Faith Based Journal june - july 2012
Inspire, Inform & Educate
62nd Edition
INSIDE
The Woman Who Washed Jesus’ Feet: A Framework for a Faithbased Approach to HIV/AIDS
offers services to
Independent Insurance Professionals
By Minister Joe Collins AIDS is the leading cause of death among young African Americans between the ages of 25 and 44...
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Barbara Walker-Green, President BLG Financial and Insurance Services A MATHFUL GOD? By Shawn McEvoy That said, have you ever looked at the face of a calculator and marveled at how completely God is involved in all of those functions? PAGE 65
Barbara Walker-Green Changing lives Financially One Dollar at a time By Sharon C. Jenkins, Contributing Writer
The Need for Authentic Teaching: Is The Black Church Breeding and Bleeding Blasphemy? By Victoria D. Green It is now the time that we honor and obey the very words of Jesus by articulating, illustrating and facilitating the Love of God in an excellent way in all that we do. PAGE 66
Now That the “Weight” is Over! By Chana Kurtz So many times when we see or hear about the “weight” being over we see it as “wait.” PAGE 68
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arbara Walker-Green knew at an early age that she was called to help others. It started with her mother, who after her father died had to care for her and her siblings. She decided to go to work cleaning houses for people on the hill. Barbara went to work with her one day and found her mother asleep and exhausted as a result of the tremendous workload she was under. That day she convinced her mother that she was better than her current station in life and she prepped her for employment and assisted her in getting a better job. She brings that same “mother wit” to her mission to empower congregations financially. I have the privilege of sharing with you
an interview I did with Barbara Walker-Green, President of BLG Financial and Insurance Services Corporation below. Sharon: What is your mission in regards to finances and our local community of churches? Barbara: One of the biggest reasons why I am so motivated to do what I am doing and focus on the faith-based community is because our communities are so grossly underserved when it comes to finance and financial literacy. And I have seen it throughout my career. It shows up in so many ways, because of our increasing joblessness, our lack of retirement planning, and appropriating the proper amount of retirement funding. And just in general, our economic situation
in this country. Most of it is due to a lack of communication. So I was motivated a long time ago to start my own practice. I use to work for companies in the financial industry and I have a pretty well rounded knowledge of financing when it comes to handling financial analysis and now investing. So I am able to assist an individual in making financial choices from various different angles. And my motivation to get into the business again and the number one reason were to bring this knowledge and education to the African American Community. Again we are so lacking in that area and one of the best ways to reach us is through our churches because many of us are extremely
faithful to our churches. So I said what better way to reach out to the community than through the churches. Now one of the things about that is that I realize that in many of these churches there are already financial professionals ahave been blessed and fortunate enough to reach very high levels in this business, especially as an African American female. I am probably in the top 1% and that’s very rare because this is a male dominated industry, as we all well know. One of the reasons, one of the things I’ve found in my rise, is that I struggled tremendously when I first started. I mean I didn’t start right out of the gate of success. I went through a lot of challenges and a lot of changes. I saw a lot of
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Cont: Barbara Walker-Green, Changing Lives Financially One Dollar at a Time By Sharon C. Jenkins us (African Americans) come and go because the struggle was too great for them or financially they just couldn’t continue the journey. So what I was fortunate enough to do was recognize where my blessings come from and I was blessed enough to get past the hurdles and figure it out. And now I want to be able to share that knowledge and those tools and all those things I learned along the way, so that African Americans and minorities, not just African American financial advisors, can avoid a lot of those hurdles and be able to be a blessing to their churches and their communities. So it doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m trying to go into these churches and take over, because again many f ina ncia l professiona ls already belong to these institutions. Sharon: What is BLG Financial and Insurance Services Corporation? Barabra: BLG Financial and Insurance Services Corporation is an insurance agenc y that provides training, education, and contracting tools that an agent can come in and if they are licensed or desire to be licensed, become a force in this industry. They can get the education, training and tools necessary to be successful from our company. So not only do I offer my services personally, I have a staff that assists me in providing these services. But I am also reaching out to those other financial professionals who already exist in the Faith-Based community to assist them with what I have learned along the way, and to maybe smooth out some of the bumps. Sharon: I love your mission, it sounds like you are going into these faith-based communities to become pa rtners with anything that they
already have in existence that is bringing that financial literacy to the forefront in the churches and if there is nothing there tha n you will become that entity that brings financial literacy and education. Am I correct in my assumption? B a r b a r a : Yo u a r e absolutely correct, that is the goal. I don’t intend to step on anyone’s toes, but if there is a need and I can be of service, then that is what I’m offering as well. Sharon: So this sounds like you will be doing strategy sessions with the forces that are already in place to come up with a more viable program that will bring financial empowerment to the congregation. Barbara: That is exactly correct. Sharon: Let’s say you go into a local church and there’s nothing there. Perhaps it’s a little Mom and Pop storefront church and there is no financial literacy initiative. What is t he extent of t he program that you are willing to bring into the congregation to empower those people in regards to achieving financial independence so that they can be kingdom contributors? Barbara: First of all we would bring financial literacy and education that would be the number one goal. I am also a member of a non-profit organization called the Society of Fi n a nci a l Aw a rene s s (SOFA) and as a nonprofit, we can reach out to more and more institutions than a for profit company. Through SOFA, we have a series of financial literacy workshops that we perform and I would come in and give those workshops. Some of these workshop titles are: How Do I Manage My 401K?, How to Manage My Credit, How to Save for My Child’s Education,
