald’s for lunch. We only have nine dollars left on our meal card to eat both lunch and dinner with. We order the two cheeseburger value meal along with an extra cheeseburger. After paying for lunch, we only had three dollars and some change left for dinner. Not enough to afford another value meal for us to share.
As the worker puts our food on the tray, I notice there was an extra crispy chicken sandwich on the tray that we did not order. I took the tray to our table and told my brother about the extra sandwich that they accidentally gave to us. I immediately thought that it was the Lord blessing us with extra food because we did not have enough money to each get a value meal. Then I knew that it was a temptation that the Lord was placing before me as a test of character and faith.
In my past life, getting a free sandwich would be nothing to me. I would not see it as a blessing or as a temptation, but rather as something that I was lucky enough to get away with. My first job I ever had was working at the McDonald’s that I lived across the street from. As a teenage cashier I would give away so much free food to my friends as well as to random customers I didn’t know but enjoyed their friendliness. I remember once giving a large bag of free food to my best friend without charging him anything. He was actually the only customer in the store at the time and I was so crazy that I just gave him free food and told him “Have a nice day!”
Getting free food was easy when you worked for the restaurant, but it was a little more difficult when you were just a customer. I remember as teenagers not having any money, my friends and I would go around town to the various restaurants and try to get free food. We would call it “getting the hook up.” We got the hook up so many times that it became routine. I remember we would even roll into a buffet restaurant and just sit down at a table. We would get plates from the bar and just eat for free. Nobody would say anything to us. One time, I felt so bad, I left a five dollar tip. I gave it directly to our waiter to make sure that none of my friends stole it. The buffet cost more than the five dollars, but five dollars to me was like a million dollars. I never was blessed to have any money, so to give five dollars was a huge sacrifice.
Another scam my friends and I would do would be to go through the drive through and tell the cashier that they forgot to give us all of our food. We would then get a free sandwich or some fries. When I moved out on my own at the age of sixteen, this became my only means of eating. I have received so much free (stolen) food in my life. But once I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart as a senior in high school, everything changed.
I was accepted into the Groups program over the summer before my freshman year in college. This program was for first generation, low-income students throughout the state of Indiana. We attended Indiana University and everything was paid for. It was the first time ever in my life where I actually had money to buy food or freedom to eat whatever I wanted. I remember I ate McDonald’s everyday. I ordered food that I was never able to afford. Food I had never tried because it was too expensive. I remember that first summer at college I gained twenty pounds. All fat! I was ordering a number one, supersized, with an extra six piece chicken mcnuggets and a large chocolate shake. I was eating everything.
The Lord blessed me plentifully. But times were now different and I no longer had all the freedom I once had in buying food. I now had to support both my brother and I on one meal plan. So budgeting and conservatism was crucial. We now barely had enough to survive our last day of college.
I knew we did not pay for the sandwich and I knew that they would probably throw the sandwich away if I was to give it back. But I put my faith in the Lord and took the sandwich back up to the counter. Hoping the worker would tell me that I could keep it, he only asked if I ordered it, and I said no. Then he looked at me for a few seconds and just said ok. I walked back to my table disappointed and as I sat down my brother screamed, “No, don’t throw it away!” As I looked back, the worker just tossed the sandwich in the garbage like it was nothing. But we still had some food and ate it appreciatively.
Later that evening, we went back to McDonald’s for dinner. We have actually eaten McDonald’s almost everyday this school year because it is the cheapest place on campus and my brother and I had to share a meal plan. So we had to be conservative with our meal points. While we were walking to the restaurant we were trying to figure out what we would order and how much we had left in order to buy the best amount of food that would fill both of us up. As we stood in line, I just knew that the Lord was going to bless us for my earlier act of faith and obedience. I knew the Lord was going to bless us with so much more than just an extra sandwich, I knew He was going to bless us with a feast.
As we were about to order, a lady working came to the counter and yelled, “Does anybody want a free triple quarter pounder?” Nobody was interested and she then asked again, but specifically directing her question towards my brother and me. My brother gladly took the sandwich and went to save us a seat in the packed McDonald’s. As I was next in line, my brother began to talk to a girl eating. She had several meal points left on her card and give it to him to use. He came back up and said, “Hey, here is a girl’s meal card that has a lot of extra points on it. We can order anything we want!” BAMN, this was the Lord’s blessing.
We each had a value meal to ourselves. My brother even got a chocolate shake and I got an Oreo McFlurry. We were stuffed and could not finish all our food. It was amazing. The Lord Jesus Christ had just blessed us for being patient, obedient, and faithful to His way and His will. He will provide also for you if you are faithful and allow Him to be the provider for your life.
