Category Archives: MUSINGS

Whitney but no Jesus

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We gathered around TVs, eyes glued there, thumbs on tablets and cells, watching and tweeting our way through. We couldn’t believe what our eyes did see: Whitney Houston was gone. We knew it to be true, though. The casket was there. The choir was there and so were “more stars than the Grammys,” said the pastor of Newark’s New Hope Baptist Church. This was Houston’s hometown church, the place where mother Cissy wanted to celebrate Houston’s life now in her death, a place familiar to Whitney, a comfortable place, fitting to send her to her ultimate home.

We gathered around TVs, tweeting the incredible, sounding off the unusual, after voice after voice talked about the Lord. Some actually said His name, Jesus, and we couldn’t believe that He was sent forth. Across the airwaves, throughout the nations folks heard about His goodness; they heard about His grace. I imagine they were hungry, on the edge of their seats wanting to know how to get this Jesus: Do I read the Bible? Do I go to church? Do I just say I love Him? Their eyes were glued, probably they knew that someone would tell them how to get them Jesus and be with Him even in death. But this they do not know, at least not from the Houston screen, the worldwide platform where the famous and familiar didn’t have to pay to say what I expected them to say: Jesus Christ, who is God, who Whitney claimed to be her God, died on the cross for the sins of mankind, but rose again after three days, defeating death and the grave. If those who say they sin and believe they need a perfect savior to help them sin less call on Jesus, that perfect Savior, to take away their sins, because they believe in their hearts that Jesus made that sacrifice, that He paid the price for their redemption, then they too will defeat death. They will have the power to live for Jesus in life and be with Him in heaven after death.

But they didn’t say this. They said the familiar, the comfortable, the unpeculiar. They blended in, went for the shout, never clarifying the doubt that surely thousands had. What God is love? How can I prioritize God? This made me sad. This made me mad that the Savior I know (and off the Houston screen the one they say they know) couldn’t hear them say that Jesus is Lord and that He said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” But their denial reminded me of what I must do on my arrivals: Wherever I go, whomever I meet I must speak the name of Jesus whenever the opportunity comes. I am thankful for a heart check, seeing if my blood freely flows Jesus and not just human red. There is power in the name of Jesus. In Him we live and move and have our being. Without Him we are nothing. Without Him, we get nothing.

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 10:33).

Don’t be denied.

My One Thousand Gifts List
#451-460
Getting two complimentary CDs
Connecting with an old classmate
Intimate talk with a new friend
Watching a movie with Flynn
Getting ready for church and not being stressed without having help with the boys
Being able to hear the main parts of the sermon even with the noise of the cry room
Flynn having me pick up carryout so I wouldn’t have to cook dinner
The incredible sound of thunder and the beautiful brightness of lightening
Enjoying episode two of Wives and Daughters
A shower BEFORE the boys woke up

Friday Feature: Godly Food Choices

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A Raw Food Meal. Photo credit: The Daily Ritual Blog

God gave us a variety of food to choose from. In Genesis 9:2-3 God said, “All the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, all the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have placed them in your power. I have given them to you for food, just as I have given you grain and vegetables.” Though this is the case, we know that because of the fall of man, humans have not been great stewards of the earth. This lack of stewardship has caused the air and soil to become contaminated with pollutants and has affected our food supply. There are even greedy companies that genetically manufacture foods to be resistant to weed killers but these created foods haven’t been proven safe for human consumption. With all these factors in mind, it is prudent for us to choose our food with care. In addition to the safety of the food, I believe Christians should choose food based on the following:

Your edification—“You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything’—but not everything is good for you. And even though ‘I am allowed to do anything,’ I must not become a slave to anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12). Last week I talked about choosing foods based on satisfying hunger instead of simply satisfying taste. Choosing food to satisfy hunger indeed is a way of self edification. Beets, leafy greens, beans, celery and various juicy fruits work exceptionally well in building up my body. They give me energy, mental clarity and skin clarity, but other foods don’t agree with my system. Certain foods make me bloat, increase my bad bacteria, breakout my skin and make me feel heavy. I avoid these foods. They don’t edify my body. Know what foods edify your body, eat those and stay away from the rest.

