The Standard

What are healthy standards? People say that those who want a lot have "high standards" but is that really a bad thing? God has high standards. He desires that we be perfect and holy, but we desire that we be imperfect and compromise what He requires us to be in the interest of being "cool" and "acceptable". Funny how we don't want God to fade on His standards but we fade on ours and rather eaisly at that. As a man, my standards are simple. I only want to be like Christ. As a man, I have standards that anyone that I'd be thinking of pursuing must have. They must desire to be like Christ. See how this works? our standards are not to be superficial, but they must be no more than we are willing to be ourselves. Otherwise you have forayed into that hypocritical zone. No one wants a hypocrite. I say that to say this: Where are the standards? Where is the pressure to conform to an image of Christ? Where are the Fathers, the men who would teach the younger generation how to be like Christ? Where are the Mothers, the women who would teach the younger generation to say with conviction, If I perish for the sake of Christ, I perish? Looking at the standards which have been bent and honestly broken so much over the years, one comes to wonder, where are the standards at? Homosexuality is commonplace and even accepted in the church. There are men in the church who sleep with married women in the church, vice-versa. There is more evil in the church than there is outside of the walls. One reason and one reason only, there aren't any standards based on Christ. Fix your standard on Christ and it will not be shaken or moved. Make Christ's approval your standard.

Lost?

I hear a lot of people say that the sisters should be "lost" in Christ. Let us look up the word lost.
no longer possessed or retained: lost friends.
2.
no longer to be found: lost articles.
3.
having gone astray or missed the way; bewildered as to place, direction, etc.: lost children.
4.
not used to good purpose, as opportunities, time, or labor; wasted: a lost advantage.
5.
being something that someone has failed to win: a lost prize.
6.
ending in or attended with defeat: a lost battle.
7.
destroyed or ruined: lost ships.
8.
preoccupied; rapt: He seems lost in thought.
9.
distracted; distraught; desperate; hopeless:

In this light, I believe the more accurate statement should be grounded in Christ. When lost in Christ what do you have to hold to? I prefer that she is grounded in Christ as opposed to being lost. Again let us look up the term grounded.
the solid surface of the earth; firm or dry land: to fall to the ground.
2.
earth or soil: stony ground.
3.
land having an indicated character: rising ground.
4.
Often, grounds. a tract of land appropriated to a special use: picnic grounds; a hunting ground.
5.
Often, grounds. the foundation or basis on which a belief or action rests; reason or cause: grounds for dismissal.
6.
subject for discussion; topic: Sex education is forbidden ground in some school curricula.
7.
rational or factual support for one's position or attitude, as in a debate or argument: on firm ground; on shaky ground.
For our purposes let us focus on the fifth definition, there ought to be a foundation of Christ that has been laid down that you can firmly stand on as opposed to not really knowing where you are in Christ. I say this because if you are lost in Christ, do you know where to stand? Being grounded in Christ allows you to truly understand where to stand and why to stand. I don't care if you agree or disagree with what I say, I just ask you to think about what it means to truly be grounded and sustained by Christ and what it means to say you are lost in Christ. Just keeping it real.

Musings of Manhood

It's funny how when a man doesn't have a job he tends to question his own worth, his own manhood. I suppose that may be due to how we are taught from pretty much as soon as we can walk, talk and understand things that men work and when men don't work they are labeled things like lazy and sorry. It'd be nice to be defined by the quality of your life and the quallity of your heart but unfortunately, this is not so. We as people tend to refer to these shortcuts called lablels to define us. It should not be so. A man ought to be defined by his faith and his works of faith less by things that are so tangible, so replaceable. My issue with this present society is that a man who has a little piece of job is somehow regarded as more than a man with no job yet his walk with the Lord doesn't enter into the equation of manhood. How can you define manhood without an accurate depiction of what a man is? In my mind I see Jesus as the ultimate definition of manhood and masculinity and no one questioned Jesus. But this present generation will not take into account a person's heart until they can see something physical first. I wonder how they plan on pursuing ministry because the goal is to reach hearts without a promise of anything else. Perhaps what perplexes me most is the fact that people always say that the ones who give the most have the biggest hearts, when in reality they just have the deepest pockets. A true heart gives you deep service, but you can't take service to the bank can you? This is the issue with this generation. They always seek after something they can see and touch and taste. They extend that to manhood they extend that to womanhood but it doesn't measure your ability to follow Christ. That is the real definition. Be defined by how you follow Christ, not the ways of the world.