God Bless
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| College Courting: Where is the Love? |
| 05.05.04 (12:13 am) [edit] |
I came in the gym early today. Usually everyone gets there around four in the afternoon, but I arrived a half of an hour early. There were people in the gym shooting around so I put on my shoes and walked onto the court. We began to shoot and then once ten guys arrived, we picked up teams and began to play full court basketball. Being the social purveyor that I am, I quickly noticed a young couple sitting down together behind the second court. The guy began to play while the girl he was with (don’t know if it was his girlfriend) sat and watched. Then when he was done, they both left together.
This sight was very unusual. Yes, unusual in deed. Was it unusual because there was a girl in the male dominated gym area? No, many girls often come and play in the gym. Was it unusual because she was watching instead of playing? Maybe, but that wasn’t what caused me to see it as unusual. What was very unusual was the fact that I actually saw a couple (let’s hope they were a couple for the sake of this article) together in a highly visible public place. I have found this to be rare among dating college students, especially Black college students.
I must first speak about and expose myself and some of my past relationships to let you know that I have experienced first hand what is going on among college couples on campus. I didn’t really start “talking to someone” (this is what we label it instead of dating) until my sophomore year. A girl who sat behind me in class began to call me up and talk to me on the phone. I did not want a girlfriend at this particular time, but I decided it was time to start being more social. So we began to start talking and seeing each other.
She was two years older than me and was living off campus. The only time we would spend together would be late nights when she would call me up and I would go over to her apartment and spend the night. I began to get frustrated because I was not used to staying up late and getting up early in the morning for classes. I broke it off with her because of this very reason but because we still harbored some emotions for each other we still continued to talk. One time we were walking together in the food court and she whisked off away from me to go talk to some of her friends. I knew she did not want to be seen with me by her friends or possibly by other guys in the cafeteria. For the most part, our relationship was secluded and confined to her apartment off campus.
In another past relationship, it was the same. Our relationship was very private and secluded to her apartment off campus. We did not have any classes together and did not see each other on campus. The only time we would see each other would be, once again, late at night when I would go over and spend the night with her. In all honesty, this seems to be the norm in most college relationships.
I can honestly only think of one Black couple I know who are together in public and who claim to their friends that they are a couple. Most other people do not tell others who they are seeing or who they are talking to. Relationships here on campus are merely late night extravaganzas that are private and secretive. These “down low” relationships allow students to see and talk to as many other people as they like.
This is very upsetting and very harmful to our youth. They see such relationships as normal and socially acceptable. This allows for sexual promiscuity and impurity. On a college campus, this leads to high-risk behavior that can have severe consequences. But our campus administrators see it best to push for safe sex programs and the promotion of contraceptives. This causes more sexual immorality not safer immorality. There is no such thing.
What was once a practice used for finding a compatible husband/wife, dating has now become a sexually permissive, secretive and harmful ritual that leaves these young people broken. Our youth’s hearts are stolen and left lifeless from sexual promiscuity. They no longer know how to love nor know the meaning of love. And their bodies are left scared, battered and bruised, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Students then leave the college environment, but take their dating notions and practices along with them. Please don’t be confused that this is only true among males. In my personal experience, I have found women to be just as much secretive and promiscuous (if not more) than guys. This promiscuous attitude then turns into unhealthy relational habits that remain during marriage. And these are the relationships among our “educated” folks, our future “leaders.”
What was once a place to find your future husband/wife, college has now become a place of sexual impurity and immorality. It is tragic that our youth are not only becoming exposed to such socially accepted behavior, but actively participating in it.
Let me now give some tips for Christian courting (Please don’t deem me as an expert). First, the relationship must be based and centered on Jesus Christ. You must make sure that your partner loves Jesus Christ a million times more than s/he will ever love you. Next, your relationship must solely be public. You must never find yourself alone with this person or put yourself in a situation that will cause the two of you to engage in sinful activity. Thirdly, you must continue to ask Jesus to work in your relationship and to be the Counselor of it. Any progress or further commitments you make to each other make sure that Jesus approves and blesses it. This will allow your relationship to be whole, truthful, plentiful, real, beautiful, sinless, shameless, moral, strong and pleasing to God.
We must begin with ourselves. We cannot change anyone’s behavior, but we can change our own. Please do not just accept a sexual relationship because you think there are no valid candidates out there to share your heart with. Many of us have done this many times. Don’t give up that easy. Hold out! It is worth it. God has something amazing in store for those who are patient and who follow His commandments and live according to His will.
If you find yourself captivated by sexual sin, there is a way out. If you find your heart broken and in need of repair, there is a handy man who is on call 24 hours a day ready to answer your call. If you find yourself feeling unworthy of love there is someone who will make you and your heart whole again. If you feel shattered and scared, there is someone who can redeem you and make you born a new. That someone is the Lord Jesus Christ. Please surrender your heart to Him and let Him make it whole again. Let Him fill you with love and passion for living and loving. He can do it! Just open your heart and accept Him and claim Him as your personal savior. That is all you have to do, He will do the rest.
God Bless
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