For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26

For some odd reason this scripture has been on my mind this morning. A few days ago my mother and I were talking about this Marvin Gaye special she was watching on tv (she’s a huge marvin Gaye fan). The special talked about how torn Marvin was and how he dealt with so many internal demons. His father was a pastor and they had a very strange relationship but she told me of this one story where Marvin threw a load of money on his parent’s bed to symbolize that he had finally made it. His father then quoted this exact scripture to him. It got me to thinking, thinking about how we live in a culture where we obsess over so many superficial things.

Are we chasing money and beauty rather than our own true passions. If we are, beauty fades and money is not promised to anyone (Just ask OJ). I know I do it, I have superficial desires and wants. I often wonder will we become all that we dream to be in exchange for our souls, in exchange for the goodness of our spirits. It’s easy to speak of balance and quickly read this and say that it does not apply to you. We can all have a perception of ourselves that is naturally flawed, more focused on what we expect life to be. Or how we believe that we view things, when in practice it may be very different. Just some food for thought for today, it’s raining outside and I am going to ponder on some of these questions and ask myself am I following my passions. Are you? Peace and Grace be unto you.

He who does not seize opportunity today, will be unable to seize tomorrow’s opportunity.

When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? Isaiah 8:19

Don’t Stop Believing!!!!!! Just wanted to share with you my concert in the shower this morning; American Idol ain’t got nothin on C. Shine. Don’t stop believing in the power of the Lord, that is the real message that needs to be conveyed. We are living in a time when faith is needed more than ever. The staircase has has less light and some steps are missing along the way. This causes us to be even more frightened of the world and times we are living in. We may turn to other mediums to find salvation, to seek out our own happiness. The word specifically asks us ; “should not a people inquire of their God”? Of course we should but in times of weakness the devil tempts us, tempts us to hold true to anything that looks like an answer.

Well don’t stop believing! Believe that you are on the right path by following God and his wisdom. “Should not a people inquire of their God”? Well who else are we to consult. It takes a deep inner faith to believe and understand that God has something great prepared for us. Some of us will miss the boat and lose out on the wonderful blessings that were rightfully ours because we stopped believing, we were caught up in the ways of the world and only the tangible things we could see. I’m in major figurative mode today because I am seeing the stairwell and the missing steps and I know that if I let God guide me I will skip over those downfalls. This does not mean that I will not stumble but I will have missed the bigger fall, the uglier stumble which could leave me in a much worst state. So stumble, fall down and get back up again because in order to achieve we must inquire of our God and not the worldly nonsense that may possibly cause us to fall down into something we may not get up from. Peace and Grace be unto you!

Unless you call out, who will open the door?

Food for thought:

Do not believe everything that you read in the newspapers, hear on the radio, or see on television or youtube. I was browsing through a forum and I read the title “Oprah denies Christ, Trouble for Obama”! I quickly clicked the link because I was curious as to where this information could be coming from. Low and behold; the same bible toting soldiers who have been claiming Barack Obama is a Muslim and substituting Jesus’s love message with hate for all those who do not believe as they do, are behind this same message. These same evangelists, as they call themselves must have never read the book of Romans where we are taught not judge for if we judge then we condemn ourselves.

So I watch the clip and Oprah did no such thing, I am not writing this to support Oprah but to ask people to take the lid off of their truck yard minds and allow objective thoughts and reason to seep through. I am a Christian man, I go to church on Sundays when my time permits. I send out daily messages that quote the scripture in the bible. This is all fact; I also listen to the teachings of Brother Malcolm, Louis Farrakhan, Father Pfleger, and a host of other spiritual leaders. I post quotes of the day from spiritual leaders such as the Great Buddha, Dali Lama and other figures who do not represent Christianity. To tell me because I understand that we are all praying to the same God and just calling him different names is the most bigoted, ignorant, non-factual statement that I have ever heard.

Spirituality is about finding the God within; Jesus never taught us to hate or judge anyone! Instead he taught us to love and care for one another, the same principles that other religous groups teach throughout their teachings. The way that media outlets are using these types of edited, chopped up videos to perpetuate a message of evil is rather disgusting. Rather than unify the people of this world under God and create a love language, we would rather use our differences to create further division; only heightening the problems of the world. So the next time you get an email, or a message like the video I am about to show you, think objectively before you react to the propaganda that fear mongers and hate mongers put forth in order to create more chaos in the world as we know it. Peace and Grace be unto you!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW4LLwkgmqA&hl=en]

Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 5:10

I have a version of the Bible titled “The Book”, a brother gave this bible to me this past summer. In “The Book” this same scripture reads as, Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! Yet many of us are chasing the dollar, I myself am extremely broke, and I won’t lie and say that I am happy in my broken despair (lol) but I do find joy. There are tons of things we can find joy in in the world but what brings me the most joy and I think is often taken for granted are our family and friends. Family and friends are those who support us when we are down, they are the ones who are most proud of our achievements and they give us the strength to keep pushing when we feel that we have nothing left to give.