Others’ edification—“Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. . . . It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble. You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. . .” (Romans 14:1, 21-22). If you are trying to be an example for someone then don’t eat foods that may tempt them to sin or otherwise cause them not to be edified in their body or spirit. The Bible says to refrain from eating foods around people that are weak in the faith. If someone doesn’t eat meat because they don’t understand that they have freedom to eat whatever God has put on this earth for us then you shouldn’t eat meat in their presence if doing so will negatively affect their faith. You can always pick up some chicken on the way home from wherever you are with them. You will be satisfied and would have contributed to their coming into spiritual strength in due season.

God’s will for your life—When the Jewish apostles were commissioned to minister to the Gentiles, they had to change their views of the Gentiles being “unclean,” and that included the Jews’ view on the food they ate (Acts 11:7-18 and Galatians 2:12-14). If you are called to minister to a certain group of people, like as a missionary to a foreign country or to the artist community that tends to have a high population of vegetarians, God may call you to eat like that group of people so you can relate to them. Remember, Paul said, “Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). Change your eating if it will help you to win souls for Jesus Christ.

No one can dictate what type of foods you can eat because no one knows better than you what God has purposed you to do and what foods will help you accomplish that. Be wise in your choices and make sure whatever they are that you glorify God in the process.

Special Obligation: We Must Die

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What Do You Think? Wednesday

In order to live, something has to die. We see this in all of nature. Animals kill other animals so they can live. Humans kill animals to give life to humans. Even vegetarians eat fruits and vegetables that have begun to slowly lose their nutrients after they are picked. That’s a death so vegetarians can live. Death is a part of the cycle of life. Just like something has to die in the physical to give physical life, the same is true in order to give spiritual life. The physical body has to die so that the spiritual man might live. Christians are obligated to die to their physical bodies so their spirit might live and they are obligated to explain this process to nonbelievers.

Everyone needs to know that God the Father sent Jesus—God the Son—to die so that we might live. But just like taking in the food for it to be effective, we must take Jesus in. We can’t just have as a fact that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of mankind, which means each of us personally, but we must confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that Jesus did this for us. We do this after acknowledging that we are dead (that we continuously sin when we don’t want to but are incapable of restraining ourselves) and want life and that Jesus is the only one who can give us this life according to His own testimony (Romans 10:9-10; John 14:6-7). Some say Jesus never said He was God. True. He didn’t say it literally but He spoke metaphorically and the people understood exactly what He was saying (John 6:26-58, 8:58-59 and 10:32-42). A perfect God took on a body and lived a perfect human life to die for my imperfect life that I might live through Him. What an awesome God!

In gratitude to His awesome work, we are obligated to the awesome work of dying to ourselves—our desires, actions and thoughts—that don’t bring God glory. No one wants to die but dying is the only way that we get life, a full, vibrant, peaceful and productive one all given from the Son. So if something seems not to be working in your life you just may be in the process of dying so that life can spring forth. If things aren’t working out and you haven’t made a conscious decision to die, surely God is working on your behalf to rid your life of those dead things blocking the life He wants to bring. Don’t fight the dissolution of unhealthy friendships or the removal from certain circumstances. This may be God’s strategic move to help you through the death cycle. Let God have His way. Choosing spiritual life is up to you (Deuteronomy 30:19).

What do you think needs to die so that you have the spiritual life God intends for you to have? Also, why don’t you read the posts at the following links that talk about life and death? Please, tell me what you think.

What Whitney Houston Taught Us in Life & Death

A Good Cut Can Do Wonders

The Perfect Valentine’s Day Gift for a Mother

Whitney’s Help

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When I was 12 and a little less than carefree I had big dreams. I wanted to be a writer and a magazine owner. That fashion magazine would be for black girls like me, fun and funky and for those who wanted to talk about black girl issues, like what to do with kinky hair and when, if ever, we should shave our legs. I had these big dreams because I had great parents who encouraged me to dream and I had Whitney Houston.