Ties

Honestly what ties you to Earth? Let me ask it like this, what would keep you from being satisfied when you die? I would have to echo John Wooden the famous collegiate basketball coach when he was asked in an interview "Are you afraid to die?" Mr Wooden replied "No. Why would I be afraid to die? It's the most wonderful thing that could happen to me." That is serious battle hardened faith. Coupled with the astute realization that there was no treasure to be had on Earth that would warrant competition with the treasure to be had in Heaven. Namely fellowship with God and Christ being able to see Him and the price He paid for our redemption's sake. Nothing should keep us from being able to lay this life down eagerly and expectantly when we leave. For this reason I have no understanding of sadness when people die for that is why they were born. We cannot live here forever, we weren't designed to do so. Although early exits do tend to catch us offguard there is comfort in knowing that the dearly departed had a walk with God. I worry more for those whom we do not know about recieving Christ as their Lord and Saviour than I do for the dead. To be honest about it, I would have to take the same route as Lecrae here, if they die without hearing the gospel, I hold myself fully responsible. Not that I give them scripture and a sermon, but that I make them aware of the reality that there is nothing they can do, nowhere that they can go, nothing that can be thought that can effectively excommunicate them from Christ. I have a responsibilty to make Him known and if I shirk that responsibility, thier blood is on my hands. Yet the question I must ask of all of us is what is going to keep us from bringing as many people to the table as we can? Why be satisfied with only bringing ourselves? Jesus has illustrated in many of His parables that we are to be outwardly minded, meaning that we be not selfish with salvation, but we share this true wealth. It is the only thing we recieve on Earth that we can take with us when we die. Salvation is true wealth, not money, not abundance of things. Salvation. With this in mind the only thing that we should truly be tied to on Earth is seeking salvation. Not for our benefits but for thiers so that as a byproduct when we do die, we can do so with a clear consciousness that we have done what the Lord wills. We can then die free.

3rd Person

There are 3 people in every relationship. You, the other person, and Jesus. If the two of you aren't pushing each other closer to Jesus, then I really feel like you have lost sight of the principle that all is done to glorify God. Even in our relationships be it with a significant other your parents or even your Pastor. I'm like this with it if you value Christ above all else your line of thinking goes how can I give God the glory that He deserves. Honestly if we are afraid of human failure we will definitely fail but if we place all of our confidence in Christ there will be no failure to be had. Problem is we've started trusting our own plans rather than the Master's hand. Another thing I've noticed is our disfigurement of love. We have become so used to the overglamourized societal notion that it has become that we ignore its reality. Love is not physical but spiritual in its nature. For if it was physical God would not Love because God is spirit and cannot deal in physical things. Which is why He requires us to worship in Spirit and truth. But back to misdefined love again. People have been conditioned to accept physicality as an acceptable communication of love when in reality it may be nothing more than dressed up lust. Love is always a consistent action backed up by consistent choices to express it in the most pure fashion possible. Love requires us esteeming the other person as Christ esteemed us. Not that we should ignore glaring inconsistencies with God's heart and Word but we should tell them where the Spirit leads us to correct them, present it in a biblical context and if they will not hear you, pray for them. Not that God would convict them but that God would grow them in their walk. The thing that has happened to us is we have forgotten that love is of God and to properly love we must be in God. However we are not to hold these things above God. That part gets hard sometimes but if you love God enough honestly you can place your will on the backburner and follow God's. As for me I desire a family you know the whole wife 2.5 kids(or more you never know) nice house nice neighborhood thing that is what I want out of life pretty much point blank period that is my greatest desire. I care much less for the things of life than I do the things of life that actually matter. However even if what I desire does not come to fruition, God is no less worthy of praise honor and glory. Once we put everything in it's proper perspective that is, subject to Christ and His desire and will for our lives it is then that things start to "fall together" for us. Just some random thoughts I had....hope you enjoyed going thru my head for a little bit.