The scripture is right, only a fool thinks that wealth will bring happiness. Well wealth in a monetary sense, because to have a wealth of good family and friends, let me repeat that, good family and friends are one of the greatest gifts we can receive from the Creator. As I travel to Philadelphia today I am thankful because I will be spending time with my family and friends as one of my close friends is getting married. A joyous occasion it will be, a joyous occasion I really do need. With all the stresses of life and school I look forward to spending time with people I care about and people who care about me. I know it is God who sees that I need this break, and he has afforded me enough money (NOT ALOT OF MONEY) but enough to give thanks to him and watch two people say their vows before him and in his name. Take time to remember the people we sometimes forget, I am sure they will make your day a little bit warmer. Peace and Grace be unto you!

The soul that is within me no man can degrade.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.  1 Peter 5: 10-11

After you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. I pray that this little while of suffering is not life and then I will be happy in the after life. I have heard scriptures be interpreted that way, I pray that is not the case. I think the Lord is saying I have given my all for you, I have been caused pain too by the sins of this world. Yet I have given my only son so that you can be strong, so that you may find a way to eternal happiness through the principles of love and peace that he taught. This temporary suffering is just that; temporary, and after you have suffered I will not only restore your original happiness, but I will make you strong, steadfast and firm.

We need opposition, we need tough times, we need them like we need those great moments in our life. We need tears, just like we need a beautiful smile. Common said “I guess knowing I’m weak is when I’m really being strong, some how through the dusk I could see the dawn”. It is at our moments when we feel our weakest, when we feel that the world is crashing down on us that we are exemplifying our beautiful strength that God has bestowed upon us. Why? Because we are still pushing, we are still hoping, despite whatever circumstances may be weighing us down we still have the ability to fight and push past these obstacles. Don’t be a slave to your vocabulary; suffering comes in many forms. It is not just physical pain or extreme heart break, no suffering is feeling inadequate about something, suffering is the mental anguish we deal with when things aren’t going the way we planned. But through faith in God and belief in oneself we can see the dawn. STILL WE RISE. Peace and Grace be unto you!

Many spiritual teachers - in Buddhism, in Islam - have talked about first-hand experience of the world as an important part of the path to wisdom, to enlightenment.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Romans 12:3

Self-esteem, how many of us truly have it. If we do, where do we get it from, if we don’t, to what do we allow the pleasure of taking it away. Many will read the word self-esteem and immediately say, this isn’t talking about me, you are actually the person this scripture is talking to the most. The word says do not think of yourself more highly than you should, I would also say do not think of yourself lower than you should which I have been a victim of from time to time. The people who I have found to be the most self confident, who can deal with trials and tribulations and their glow is still phenomenal are those who have a firm belief in God. Those who have a stark faith in God seem to not allow the daily troubles of the world get them down because their belief is that their Creator has something greater in store for them.

I admire such strength, I admire anyone who is wise enough to know in their heart of hearts that God has a plan for them. That the plan he has is better than the plan any of us have conjured up in our minds. It is our attachment to these thoughts which cause us to either think to highly of ourselves, or to not think highly enough. I am looking forward to having that same type of faith, the type of faith where nothing can shake me because I know that I am protected, because I know that no matter what curve balls are thrown my way I will still knock them right out of the park. The only way we can get there, and have true self confidence, true self esteem is to look deep within ourselves and trust in our Creator. Peace and Grace be unto you!

A man’s character always takes its hue, more or less, from the form and color of things about him.