How to Purchase Real Estate. Then we also have a team of legal experts, because your financial wellbeing is not just about money, so we also have attorneys that come and do workshops. They also talk about estate planning, wills and trusts and things like that. We have tax experts that will come in and talk about tax law and how to avoid taxation on qualified plans. Then we have someone from the health industry that comes in and talks about our health, for example about diabetes that is prevalent in our community and all the challenges that we face as a nation. So initially we offer a totality of literacy that can help bring value to the congregation. Now me as a financial professional, my role would extend even further and I would offer my individual assistance to those who are in need and are serious about taking control of their finances and their financial lives. That would entail a consultation to see what their needs are and if I can be of service to them, as well as laying out a plan for that congregation. For example, If they don’t have something in place, helping them to find a financial tool that can be a retirement plan for the pastor and his wife. Fund that plan, which is owned by the church, so that when that pastor retires there will be money that he and his wife will be able to receive for the rest of their lives. Upon their demise of course the blessing goes back to the church in the form of a death benefit. So it’s a win/win situation. It’s still a tax deductable contribution. But it’s also a way for the pastor to know that if I do this for the next twenty years and I don’t become a mega church, where there is cash falling all over the place, I can still retire and have something
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to look forward to in terms of income. Not just that, this is a way for the church to fund plans that will provide college funding for its members. They can have their own rules and stipulations on who will get the money, but again these fundings can be a blessing to the church, because they own the assets. So there are so many different things that can be brought to the churches. Many people in the past have traditionally thought that these tools were on ly ava i lable t o credited investors. Investors with millions of dollars worth of assets, but now a lot of these tools are available to the average individual and many of us just don’t know what’s out there. So it’s what we don’t know that hurts us, so much and that’s where the literacy piece is so strong. Sharon: How do you go about e va luat ing your success with that particular congregation o n c e y o u h a v e implemented and trained them? B a r b a r a : We l l i t ’s twofold, one is if we are just doing the financial literacy piece on the nonprofit side, the goal is to go in and do a series of workshops and hope that the ears that the words fall
upon, hear you and take heed to it. That is really the giving and the serving that we do for the members of the congregation. On the side of the for-profit, if someone is interested in one of our products, of course we track them by each church we service, depending on how we are able to help them. So there is a tracking mechanism to know exactly where each individual client came from. That part is pretty simple in terms of ongoing monitoring. When a financial professional truly is working with an individual, it’s an ongoing process. So there is quarterly or an annual meeting depending upon the investment vehicle that is used, so you keep in touch. Also through the building of BLG Financial, those financial professionals that come in and decide that they would like to utilize the tools and benefits that are available through our company, we are quipping financial servants for the community. They are still independent agents, but because they came through BLG Financial, there is a tracking mechanism that allows me to know exactly what they are doing in terms of volume and in
terms of whom they may be bringing in to the company. Sha ron: Now what motivated you to help ot her f ina ncia l professionals? Because I am sure it’s a very competitive industry. Barbara: Extremely. It’s probably one of the most competitive industries out
there. Whenever it has to do with the movement of money, it is extremely competitive and that’s what we do, we move money. So what motivates me again, was my journey through the struggles that I went through from start to today. I saw such a lack of minority f inancial professionals, which tells me why our c om mu n it y su f fer s s o much. Because usually you service the community you live in, at least at the congregational level. So if there was more knowledge and more strength in the numbers of minority f ina ncia l professiona ls in the community, then as a natural progression the community would be stronger. So you can measure the wealth of our communities by just driving through them. There is obviously no financial empowerment in them, meaning that financial literacy is not reaching that level. So many of my friends that I grew up with and went to college with, right now are in such a
financial strain that it’s heartbreaking to see some of the struggles that they are going through. Ninety percent is because of the lack of knowledge and the lack of planning early on. So my motivation is to ensure that we don’t continue this pattern. We can not allow ourselves to fall by the wayside as minorities. We are Americans that contribute to this country and we deserve to have a good life. When we listen to the news and they are talking about the 1% versus the 99%, that’s scary. I ask myself what the 1% and the 99% means. To the average American it means that the 1% represents the top wealthiest people in the country and the 99% e v e r y b o d y e l s e . We l l I am not the wealthiest person in the country, but I’m definitely not at the bottom of the barrel either. So that is not what they are referring to when they talk about the 1% and the 99%. The 1% is the financially informed and the 99% is the financially uninformed as to how this
country really works. As far as health, as far as legal aspects, as far as finances, we as a community are uninformed. We have to move that line up on the scale to something that is more acceptable. We are one of the greatest countries in the world and we are talking about a 99% to 1% margin of poverty. That’s embarrassing to me to even say. Sharon: So ultimately you are about empowering congregat ions throughout Houston to make the right financial choices and to be more empowered in regards to not only making, but establishing a secure financial future. Barbara: Absolutely. We wish Ms. WalkerGreen much success in her outreach to help o u r c o m m u n i t y, o n e congregation at a time. To contact Barbara WalkerGreen or BLG Financial and Insurance Services Corporation call 1-877984-4222 or go to www. blgfinancial.net.