Conversation Between Anthony Lewis and Myself

Daniel:I was thinking about how to start this conversation off but that's out the window......I think I'm just going to jump right in. It seems to me that manhood nowadays has been restricted to a few things that have nothing to do with maturity level.....sexual prowess, material possessions, and the image that you portray to the outside world.....the tougher the better usually...it irks me that what really makes a man gets placed on the backburner.....such as the heart, the concern for others and the ability to build....not to mention if you mention anything that has to do with Jesus you automatically get blacklisted as a "holy roller" by most.....Anthony:I agree. The value system in America has gone down the drain. However, it is due in large part to one thing: Television. Once meant for entertainment and news, it has now become the de facto parent for our children, as well as babysitter. The outlines for being a 'man' now can all be traced to the TV/movie industry. Sexual prowess - how many times have we seen the 'cool' character get all of the women? And isn't he lauded for being able to philander and no one care? Material possessions - this is a big hit in the Black community. Rappers started showing off...women began to give them attention...the gaudiness grew, and so did the attention. Then, somewhere along the way, a notion that having material would bring droves of women was disseminated. ...I'm sure 'bling bling' had something to do with that. And on a subconscious level, the fact that most major male stars have nice bodies is telling men that their appearance is paramount. Couple that with how shallow women can be, thanks to TV and music, and you create a fixation on having a 'manly' body.Daniel:Yep. Bro it's almost like that carrot they dangle in front of a racehorse to keep it chasing and running in the cultivated belief that they can one day run it down but no matter how fast they run, the carrot is always just out of reach. It is much the same with manhood as defined by society's means. they give you a false definition of manhood and tell you to chase these things the whole time knowing that it is in fact an unattainable goal. But you see the real problem there is the parents have stopped teaching the children how to be and have instead allowed the media influence to teach them how they should seem. Too busy chasing down their own rabbits that they will never attain to teach the child that to attain their own dreams they must conquer it one step at a time instead of this breakneck pace that leads them straight to the glue factory.Anthony:Indeed. The largest problem, in my opinion, is the death of innocence, and lack of vulnerability. Innocence is the insulation that keeps a young mind warm in this cold world. It fosters dreams, imagination, it is what gives a child that sparkle in their eye. But now, children are exposed to real life at such a young age...they are jaded before they can ever know what the word means. That is why you see so many Black children acting 'grown;' they're literally acting like what they're exposed to. And since they start out ghetto like that, that's the way they'll grow, and that's how they'll stay. The lack of vulnerability is what is hurting love. No one wants to take a chance and let someone in anymore...it's all about self-preservation. People don't realize that to love is to preserve self, as you become one with another, you forge a bond that will last beyond the limits of time, a legacy that cannot be tarnished. Love is an inoculation...it can protect you from the ills of the world, for it is immensely deep. But that has been lost...it is now about instant gratification (which has been subconsciously inculcated by the Lotto and fast food), and pleasure of self (which has been inculcated by media and video games). With these two things lacking, the man cannot be himself, and the woman doesn't want to be herself.Daniel:Exactly bro. that's where you get that whole overindependent woman/shallow man concept at....a man by nature is a well rounded being but you take him away from who he is by nature and replace what should nurture with that which beats him down and what you get is a man who is half of what he ought to be. And we all know that half a man is no man at all....but to feign like he is a man, he takes what is around tells him masculinity is and attempts to blow it up and make those blown up pieces appear to be a whole man. Whereas the overindependent woman is a product of Willie Lynchism that hasn't been filtered out of our culture yet....it's even been supported, commercialized and encouraged by the mothers the whole while it's killing our family. Because if a woman can be just like a man, is there a need for the man anymore? All she needs him for then is procreation and that makes a mockery out of the man further which then pushes him to become even more of the carbon copy of false manhood because he sees that this is what draws the woman. Sexual prowess. and it destroys us from the inside out.Anthony:Yessir. A man leaves when he is not needed. (sees Black men leaving Black women to go to other races) In some cases, he will even go FIND a place to be needed. (sees White men 'saving' underprivileged Black women) Women can do many of the things that men do, but that's a credit to how amazing they are, not a suggestion that they should. But with the emasculation of the man, they feel as though the must fill those shoes. And men don't even see what's going on...they just keep feeding into this. Men support the double standard, the "I have a lot of sex, I'm cool; she does it, she's a ho." Men swear by this...so they go have a lot of sex. Sex is a connecting interaction...every time you do it, you give a piece of yourself. Men are losing themselves in the pleasure of the flesh. Women hate the standard, and attempt to beat it; they are then either chastised by society, or end up losing themselves in the quest to beat men, a quest they take up out of a perceived necessity, though it isn't. There's nothing wrong with ambition, but when unchecked, it can be a problem...all that glitters isn't gold, but glitter can be blinding, and gold be desired. So as women strive to do their best, men are mired in doing less.Daniel:yeah men lie to themselves a lot about that specific double standard.....the big problem is that the man doesn't have an actual standard for conduct because he's lost touch with self and lost touch with God in the bigger picture so he does seek to find himself in fleshly measures but by the time he figures out the more women he falls into physically the deeper he falls into spiritual depravity and so the circle closes over on itself much like a Black hole the farther you go the deeper you sink and the harder it is to find light....Women on the other hand are expected to uphold some strict moral code which obviously doesn't extend to the man...thus you have a world full of ladies and few gentleman because being a gentleman usually isn't positively encouraged by the male population. But then that creates a world of insanity because somebody has to be sleeping with these men who seek to find their masculinity in a woman's birth canal. There is no real standard anymore, just what is more or less acceptable....back in the day there were expected standards set by parents and if the male didn't meet these standards, he was instantly dismissed. But with the whole I gotta get mines generation came the neglect of raising children in the interest of providing a living.Anthony:I agree. And sadly, it's a simple formula. Men feel best with their mothers as they grow up...and so they go back from whence they came, the vagina, to feel good. Women feel best with attention, so they stick to whatever means, whoring, golddigging, etc., to feel good. Men love that intimate care of a mother...and there's nothing that makes a woman intimate like sex (in their minds), so that's how they get that feeling back. It's ephemeral and fleeting though, so it ends up become a constant need. For women, they love the attention they receive...but rather than take it in stride, some begin to feed off of it...and begin to do anything to parlay that attention into gain, be it money, material, whatever. And that's how they get caught up. They all forget that with God as your vehicle and the Universe as your guide, the trip will always lead you in the right direction. Love is Him...so to love Him is to be with Him. And the Universe flows like a river...so you are constantly being swept at the proper paces for proper situations. Neither would ever place more than one can bear. Alas, our people have forsaken love, and walked out of the river. We try to beat our own path, with no direction but what we've been shown through the media. We are lost sheep...and the TV/movie/music industries continue to herd us.Daniel:That I defintely agree with....we have forgotten how to be lovers. Real lovers. Not this synonym with sexual partners but actual real lovers. Lovers of others before we love self, to me was one of the more hard to grasp teachings of Jesus. Especially in light of the fact that ever since the fall mankind has been inclined to self-gratify.....it got so bad at one point to where God sorrowed at the iniquity committed one against another....and Jesus has pointed out that if will be as in the days of Noah.....that phrase in the days does mean that mankind will be just as evil one to another as they were in the days that God sorrowed at iniquity upon the Earth....which is definitely saying something about our level of depravity. Anything as long as it makes me feel good has become humankind's unofficial motto....it can most easily be seen in the Catholic abuse scandal where these men molest children for no other apparent reason....apparently the judgement against them from God's mouth does not register with them as enough to refrain from participating in such acts of debauchery and depravity. Yet no one wants to escape from these lying spirits which have conditioned us to accept whatever looks like it benefits us when in reality it will all too happily kill us off and the spirits smile while it happens.Anthony:Religion has become a bastion...whenever one wants an exculpatory pass from sin, they go to church and 'find' God. God is not some lost toy or plaything that you can just pick up when you want. The lack of true faith and love in reference to Him, is at the crux of our issues. If a man is a man of God, and lives as such, he will live to be what he is meant and was born to be. If a woman is a woman of God, the same will hold true. There needs to be more rigidity with that...but everything is relative. Those that fail subsequently shine a light on those of us that succeed. (leaves for work)

