Pass-The_ Ball...: September 2013

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Manhood Line

http://www.blackmeninamerica.com/manhoodline.htm

Saturday, September 21, 2013

"The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The
glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together..."(Isa
40:4-5 NKJV).

     I don't know about you, but I hate road construction. I live in a growing city
and it seems like there has been ongoing road construction for years. Everything
is a mess, you can never plan your trips because of delays, and sometimes you
get caught off guard when traffic signs are placed in unusual places and the
natural flow of traffic takes you off the main road onto bumpy surfaces.
Recently one of our main local roads discovered a sink hole in the middle of the
road. The road was closed for more than a year. We had to take alternative
routes that were inconvenient and it took longer to get places.

     Sometimes God takes us through our own life re-construction project. Our lives
get disrupted, we can no longer depend on the things we did before, and we don't
have control over our circumstances or timetable. God is doing major
construction.

     However, even in the midst of the re-construction the glory of the Lord is
revealed in that place. For some, it is the first time they've ever seen the
hand of the Lord in their life to the degree that this process allows them to
experience Him. It is a process they would never choose to go through
voluntarily, but it is an experience they value for the rest of their lives
because the glory of the Lord was revealed in the process.

     Once the process is complete, things begin to flow better. Just as the new roads
allow you to drive on a smooth, more spacious area, so too God paves a way for
you to move into an expanded place with Him. Isaiah tells us: "He will also send
you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the
land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad
meadows" (Isa 30:23-24).

Two Black Fathers Making a Stand Against Violence | The Afro-American Newspapers | Your Community. Your History. Your News.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Schools Are Good for Showing Off, Not for Learning | Psychology Today

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Dirt Roads - Rev. M.D. Rogers

Dirt Roads

What's mainly wrong with society today is that too many
Dirt Roads have been paved.
There's not a problem in America today, crime, drugs, education,
divorce, delinquency that wouldn't be remedied if we just had more
Dirt Roads, because Dirt Roads give character.
People that live at the end of Dirt Roads learn early on
that life is a bumpy ride. That it can jar you right down to your
teeth sometimes, but it's worth it, if at the end is home.....
a loving spouse, happy kids and a dog.

We wouldn't have near the trouble with our educational system
if our kids got their exercise walking a Dirt Road with other
kids, from whom they learn how to get along.
There was less crime in our streets before they were paved.
Criminals didn't walk two dusty miles to rob or rape, if they
knew they'd be welcomed by 5 barking dogs and a
double barrel shotgun.

And there were no drive by shootings.
Our values were better when our roads were worse!
People did not worship their cars more than their kids, and
motorists were more courteous. They didn't tailgate by
riding the bumper or the guy in front would choke
you with dust & bust your windshield with rocks.
Dirt Roads taught patience.

Dirt Roads were environmentally friendly. You didn't hop
in your car for a quart of milk. You walked to the barn
for your milk.
For your mail, you walked to the mail box.
What if it rained and the Dirt Road got washed out?
That was the best part. Then you stayed home and had
some family time. Roasted marshmellows and popped popcorn
and pony rode on Daddy's shoulders and learned how to
make prettier quilts than anybody.
At the end of Dirt Roads, you soon learned that bad
words tasted like soap.

Most paved roads lead to trouble. Dirt Roads more likely lead
to a fishing creek or a swimming hole.
At the end of a Dirt Road the only time we even locked our car
was in August, because if we didn't some neighbour
would fill it with too much zucchini.
At the end of a Dirt Road there was always extra springtime
income from when city dudes would get stuck. You'd have
to hitch up a team and pull them out.

Usually you got a dollar.....
always you got a new friend......
at the end of a Dirt Road!

LOVE THE TRUTH-Rev. M.D. Rogers

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

The truth must be loved to be received. If a person does not love the truth, he is liable to believe a lie.

It is the truth that saves. A lie can only condemn.

Here Paul warns about a secret power of lawlessness already at work. It is the work of Satan in the world.

This is no surprise. In the very beginning it was he who led Adam and Eve into rebellion against God’s command. Lawlessness is his goal for mankind, and ultimate ruin his plan for the world.

Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden because of disobedience. Willful disobedience to God is wickedness. And wickedness leads to destruction.

Here Paul predicts the coming of the man of lawlessness!

He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

Many ideas about who this person is have been proposed through the years. Some have even suggested is not one person, but a general state of lawlessness that will pervade society immediately before Jesus comes.

It is not as important to know exactly who or what Paul is talking about as it is to avoid falling into the trap of lawlessness. This is done by loving the truth of God.

There are two spirits evidently at work in the world today: lawlessness and obedience.

Nobody likes to be told what to do. There is a spirit of rebellion in every person. But anyone who has been changed by the power of God loves to be told what to do by Jesus.