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July, 2012 59.
The Woman Who Washed Jesus’ Feet:
A Framework for a Faith-based Approach to HIV/AIDS By Minister Joe Collins, Contributing Writer www.faith-health-hope.com
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s an African A m e r i c a n minister/ evangelist, I made a decision several years ago to work on behalf of people with HIV/AIDS and to help prevent new infections, particularly in communities of color. As a heterosexual man who is not HIVpositive, people often ask why I chose this endeavor. To me the answer simple: AIDS is the leading cause of death among young African Americans between the ages of 25 and 44 (male and female). How could I as a man of God ignore that? When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. entered the Civil Rights Movement, he took on the biggest secular challenge facing our people in that day. I have chosen to do the same in my day. Unfortunately, there are not enough pastors, ministers and congregations engaged in the fight against HIV/ AIDS and yet, it touches nearly every African American congregation and family in this country. I believe one of the greatest obstacles to God’s people getting involved in this critically important ministry is an inability to see a clear calling to HIV/AIDS ministry in the Word of God. Let me offer a seven-point scriptural framework derived from a story we all should read again more closely: The Woman Who Washed Jesus’ Feet (Luke 7:36-50). The story begins with Jesus sitting in a house preparing to fellowship with others over a meal. In this parallel of today’s church, Jesus occupies the position of a compassionate, welcoming pastor, while
Simon occupies the position of a critical and condemning pastor or church member. The house symbolizes the church sanctuary. The following seven-point framework is a clear illustration of why today’s pastors and churches should participate in ministry toward people with HIV/ AIDS, regardless of their sexual orientation, health status or spiritual status. 1. The woman had a sincere desire to safely come into the house and worship Jesus Christ. One of the greatest fears of people when they contract HIV is having their positive status discovered in their family church. This fear is usually greater than having their status known at work or among their families. In my work with people living with HIV/AIDS, I hear testimonies of people who reside in one city but drive to another one hours away because they need spiritual counseling but are terrified to ask for it in the community they live in. People who are sick and emotionally devastated should be able to depend on their family church and pastor to love them unconditionally, give them the same opportunity for worship and prayer as anyone else and to keep their confidence. Unfortunately, far too few churches and pastors can be trusted to do this for people living with HIV/AIDS. 2. There were people in the house who did not think the woman belonged there because of her lifestyle. The Pharisee named Simon not only questioned the woman’s right to touch Jesus, but also questioned Jesus’ position as a prophet. The New Testament contains numerous accounts of Jesus eating with “publicans and sinners” and interacting with all manner of people who were rejected because of their lifestyles. In fact, no other person recorded
in the Gospels spent more time with prostitutes and adulterers than Jesus. He did this for a reason. Jesus spent time fellowshipping with and ministering to the most sexually stigmatized people of His generation so that we would know how to treat the most sexually stigmatized people of our generation. For him, that was prostitutes and adulterers. For you and I it is people living with HIV/ AIDS, regardless how they contracted it. 3 . T h e w o m a n demonstrated her sincerity by worshipping Jesus with her actions and with her gift. When people receive a diagnosis of HIV, it can be the most devastating news they will ever hear in their lifetimes. When people are emotionally shattered, scared, and possibly suicidal, they need the support of a compassionate pastor and a welcoming congregation more than any other time in their lives. This is also a time at which they are most open to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and the movement of the Holy Spirit. Like the woman who washed Jesus’ feet, many people living with HIV/AIDS want to be near Jesus and sincerely want to “be in the house” where ministry, love, and holy fellowship can be found. 4. Jesus allowed the woman to approach Him, touch Him and worship Him with her actions and with her gift. Like Jesus, all pastors should be prepared to compassionately receive broken people when they see them. It is their obligation to rise above religious-based stigma, prejudice and social pressure by taking a pro-active stance on behalf of people living with HIV/AIDS. I once heard the pastor of a large urban church say he was hesitant to support HIV/AIDS ministry because it might look like he was supporting the gay lifestyle.