A wise man’s heart guides his mouth and his lips promote instruction. Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones…. Proverbs 16:24

Last night I read something extremely powerful, I did not find it in the word, though I know it was heaven sent. I did not find it in any scholarly text books, nor was it a lecture by a famed orator. Nope, it was actually handwritten, on small sheets of notebook paper. Hopefully one day the contents of this letter I will be able to share with you but what impacted me most were the words. A gentleman who is locked away in prison sent me some of his writings and his words were so poignant, filled with hope and despair, filled with joy and pain. He thanked me for reaching out to him in his time of need and although he knew my reply would be “it’s nothing”, he went on for a paragraph or so just to thank me for taking the time out to build a relationship with him. Reading his words touched me in a way that I did not expect them too. His words gave me a sense of purpose and were extremely beneficial in me then writing three letters to three different brothers who are locked away as well.

With all the judgment that swirls around in today’s world it is easy for people to judge this man and his situation. However today’s scripture tells us that a wise man’s heart guides his mouth! This scripture is subtle yet extremely heavy because often the words that come from our mouths are not from our heart. We let our pain and fears speak for our heart and our lips just let it fly. But if we spoke from our hearts, think of all the good energy we would speak into the lives of other people. The word says pleasant words are sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. The young man’s words were healing to me, his compassion, his gratitude. What if we promoted this type of dialogue, would more souls be touched, would we be helping to create a more perfect world in which we are following Christ like principles? Just some food for thought. Peace and Grace be unto you.

Still your mind in me, still yourself in me, and without a doubt you shall be united with me, Lord of Love, dwelling in your heart.

Wisdom crieth out, she uttereth her voice in the streets; She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,  How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Proverbs 1:20-22

Do not silence your voice, allow your true self to be heard! I read the other day where a man said, “when you see and hear the good in me, you are looking at God, when you see the bad in me, you are looking at me and all of my imperfections”. When you speak the truth, you speak an act of good faith along with your words. The bible says that wisdom cries out, her voice can be heard in the streets. There’s a cry for your wisdom in today’s world. Key word here is your wisdom, not your judgment. There’s a need for a voice of love and compassion on our streets, to speak life to our children, hope for our peers, and gratitude to our elders. Your wisdom is based upon your experience, the experiences that you have had culminate into a wealth of knowledge that needs to fall upon deaf ears. Your words may spark a change, a much needed change in someone’s life. Use your voice for love and not destruction, it is a noble action, your only gratification being that you know you helped a fellow human being on their road to success.

Fools hate knowledge, and with their hate for knowledge they will purposely tune out your kind words and helpful actions. But who wants to walk amongst fools anyway, it will largely lead down the wrong path. I am more interested in finding like minded individuals who strengthen the steps that I wish to take while here on this earth. The verses following the two above show wisdom abandoning fools and largely letting them deal with their troubles alone. But we are all fools at some point or another, and we all look for another chance to right our wrongs. So it is then that you must use this beautiful voice that experience is sharpening and allow it to speak truth to the power of our Creator and speak out to those who may have hated your knowledge in the past. All this talk of truth is not to be confused with judgment, the very judgment that has taken many of us away from churches and religion in general. No sir, this is a spiritual truth of wisdom, nobility and honor. Let us love our people by our actions and our words and be hopeful that the same love will be bestowed upon us. Peace and Grace be unto you.

You have to be taught to be second class; you’re not born that way.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  Jeremiah 29: 11-12

While riding to school today I was bumping (playing loudly) Tupac’s “Only God can Judge me”! Deep words, that’s a deep statement, it means we are only letting God be in control of our lives and not allowing anyone else such power over us. Then I looked to the scripture and the Lord says “for I know the plans I have for you”. I may have no idea where I will be, what type of situation I will be in within the next 3 days but the Lord does. He knows the plan he has for me, he knows the path that he has set forth for me. So I can not be bothered with the judgments and thoughts of other people because they do not have my best interest at heart. What I need to be worried about is building a closer relationship with God so that i can understand the plans that he has for me. Understanding that there will be highs and lows but ultimately he is just trying to prepare me for my greatest good.

The Lord says in this scripture that his plans are for us to prosper not harm us, that he has plans to give us hope and a future. That’s the type of company I would like to keep, a superior being who is watching out for me, watching my back at all times. So we have to give glory to God, we can all think about situations that clearly could have went a completely different way for us. We are not that great that we change our destiny through the universe, instead we have been blessed by a God who protects and cares for us unconditionally. Then you will call upon me and I will listen to you. I have learned that prayer is not just when you lay down and go to sleep. Throughout our day we must communicate with God, I mean we communicate with everyone else. Today I look forward to surrendering my issues to the Lord and knowing that it is only he that can judge me. I don’t mind his judgment because I know that he has my best interest in mind. Peace and Grace be unto you.

That which does not kill me can only make me stronger