Category Archives: Deception

Wicked Worship?

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They waited all night in the cold, wind and rain, thousands of fans stood outside for a chance to get an up close view of their teen idol, Justin Bieber, performing in Rockefeller Plaza last month. The Today Show said this Bieber appearance garnered the largest crowd ever for one of its concert series. Wrapped in winter gear, fans screamed, sung and flung tears as Bieber sang his latest hits. One fan stared in the distance as she with bated breath told of her good fortune of receiving one of Bieber’s hand towels from a backstage worker. These fans were pumped and came to give total praise to the one they adored. Some shake their heads in disbelief, and maybe you do so with your children, wondering how they could give that type of time and attention to anyone.

I understand their mania because their devotion reminds me of my idol worship days. Read the rest at EEW Magazine.

My One Thousand Gift List

#341-350
Nate waking up and asking, “It’s playtime!?”
Nate’s smile
A lyrical blog post
Chloe and Caleb visiting and having a great time playing with Joshua, Nate and Justus
Finding “Freckle Juice” at teh library book sale the day after Joshua said he wanted to buy it
Talking with Karen, a woman I met at the library
A spirited family devotion
Sleeping through the night
Watching Josh and Nate chase each other and hearing their laughter
Offering to make a loan but not having to do so

Failed Fight?

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The day didn’t go as I had hoped. As the mediator of a conflict, the two parties didn’t see eye to eye. At the end of the meeting one even said, “It’s not going to change.”

In another relationship I have, a woman has experienced more than her share of emotional highs and lows, always knowing when she’s doing wrong but not desiring to do right. “I don’t want to stop,” she said.

Another who sought my help to help her get disciplined rarely completed the assignments I gave her, often saying “I didn’t have time to do it.”

In each of these instances I was disappointed but I recognized that I wanted more for these three ladies than they wanted for themselves. With that I knew I couldn’t do any more directly unless they decided to want a change or the Holy Spirit unveiled their blinded eyes (2 Peter 1:9, John 12:40). Knowing that God can use me but the Holy Spirit is the arbiter of their souls brings me comfort, keeps me focused and prevents me from shunning the next person with a seemingly larger than life issue. When I have suffered long and given my best I leave the rest up to God.

How do you respond to people you’re trying to help whose actions say they don’t want your help? Do you suffer long or tend to toss them at their first sign of resignation? Please, tell me what you think.

Dark Girls

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What Do You Think? Wednesday

Once this woman, over dinner, told me that she was glad her husband was light skinned because she didn’t want her children “to be as dark as me.” My heart sank, feeling compassion for her low self-worth in that area and anger that those thoughts were coming from a 30-something woman in the 21st century. By all accounts this successful professional in the medical field was a strong black woman, planning her career, making her own decisions and never holding her tongue, sometimes, like that evening, making comments revealing her insecurity. I wish we lived in a land where dark skin prejudice was not an issue, where skin lighteners, hair straighteners and plastic surgery only had their place because of need (or even convenience) that had nothing to do with trying to look white. But the hatred remains and is a reason this film can stake a claim in the movie market in 2011. This film comes 335 years after the official end of the legal enslavement of blacks in the United States and almost 500 years since the beginning of this demonic system that created divisions between light and dark-skinned blacks. Have you seen the preview of Dark Girls? If not, take a look and tell me what you think, particularly from a biblical point of view?

Dark Girls: Preview from Bradinn French on Vimeo.

Ugly Women?

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What Do You Think? Wednesday

It is so important to know who we are in Christ:

  • A royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9)
  • A selected and treasured people (Titus 2:14)
  • An anointed people (2 Corinthians 1:21)
  • Fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
  • An heir with Christ (Titus 3:7)
  • Made for good works (Ephesians 2:10)
  • Able to walk in wisdom, display the fruit of the Spirit, righteousness, and everything that is good (Colossians 4:5; Galatians 5:22-23; Romans 8:4; Philippians 4:13).

    • If we don’t know, we would be apt to snap back at this. This “scientific” article in a scientific magazine by a practicing scientist could make a recovering strong black woman stray from her path and put a brotha in his place. But I digress, suggest you read this (if you can get through it) and let me know what you think.

    Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

    The Beauty of Life

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    The dishes are dirty; the clothes pile high; children cry; toys are scattered and tattered and remind me I am the same. The time is gone and won’t be back until tomorrow. Yet in the midst of chaos I see my calm:

    Beauty amidst chaos

    This spring bouquet, a mixture of two sets of flowers, has been bringing me joy. By seeing them I smile because

  • I marvel at God’s handiwork. How does He give type, color and smell to so many things?
  • They are pretty and make me feel pretty.
  • The blossoms seem to be smiling at me.
  • Two people thought enough about me to buy me them.
  • They remind me that not everything is bad.

    • So find you some flowers today. Maybe your blossoms won’t be flowers but a beaming teenager happy that you’re her mom, a toddling two-year-old with the ability to create in all his spaces, a job that enables you to pay your bills, the wind that blows you fresh air, a potty seat to remind you of childhood progress, frozen food showing you your abundance, helping hands showing you you’re not alone. We never are. God is there, providing blossoms in our messy midst, showing us life as it should be: focused on His goodness and grace while in hellish places.

    Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

    I don’t know who this is for today; I had an entirely different post but when I sat down to write this is what I heard. So I pray for you today. I pray that you see the light at the end of the tunnel, that you know that there is a silver lining, that God didn’t bring you this far to leave you. He would never do that. He is faithful. He never leaves us or forgets about us. It may feel that way but please know that all things work together for our good if we love God and are called according to His purpose. We must remember that He called us for what He wants to do through us not so we can do what we want and have things to go the way we want. And remember that all means ALL; God wastes nothing. He is the ultimate recycler, making us over and over again. So get ready for your life makeover. Get ready for the new and improved you, handcrafted by God, the ultimate stylist and brander. Yep, that’s our God. Wait on Him to make you over. Yes, He wants to do that for you, but He’s got to do it in His own way. Trust Him. Believe in Him. He won’t let you down.