I find it amazing how highly educated and intelligent church leaders engage in prison ministry without ever worrying that someone would think they support crime, yet they cannot do the same with HIV/AIDS ministry. Ministering to someone’s spiritual needs does not equal agreement with their lifestyle. When Jesus spent time with prostitutes, the woman at the well, or the woman caught in adultery, He never agreed with their lifestyles - He simply looked beyond their faults and saw their needs. 5. Jesus’ willingness to interact compassionately with the woman was a strong, positive example of the uncompromising love of God to all of the people in the room. When the woman began to wash Jesus’ feet with her hair and her tears, everyone in the room watched to see His reaction. When He gently interacted with her, allowed her to worship and did not verbally abuse her with personal criticism or condemning scriptures, He sent a strong message to everyone present in the house. Pastors have the same ability to set the tone in their churches. Each leader and his/her staff must pro-actively preach messages of compassion toward people living with HIV/AIDS, must communicate that prejudice and discrimination will not be tolerated in the church, and must personally demonstrate love and understanding. 6. The only person Jesus criticized was the man who felt the woman did not belong in the house. The story of Jesus eating in Simon’s house is a classic illustration of the one who points out a speck in someone’s eye is usually carrying around a log in his own. Jesus clearly thought less of Simon than He did the woman who was known for her sin. It
may be popular in this day to rail against people who struggle with sexual sin or just appear to do so by their illness however religious stigma disguised as holiness acts like a wall between spiritually hungry people and the altar of God. Jesus stood against the religious dogma of the day, became an example of love and tolerance, and opened His arms to a woman who was at her point of brokenness. I encourage every pastor in America to make their congregation a welcoming congregation to all people, regardless of the criticism of others in the religious community. 7. Jesus carefully pointed out that the man who objected to the woman’s presence in the house contradicted and misinterpreted his own system of beliefs. This is one of the most overlooked aspects of this Biblical story but is critically important to understanding the social and religious chaos that impacts people living with HIV/AIDS. Jesus recounted the parable of the two debtors to show Simon that even though he c o u l d c o r re c t l y j u d g e t h e p a r a b l e , h e d i d n’t understand how to apply it to life. That is the situation we live in today. People living with HIV/AIDS have a medical condition caused by a virus. However, because of the implications that the virus may have been caused by sexual immorality, homosexuality, drug use, etc., some pastors
and people in church lose sight of the simplicity of the situation: a person who has a disease much like cancer or other chronic condition. They also lose sight of our deeply held Christian values of love, acceptance, and the unconditional love that Jesus showed to all of us who were once deep in sin. People living with HIV/AIDS need a safe place to worship and pastor they can trust to not hurt them. If you can correctly interpret this passage in Luke, are you Jesus or Simon? One of the most effective ways to demonstrate love, understanding and tolerance is to invite an HIV-positive speaker to your church. Shake their hand, hug them in front of your people, and allow them to share their testimony and experiences of living with HIV/AIDS. You will be amazed at how the Holy Spirit will use this example in the lives of your congregation. Also, the people in your flock silently living with HIV/AIDS or family members of people living with HIV/AIDS will begin to trust you and may share with you their deepest secret. You may find that HIV/AIDS was already devastating the lives of your people however you just didn’t know it because they were too afraid to share the truth. Open your heart to people living with HIV/AIDS. They need your love, courage and your willingness to take a stand. God bless!
