THE Faithful God

The Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God.  (Deuteronomy 7:9)

 

We talk a lot about a faithful God. We sing songs about God’s faithfulness; about how much he is a faithful, reliable, unchangeable God.  We ought to sing about the fact that he is THE faithful God.  Saying he is “a” faithful God suggests he is one among many faithful Gods. But the word of God clearly says, “he is THE”…in other words…there is no other faithful God; he is the one and only faithful God.

 

People will try to convince us that carved statues and ornaments bring them peace, and healing, comfort and safety…but they are not living gods, so they cannot in any way be helpful, let alone be faithful to us. The world would like us to believe that the only thing we need in life to be happy and secure is money, and that [that god] will sustain us. It is obvious in today’s economy, that money comes and goes; quickly. Sure, having money can make us happy, but it will not keep us happy.  We make people out to be gods when we relentlessly seek their affection and devote our time and energy to serving them. People are unreliable, insincere, disloyal and selfish. Food becomes a god when we over indulge and lose control. Food lasts only as long as we can taste it. After that, we have to go searching for something more to satisfy our appetite. Lastly, we make ourselves gods when we choose to believe that we perfect and untouchable. Human nature is imperfect and thus, unreliable and unfaithful (Proverbs 20: 6 … a faithful person, who can find?). Without God, we are powerless and defenseless.  We cannot save ourselves and believing we can is only living in denial and deception (I John 1:8).

 

None of these things will ever be good enough, strong enough, or last long enough to satisfy human nature, but God is sufficient in all ways, in all things, at all times. He never changes, his faithfulness continues through all generations, Psalm 100: 5. Hebrews 13:8 confirms that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

 

There is none like the Lord of Lords, the one true, faithful God!

 

Be good, be careful, and be a blessing to someone today!

If You Cannot Receive Constructive Criticism, Don’t Give It!

Saying the right thing the wrong way usually backfires. So here is a word to the wise. If you cannot receive constructive criticism, don’t try to give it. Before you criticize, ask yourself these 4 questions:

1. Am I interested in this person’s good? Or do you just need to look good, to have all the answers, to control people, and to gain acceptance and prestige? You cannot help others while you are focused on your own ego needs.

2. Am I blame-oriented and judgmental? If so, you’ll come across that way to others. Let us stop passing judgment on one another (Romans 14:13). to avoid blaming and judging, you have to stop talking about why they did it, or who is to blame, or how stupid and selfish and crazy it was, or whats wrong with the, etc. That is  problem-focused and polarizing, and doesn’t help.

3. Am I pointing the person toward solutions?  God is a God of solutions. When he found us lost in sin, he didn’t give us critical reminders of our weakness. Instead, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6) He didn’t give us an analysis of our problem, but a remedy. So, prayerfully suggest, I wonder if you might not get a more satisfying result by…then let God drive it home!

4. Am I speaking the truth in love? Even your sincerest ideas need to reflect that you care. Speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) opens their heart and prepares them to trust you. Love say, “Because I value you, Id like to offer a suggestion. Would that be all right?”

Borrowed from RCCG Victory Temple, Bowie, MD

Black History Spotlight on Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston

Born -January 7, 1891 * Died – January 28, 1960

1. An American folklorist, anthropologist, and author during the time of the Harlem Renaissance. The author of  four novels and over 50 published short stories, plays, and essays,
2. She is best known for her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God.
3. Her father is a preacher and did not support her writing career.
4. She worked as a staff writer at Paramount Studios.
5. She is listed in 100 Greatest African Americans by scholar Molefi Kete Asante.
6. An inspired writer, Alice Walker, bought a blank headstone for her because her friends and neighbors could not afford one for her.

Follow the Leader

50 Great Black Americans You Need to Know and Never Forget About

 

1. FREDERICK DOUGLASS*( 1817-1895) Abolitionist, editor, author, lecturer and the major Black leader of 19th century is often called “The Father of the Civil Rights Movement.”

2. W.E.B. DU BOIS*(1868-1963) Civil rights leader, editor, scholar was co-founder of the NAACP and the chief organizer of the First PanAfrican Congress of 1919.

3. MARY MCLEOD BETHUNE*(1875-1955) College president, civil rights leader, adviser to presidents was the first Black woman to receive a major U.S. government appointment.

4. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.*(1929-1968) Civil rights leader, minister and nonviolent activist led the Montgomery Bus Boycott and was major leader of the Freedom Movement.

5. ROBERT S. ABBOTT*(1870-1940) Chicago Defender editor and publisher established a new type of journalism and vigorously supported the Great Migration to Northern cities.

6. RICHARD ALLEN’*(1760-1831) Minister and protest leader sometimes called The Father of the Negro.’ First Black bishop was president of first national Negro convention.

7. LOUIS ARMSTRONG*(1900-1971) Bandleader, entertainer and the first great jazz soloist to achieve worldwide fame and influence as a trumpet player and symbol of a new music.

8. ELLA BAKER*(1903-1986) Civil rights leader played key leadership role in SCLC and organized the Shaw University conference that led to the founding of SNCC.

9. JAMES BALOWIN*(1924-1987) Writer and lecturer helped define the Freedom Movement of the 60s with The Fire Next Time and other books and statements.

10. BENJAMIN BANNEKER*(1736-1806) Astronomer and mathematician helped survey the Federal Territory that became the District of Columbia and published annual almanacs.

11. IDA B. WELLS-BARNETT*(1862-1931) Editor, civil rights leader, and women’s rights advocate was a co-founder of the NAACP and “began the anti-lynching crusade” in America.

12. RALPH J. BUNCHE*(1904-1971) Political scientist was first Black to win a Nobel Prize. He received the peace prize in 1950 for negotiating an end to Arab-Israeli conflict.