She was the first black girl I saw grace the pages of Seventeen and she did so more than a few times. When I saw her I knew there could be space for me, that I wouldn’t have to push as hard to make it into a business that focused little on girls like me. Though Whitney Houston was a great singer, my memory of her is of a fashion-industry barrier breaker and seeing her giving me the courage to do the same.

As the world mourns the of death Houston, this woman so often called a strong black woman who wrestled with many issues, probably some we will never know, I wonder who Houston had to encourage her. I wonder was the pressure of all her ‘firsts’ just too great for her that she had such a hard time seeing and trusting the God who made those firsts possible. Though gospel singer Kirk Franklin tweeted that he “knew” fame killed Houston, we may never know. But what I want us to remember as we are teaching our children to be excellent in Christ is that our children need our constant encouragement so that even before their excellence manifests they have something to hold on to when their trouble comes. Let us do whatever the Holy Spirit leads us to do to help our children remain hopeful in the midst of their disappointment, in the midst of their trials and pain. I am thankful that we have a God who is there to give us the guidance that we need. Read more about encouraging our children in my latest EEW article.

My One Thousand Gifts List

#441-450
Swinging with Justus
Hearing Justus say “wee” as I pushed him in the swing
Flynn hearing my heart about him needing to cut out something in ministry
A full, informative blog post
A half hour nap
Being on a guest list
Seeing all black women in the Black Women Rock band
Not having to hear anyone call me and enjoying being alone at the concert
Sharing my faith comfortably at a gathering with several non-Christians
Connecting with an artist and seeing her joy at receiving my First Year of Motherhood book

Friday Feature: Hunger Satisfaction v. Taste Satisfaction

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How many times have you been afraid to try some new food because “I might not like it” or you try something because you think you will like it? Typically, trying something new is not an issue for me, though some things, like squid and frog legs (though I’ve tried them) turn my stomach just thinking about them. As I was thinking about why we eat what we eat I realized that most of us eat foods we have a taste for and not foods that will simply satisfy our hunger. We have given precedence to satisfying our taste above satisfying our hunger. Yes, God gave us food to enjoy; that’s why we have taste buds. But should taste really be our main concern?

This is the question I have been pondering while on this raw food program. I have had some amazing foods that have satisfied my taste and hunger, but some foods I didn’t like. Because I am committed to trying new foods to help me learn how to prepare new dishes I continue to try what I have not heard of in hopes of discovering what will be good for my body. When I say good I mean good for me, not necessarily good to me. The phrases good for me and good to me offer the major difference between hunger satisfaction and taste satisfaction. Following are some basic distinctions:

Hunger Satisfaction

Supplies fuel
Eliminates hunger pangs
Infuses energy
Nourishes cells
Nourishes skin
Provides mental clarity

Taste Satisfaction

Pleases palate
Pleases emotions
Fills stomach with empty calories
Pleases eyes
Provides temporary fuel
Feeds fat cells

Of course everything that tastes good isn’t bad for you. There are a range of foods (like my favorites of Mediterranean and Indian) that are good for you and good to you. But let’s admit: when we go for taste we are rarely thinking about eating foods that will satisfy our hunger. And we simply satisfy our taste we are ultimately satisfying our souls—our minds, will and emotions. When we seek to only satisfy our taste I believe we are giving in to our soulish side, our flesh. We know that when we feed our flesh we in turn are starving our spirit. So if that’s that case, shouldn’t we be seeking to satisfy our hunger—receiving fuel that gives us energy and physical and mental health—above satisfying our taste? This is what I want us, especially Bible-believing Christians, to consider. If our food is to do the will of God the Father and to complete the work that He put us on earth to do, as Jesus said, shouldn’t we choose to satisfy our hunger above our taste so we get all the physical stamina we need to accomplish our God-given work (John 4:34)?

What do you think of how I have made the distinction between hunger satisfaction and taste satisfaction? How do you see taste satisfaction and hunger satisfaction playing out in your life? In the lives of others? I would love for you to comment below. Depending on your reading format, the below options will say Leave a Reply or Add New Comment. Thank you for reading.