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Facts the Faith Community Should Know About Mental Health Issues
By Stephanie D. Miller
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ental health addresses conditions that may disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Persons may need more help than their family, pastors, coaches and other certified, but nonlicensed counselors can provide. Culture biases
against mental health professionals prevent many African Americans and other minorities from seeking help and extending their network of support. Fact: The number of children and teens with mental illness is growing. One National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) report cites alarming facts such as a 233% increase of
suicide rates among African American teens ages 10-14 versus 120% of Caucasians in the same group. This fact alone should serve as the call to sounding the warning drums within our community. 45% of the children in foster care are African Americans, putting them and others in the child welfare system at risk to develop some form of
mental illness. Fact: Spirituality can be a part of the treatment plan, if the client desires. Grief, divorce, relational problems, life cycle transitions, stress, trauma, substance abuse and more can all affect one’s mental health when not properly cared for. For example, a young victim of sexual abuse may experience years of mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual issues. Prayer coupled with scripture, faith, grace and a Spirit-filled secular therapist can help the family through many years of healing and restoration. Fact: The Faith Community must be equipped to communicate more effectively. There must be awareness that change is needed. Have you witnessed or participated in any of the following exchanges? • Why are you acting depressed? Just snap out of it. • Why are you so fearful? All you need is faith. • Why are you so moody? You must be bipolar.
•Why would God change His mind? He’s not schizophrenic. Inaccurate and insensitive exchanges such as these should be a thing of the past. Fact: Basic knowledge of commonly used mental health terms is needed. Depression is a condition characterized by an inability to concentrate, insomnia, and feelings of extreme sadness, dejection, and hopelessness. Anxiety is a byproduct of fear and can produce physical, emotional and psychological effects. Bipolar disorder is characterized by periods of mania alternating with periods of depression, usually interspersed with relatively long intervals of normal mood. Schizophrenia is one of a family of disorders characterized by withdrawal from reality, illogical patterns of thinking, delusions, and hallucinations, and accompanied in varying degrees by other emotional, behavioral, or intellectual disturbances. Medication, as well as therapy, may be
indicated. Finally, in this age of political correctness and heightened sensitivity to the differences of others, it is time for the faith community to acknowledge all members, caring for each member equally. “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.” 1 Cor 12:26 NLT Wil l yo u a cc ep t t h e challenge to gain knowledge, understanding and wisdom in regards to mental health issues by reaching out to others that minister as mental health professionals? About the Author: Stephanie D. Miller, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Associate, S p e a k e r, A u t h o r a n d Solutioneer™ has a private practice dedicated to helping individuals, couples and families manage change and live a life of excellence. For more information, visit her website www. stephaniedmillercounseling or email her at StephanieDMiller@live. com.
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A Mathful God? By Shawn McEvoy
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hank God that he calls us by name, that our names have been written in the Book of Life. He knows us intimately. We are not just numbers to him, as the scripture above reminds. That said, have you ever looked at the face of a calculator and marveled at how completely God is involved in all of those functions? He adds, he subtracts, he multiplies, he divides. Positives, negatives, r a t i on a l s , i r r a t i on a l s , imaginaries, radicals... all indicate some aspect of God and what he does, how he interacts with his creation. Let’s take a look at some examples of the most basic of these functions, and how they suggest a perfect sum of completeness and trust. He’s worked it all out. The numbers add up. The whole world - its time and history and future - is well calculated, and safe in his hands.
+ ADDITION Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. --Acts 2:4647, NAS So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. --1 Corinthians 3:7, KJV “Nothing in Scripture and in the life of Christ could be clearer: Wealth is not an objective of the spiritual life. When we encounter money on the path of life, we are encouraged to do one of three things with it: Turn and walk in the other direction; pick it up and give it away; or use it for the necessities of life. It’s this last part that I think has become skewed over
time. Our list of ‘needs’ is much greater today than it was in 1900 and their list of needs were certainly greater than during the time when Christ walked the Earth. Now I know that here in the year [2010], it is countercultural to give money away. It is countercultural to seek your security in things that aren’t man-made. But, remember what Jesus promised, ‘But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you’ (Matthew 6:33, NKJV).” --Steve Scalici, “Should Christians Strive for the American Dream?”