13. GEORGE WASHINGTONCARVER*(1861-1943) Agricultural researcher developed hundreds of products from the peanut and sweet potato.

14. MARTIN R. DELANY*(1812-1885) Editor, physician, abolitionist published the first full-length statement on Black Nationalism in 1852.

15. CHARLES R. DREW*(1904-1950) Surgeon was a pioneer in the development of blood plasma preservation and a major influence as a role model.

16. PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR*(1872-1906) Poet was the first Black writer to achieve national fame. Critics said he was the “Poet of His People.”

17. EDWARD KENNEDYELLINGTON (1899-1974) Pianist and band leader expanded vocabulary of American music and was called greatest composer America. has produced,”

18. MARCUS GARVEY*(1887-1940) Orator and Black nationalist organized America’s first real Black mass movement and articulated a new vision of African independence.

19. PRINCE HALL*(1735-1807) Abolitionist and Masonic leader organized the first African-American lodge and the first Black interstate organization in America.

20. FANNIE LOU HAMER*(1917-1977) Civil rights leader came out of a sharecropper’s cabin and played a major role in the Freedom Movement and the Freedom Democratic Party.

21. W.C. HANDY*(1873-1958) Composer and bandleader published the first blues and collected and preserved the musical heritage of Southern blues singers.

22. FRANCES E.W. HARPER*(1825-1911) Poet, abolitionist. novelist, lecturer and women’s rights advocate was a reformer and one of the most popular poets of her day.

23. CHARLES H. HOUSTON*(1895-1950) Lawyer and first NAACP special counsel was the architect of the legal campaign that led to the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

24. LANGSTON HUGHES* (1902-1967) Poet, playwright, author, newspaper columnist carried poetry to the people and is often called the “Poet Laureate of Black America.”

25. ZORA NEALE HURSTON*(1901-1960) Anthropologist and writer pioneered in the., study of Black folk culture and was one of the most widely published women writers of her era.

26. JACK JOHNSON*(1878-1946) First Black heavyweight champion won the title in 1908 and became a major symbol of Black defiance in first decades of the century.

27. JAMES WELDON JOHNSON*(1871-1938) Civil Rights leader, poet, diplomat was the first Black secretary of the NAACP and the co-author of Lift Every Voice and Sing.

28. ERNEST E. JUST *(1883-1941) Scientist and Howard University professor was a leading zoologist and made key contributions in the fields of experimental embryology.

29. JOE LOUIS*(1914-1981) Boxer was heavyweight champion longer than any other person. He was a major symbol of Black assertion in the 30s and 40s.

30. MALCOLM X* (1925-1965) Protest leader and Muslim minister championed Black Nationalism and a strong alliance between Africans and African-American.

31. BENJAMIN E. MAYS*(1894-1984) College president, minister, World Council of Churches leader taught Martin Luther King Jr. and served as role model for leaders.

32. JESSE OWENS *(1913-1980) Track star won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics and became an international symbol of racial harmony and the Olympic movement.

33. ADAM CLAYTON POWELL JR.* (1908-1972) Politician and minister was the first Black congressman from the East and the first Black chairman of a major congressional committee.
34. PHILIP RANDOLPH*(1889-1979) Labor leader and activist founded the March on Washington movement and helped organize the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

35. PAUL ROBESON*(1898-1976) Singer, actor and activist created a new stage image of commitment and projected an international vision of art for freedom’s sake.

36. JACKIE ROBINSON*(1919-1972) Baseball star joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 and became the first Black to play in the major leagues in modern times.

37. MARY CHURCH TERRELL*(1863-1954) Civil rights leader, cofounder of NAACP and first president of the National Association of Colored Women, which she helped organize.

38. HOWARD THURMAN*(1900-1981) Preacher, philosopher, mystic developed nonviolent “love ethic” that influenced Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders.

39. WILLIAM MONROE TROTTER (1872-1934) Civil rights leader and editor initiated the anti-Booker T. Washington campaign that led to the Niagara Movement and the NAACP.

40. SOJOURNER TRUTH*(1797-1883) Abolitionist, orator and leader of women’s movement lectured widely and fought for the rights of Black settlers on the Western frontier.

41. HARRIET TUBMAN*(1820-1913) Abolitionist, Union scout and spy, and symbol of Black tradition of heroic women made 19 trips into South and rescued some 300 slaves.

42. HENRY MCNEAL TURNER*(1834-1915) College president, bishop, Union Army chaplain and politician was a leader of the post-Reconstruction Colonization movement.

43. NAT TURNER*(1800-1831) Leader of Southampton, Va., slave revolt that triggered an impassioned national debate on the wisdom and viability of the slave system.

44. DAVID WALKER *(1785-1830) Abolitionist and businessman called for a slave revolt in 1829 pamphlet, Walker Appeal.

45. MADAME C.J. WALKER*(1867-1919) Businesswoman and one of the first self-made woman millionaires. She made a fortune with hot-iron process for straightening hair.

46. BOOKER T. WASHINGTON*(1856-1915) College president and national leader de-emphasized protest and emphasized education, hard work and economic development.

47. PHILLIS WHEATLEY* (1753-1784) First major Black poet whose 1773 work was the second book published by an American woman. The former slave was born in Africa.

48. DANIEL HALE WILLIAMS* (1856-1931) Surgeon and educator performed the first successful operation on the human heart at Chicago’s Provident Hospital in 1893.

49. CARTER G. WOODSON*(1875-1950) “Father of Black History” organized first Negro History Week and founded the Association for the Study of AfroAmerican Life and History.

50. RICHARD WRIGHT*(1908-1960) Author of Native Son and other novels and books that helped redefine American race relations. He died in self imposed exile in Paris.