Servitude

Romans 12:9-21 pretty much lays out the Christian life in a nutshell. It is to lived in servitude, we are serve each other, outdo each other in giving one another honor, love without hypocrisy, to not lack diligence, with a fervent spirit serve the Lord, these things all show a person the way to servitude. They paint a picture of how we are to conduct ourselves in the body. They paint a picture of Love at its finest, in its brightest colors , a masterful depiction of proper Christian love. If we would focus on doing these things, if we would only focus on esteeming each other as Christ esteemed us as worthy of our love, despite our differences, once we show love we only see each other commonality and the dividing lines are taken down. I love the verse where it talks about showing family affection because on this Earth there is nothing that honestly shows off unconditional love quite like a united family. No matter what happens, your family will encourage and support you because they love you. No one twists their arms and forces them to love, they do it out of their hearts. It is to be much the same way with us Christians in the body, we should be eager to show how much love we have and how deeply our love runs one for another. For love does not lift you, but it lifts the other person; you never really know what someone is going thru and by you showing them love, you might be keeping them from danger, keeping them from taking their own lives, or keeping them out of depression. By our willingness to engage in servitude we not only show off Christ, but we just might change somebody's life. Servitude is more than actions, it is a way of life it is what you do and it also is who you are. It reflects in every area of your life, every place that you go and you can't just turn it off when you want to because God has truly changed the way you look at others and how you look at yourself. But remember that Love leads us to servitude, you must love to serve and serve because you love.