- SUBTRACTION The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! --John 1:29, NAS If you subtract from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will subtract your part from the Tree of Life and the Holy City that are written in this book. --Revelation 22:19, MSG “Our spiritual engrafting provides an eternity of new life. While the struggles of our present earthly existence cause momentary, light affliction, the life to come for those who are in Christ Jesus will last forever. There will be no more heartaches, no more pain. He has taken our heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh. He died so that we might live.” --Peter Beck, “Engrafted for Life”
X MULTIPLICATION For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. --Hebrews 6:13-14, KJV Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply
your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. --2 Corinthians 9:10, NAS “I would be afraid to bring children into this world if I did not know God. But because I know God, I am free to encourage you to have children... God’s people are the ones who ought to be bringing a godly seed into this world. What does the world need? Jesus. How are they going to hear if the light goes out?” --Adrian Rogers, “Bringing Children into the World”
/ DIVISION So you shall divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. --Ezekiel 47:21, NAS And the people of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. --Matthew 25:32, GNT “God is in the business of division. As in creation, He divided whatever was necessary in order to bring order. He divides light and darkness today also. That is why His people are in this world but not of it. God’s children are separated from the world as they are sanctified, or set apart, for the things of God. As Christians, we think of the Lord as One who wants to make “everything ok” or to bring peace to a given situation. However, the Lord Jesus clearly said that He came to divide. ‘Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword’ (Matt. 10:34).” --Tonilee Adamson & Bobbye Brooks, “Division” The Sum of the Equation I know that whatever God does will last forever; there is nothing to add or subtract from it; and God has done it so that people will fear him. --Ecclesiastes 3:14, CJB Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his
head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” -- Job 1:21, NAS You can’t take any of this stuff with you. Enjoy it and praise God for all of it. Instead of counting widgets, count blessings, count it all joy. Let him do the math of your life: be your accountant, buyer, salesman, financial planner,
marketer and profiteer. About The Author: Shawn McEvoy is the Ma na ging E ditor of Crosswalk.com. Shawn came to Salem in 2005 after completing his Master’s degree in writing from Virginia Commonwealth University and spending several years as a fantasy sports columnist and college admissions c ou n selor. Sh aw n i s a native Arizonan who studied Youth Ministry and English at Oklahoma Baptist University before
making his way to the East Coast. He is married with two children, enjoys discussing pop culture through the lens of the Christian worldview, and aims to be all things to all men. Not an especially politically-minded believer, Shawn’s favorite Bible verse is 2 Timothy 1:7, and his favorite authors include M a x L u c a d o, D on a l d Miller, and John Eldredge. The author invites you t o v i s i t : h t t p : // w w w. biblestudytools.com
62. July, 2012
The Need for Authentic Teaching: Is The Black Church Breeding and Bleeding Blasphemy? By Victoria D. Green
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n one of the last scenes of Spike Lee’s powerful and pensive yet entertaining film X, The character of Malcolm X, played by Denzel Washington, voices a very strong statement at the realization that his colaborers had been crooked and hypocritical while professing the truth that he wholeheartedly subscribed to and ultimately saved and changed his very life. He says something along the lines of “we had the greatest organization for the Black man in the world and they messed it up.” Though, he was speaking about the Nation of Islam in America in the sixties, I agree and feel as emphatically saddened and disheartened about the state of the African American church today as the sentiment that Denzel ingenuously portrayed in the dramatization. The mode and means by which most Christian based African American churches operate today is probably a disgrace and discredit to the name of Christ. The lack of effectiveness and alignment with the true mission of Christ to cause people to live and live abundantly could even be labeled as blasphemy. If we can use a studying skill that the church should teach, and look beyond the surface or mundane definition of blasphemy, then maybe we can realize that cursing God is more than with your lips, but rather includes using your life to defame or discount his name and what it stands for. By webster’s definition, to blaspheme is to speak impiously or
irreverently of God or to speak evil of; slander; abuse. Well if you look at many predominantly Black communities in America where they are saturated with churches on every corner as well as overflowing with people inside those churches, don’t we see a majority of people living in substandard conditions as it relates to their own finance, employm e n t , e m o t i o n a l s t a b i l i t y, relationships, freedom and happiness, amongst other things. Yet, we profess to serve the God who knows, owns and controls all things. Is this not a baffling enigma to anyone? Well, it is indeed baffling to me, though, not a an enigma, because I understand, if not totally, pragmatically why it is so. The African American church has great stake in why the African American community is not as far along as it should be. We have misused and abused our authority and influence as the single most influential institution in our community in juxtaposition with the public school system by failing to adequately educate our adults and children in the informal learning environment of the church. After a mere and sincere hope and blind faith carried our ancestors through slavery wherein they many times had to clandestinely hold their own church services or worship attempts, the African American church was dedicated to meeting the immediate needs of ex-slaves teaching them life management skills to
survive and thrive in their newly freed states and all with Biblical backing. Today’s Black church, however, is a far cry from such practicality and functionality of service. It seems that we fail to realize that people are in desperate need for practical, sustainable and applicable information to help them manage their lives and they trust the church to give it to them. Oftentimes, parishioners waste valuable time and opportunity in church congregations where they are inflated with false and empty hopes by emotionalism embedded in quirky cliches. Here lies a prime and common example that I am all too familiar with: in an emotionally high and charged atmosphere of singing, dancing, shouting, etc. the preacher shouts emphatically to the congregation “It’s Your Season. Tell your neighbor, its my season!!!! Go slap three other people and tell them, It’s my season.” Well, the majority of the congregation is caught up in the moment and overcome with emotion and expectation while many of them don’t even know what the definition and full concept of what a season really is. They don’t know exactly what season it is; the season for growth, purging,
harvesting, etc. When the “season” does not yield what they have superficially been conditioned to expect then they become even more disappointed, discouraged, disillusioned, disgruntled and dejected than ever. The Bible admonishes how pertinent it is to have control over emotions rather than letting them have control over you. With that in mind as well as the knowledge of African American people being a very emotive people, it would be wise that preachers and other people of influence with platforms, would use this insight as a teaching tool rather than a way to exploit masses with known and unknown ignorance, personal agendas and ulterior motives. My adopted father used to often challenge me, speaking more Bible than he probably was even aware of, saying, “some people run their mouths and some people run their business... which one are you or what you gon’ do?” Well, Solomon, one of the wisest men to ever live, along with many others in the Bible, spoke often about talking too much and working too little. So in accordance with the words that two very influential men in my life, I agree that we must learn to not only honor God with our lips but with our
lives primarily, utmost and foremost. It has been said that we are the only race of people who relinquish the education of our children to the public school system. An even sadder reality which compounds this issue is that we have not used the platform and significant amount of influence hallmarked by the church to build principles and practice which allows for growth and well being in our community. The lack of sound teaching is clearly evident and palpable when we look at the condition of the people in the church as well as around the church seeing as how many churches have very minimal, weak, ineffective or non-existent outreach efforts, which are oftentimes not more far reaching than the members and their families. Verbal praise, encouragement, exhortation, prayer, dance and all other forms of emotional worship to God are vital and very necessary for the life and relationship of a believer but should be only the beginning or a portion of expressions of our faith. When we use our mouths, hands and entire bodies to praise God inside the church by dancing, singing, praying, preaching and teaching inside the church building, we should be able to use our
gifts, talents, professions, checkbooks, connections and relationships amongst other resources to glorify God by feeding, nurturing, repairing, constructing and empowering outside the church walls. It is now the time that we honor and obey the very words of Jesus by articulating, illustrating and facilitating the Love of God in an excellent way in all that we do. When we begin to “show” forth the true praises of God rather than just shouting them, we will gain the respect of our own disinterested and apathetic youth, those who we are commissioned to serve and other races and persuasions of people. After all, we cannot blame them for their avoidance of the church because the scripture clearly suggests that people flee from those who have only a form of Godliness but deny the power thereof (II Tim 3:5), basically saying don’t waste your time, your trust, your soul to those who talk a good game but have nothing to show for it or back it up. People are attracted to power and results and we who serve the omnipotent God should have no issues in displaying such especially when that is our vocal profession of faith or “claim to fame.”
July, 2012 63.
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Christian Relationship Help:
Unhealthy Characteristics of Dysfunctional Families
By Karla Downing
T
his Christian relationship help will give you five unhealthy characteristics of dysfunctional families that were also present in families in the Old Testament. God created families to be a place of nurture, love, and companionship, but when sin entered the picture, families became a place where people hurt other people they are supposed to love. Here are the five unhealthy characteristics of dysfunctional families:
Deadly Jealousy:
It is normal to be jealous of your siblings, but not to the degree that you are willing to cause them real harm. Cain killed his brother, Abel, out of jealousy. Cain believed that God favored his brother
and hated him. God tried to tell him that it was his own actions that were the cause of God’s rejection of his sacrifice, but he only focused on his brother, blaming him instead. Jealousy often comes from a skewed perception and an inability to look at oneself.
Favored Coalitions:
A coalition occurs when one family member conspires with one member against another. Mothers and fathers often collude with one child against the other parent or against another child. Rebekah favored her son Jacob and Isaac favored his son Esau. Jacob and Rebekah then schemed to trick Isaac into giving him Esau’s blessing. Esau hated his brother for tricking him and the family was split, as often happens. Coalitions hurt
relationships and result in unhealthy alliances.
Poor Parenting:
Due to all the problems the parents are dealing with, there is a tendency to do a bad job at parenting. It can be the result of poor boundaries, reactivity, i n c o n s i s t e n c y, a n g e r, abandonment, abuse, or neglect. Priest Eli did a great job raising Samuel (Hannah’s son) who he took under his care, but allowed his own sons to be disobedient. As a result, he brought judgment on his whole family line. Poor parenting has an effect on further generations, because it perpetuates poor choices that have consequences.
Family Shame:
Whether a person is responsible for a problem or not, everyone feels
responsible and ashamed. A m n o n , D a v i d ’s s o n , raped his half-sister, Tamar. David did nothing about it. Absalom told his sister to be quiet about what happened. Absalom and Tamar held the shame that belonged to Amnon and it split the family and ruined Tamar’s life and eventually resulted in Absalom killing Amnon and then David refusing to have a relationship with Amnon. Family shame destroys lives.
Masked Manipulation:
Dysfunctional family members use masked manipulation to get what they want. This includes guilt, neediness, threats, lies, cover-ups, blame, and trickery. Lot’s daughters got him drunk and then slept with him to have children. David committed adultery
with Bathsheba and then put her husband on the front line to have him killed. Laban tricked Isaac into marrying his daughter Leah instead of Rachel. Manipulation comes from self-centeredness that is willing to hurt another person. It is no surprise that families still have problems today when you can see how dysfunction has been there from the beginning. Recognizing these five unhealthy characteristics
of dysfunctional families is the first step in making changes that will make your family more functional and healthy. If you need more practical tips and Biblical truths to help you change your relationships, get my FREE “15-Day Relationship Challenge” designed to give you back the power over your life. Article Source: http:// www.faithwriters.comCHRISTIAN WRITERS
64. July, 2012
Now That the “Weight” is Over! By Chana Kurtz
S
o many times when we see or hear about the “weight” being over we see it as “wait.” It’s usually referenced after someone has been “waiting” on something for a while. Well, I see it in another perspective and I talk about my “weight” being over, very candidly in my recently published book “The Weight Is Over: Confess, Commit, Continue.” After 30 years,3 marriages, 3 children, 3 divorces, a suicide attempt and losing 120lbs ... I was finally able to look
myself in the mirror and tell myself that I honestly loved ME! So many people want to know, how did you lose that much weight? I elected to undergo Gastric Bypass Surgery in 2009 but soon realized that my physical weight was not as much of a problem as I thought. I soon realized that my “weights” were much heavier. The weights of shame, fear, doubt, suicide, anger, bitterness, jealousy and many others kept me too heavy to move forward in God’s will for my life. I use this book as a tool to encourage, evoke and empower people all over the world, to deal with their various psychological, emotional, and spiritual weights by using 3 simple steps. Confess, Commit, Continue. I’m not selling a quick shake, an instant pill or a body garment. Those things
help momentarily with physical weight but nobody is exposing and dealing with the manifestation of the behaviors due to the unseen “weights” we carry. No matter what area of life you want to lose “weight” in... smoking, cussing, eating the wrong foods, dating, forgiveness, grief, codependency, etc. Even if you want to finish school, write a book, start a business all you have to do is say it (Confess), put a plan together (Commit), and work the plan (Continue). Not many people are ready to deal with the pain of their past which in turn affects our future. We want to cover our issues up with wet, ineffective bandaids with the hope that the oozing wound would somehow be healed. Not until you decide that the “weight” is finally over. The “weight” of your father
or mother not being in your life so you don’t trust any other relationships has to be over. The “weight” of you not being married again because you have been divorced has to be over. The “weight” of your promiscuous lifestyle because of a violation you encountered as a child has to once and for all be OVER! No more excuses and no more lies. It’s never okay to lie to anyone and the most important person we continue to lie to is ourselves. Fear keeps us all in a place of what we believe is comfort. I remember a girl telling me that it was okay that I lied about being a comfortable and confident “fat” girl because it got me to the truth. The lie never leads to the truth, so I again encourage you all to dig deep down and find those “weights” which are keeping
you bound. Say out loud to yourself that you recognize that they are a problem. Psychologically we sabotage ourselves with the thoughts of worthlessness, defeat and depression every day. Cancer and other diseases are on the rise because we have not figured out yet how to lose “weight.” Once the emotional, psychological and spiritual weights are addressed, the physical weight will melt off, I promise you. As I parallel the physical weight with the others, it becomes obvious why many can’t seem to get to their places of destiny. Their hearts, minds and souls become too heavy to encounter the next move. You know you want to write a book but because you can’t seem to sort out the mess in your head you put it off because of how you “feel” now the weight
of procrastination and laziness has crept upon you. We all have “weight” we want to shed whether it is 100lbs or 10lbs. Whether is to stop smoking or to leave a horrible relationship. It’s not exclusive to women; men need to know how to address their weights too. Not just black people need to lose weight, but whites and Hispanics do too. No matter what “weight” you are struggling to lose be it physical, psychological, emotional and even spiritual. Know that in order to get started you have to first confess you need to lose it. The second thing you need to do is put a plan together to let it go. The last thing you need to do is work the plan. These steps work! I am a living witness, and it feels great to know that the “weight” is finally over!
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July, 2012 69. T H E
EXPERT
NETWORK
FAITH
BASED
70. July, 2012