Playing God Is Serious Business: Know When To Say When

Many of us like to take risks in life, push our luck. Often we may not realize how daring we are being. Please believe, there is a difference between being bold and being a buffoon.

Basically, you don't want to put your life in danger or shorten your life span. We do have free will and a set destiny, including our eventual death date. Nevertheless, why make life harder on ourselves?

Professional athletes may be some of the worst offenders. Take Kobe Bryant for example. He has had several surgeries on various parts of his body, the last two have been season ending on his knee. He has hardly been a factor in the NBA as of late. He already has five championships, several records, Olympic gold medals, and millions of dollars, not to mention a loving wife and two lovely daughters. Kobe should seriously not play God and think seriously about retiring.

Peyton Manning was at a similar crossroads three years ago. He could have been paralyzed. He did his due diligence, rehabbed hard and sought every professional opinion before coming back. He's still planning on playing at age 39 since he continues to pass routine physicals and stay healthy. Patrick Willis announced his retirement today. He decided for himself and his family that testing God and his own athletic prowess wasn't an option.

I have been faced with this several times in my life. I do lead a very healthy lifestyle but I still take risks. A year ago, I entered an eating contest where I ate a giant burger in under 30 minutes. This was a one time thing and I was full for days. I also run and have a half marathon around the corner. I was reminded today about running too close to the road and the sidewalk. My running style has allowed me to avoid injury and accidents over the years. But it still got me to thinking. I want to stay as safe as possible. The only routes I currently run on are those with back roads and little traffic or running trails with at least a sidewalk. Since I am doing more outside running now, these safety measures will continue to improve.

So use good judgment in your life and don't think the Good Lord is automatically going to bail you out because you make a foolish choice. Trust Him, trust yourself and use good reasoning and common sense.

What are some ways that you have tested and played God? Do you think that even when you make poor decisions, God always protects you?

30 Things I'm Thankful For

This is the month and the season that many of us list what we are most thankful for. I have been doing this via social media the past two years. Below are 30 of these such things which makes me most grateful.

1. My Lord and Savior God, and His son Jesus

2. Having a wonderful mother who is always there for me and loves me unconditionally

3. Faithful and loyal friends and family

4. Being able to write every week and have a blog

5. Advancements in technology such as HDTV, computers, tablets, and smart phones

6. A warm home to live in and a roof over my head

7. A reliable car to drive.

8. Gainful and steady employment for over a decade

9. Always having a good meal to eat

10. Knowledge and the ability and privilege to gain more

11. My positive transformations this year: physical, mental and emotional

12. Being able to work out and attend the gym regularly

13. Finding a good gym (Anytime Fitness) that meets my financial, physical and personal needs

14. Awesome mentors in my life that still guide and encourage me to this day

15. The service organizations I am involved in, which allow me to give back and encourage others.

16. Being able to rest and relax. Both of these are very underrated.

17. Having a strong and diverse network of various people.

18. Various sports which are competitive and entertaining.

19. The people that have left my life and presence. They were around for a reason and a season.

20. Regularly having a party or a gathering to attend. I am always flattered and honored when someone invites me out.

21. My animals, and showing me another way to love, especially my new cat, Little Kitty.

22. YouTube, and the ability to view and post videos.

23. Music, for it is truly the universal language

24. Having a more kinder and gentler nature

25. My ambition and desire for life.

26. Good entertainment on television and radio

27. Awesome pastors such as Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer

28. Seasons such as Fall and the changing and transitioning of the things around me

29. That I am improving daily and am not the same person I was yesterday

30. For being able to love myself and have few regrets

What are some of the things you are most thankful for?

Judgement House: Uplifting, Touching, and Informative

Christian Churches nationwide are always looking for creative and Informative ways to reach people and bring more people to Jesus Christ. One of the more popular programs over the last few years has been Judgement House.

Judgment House is a series of skits that a church can utilize to portray a person or family's choices about serving the Lord, and showing the results, positive and negative, of these decisions.

Hopewell Baptist Church in Blacksburg, SC has been doing Judgment House for about four years now, returning in 2014 after a year off. Hundreds have come through to view the rooms of skits the church members have put together.  Many souls have been saved and rededicated to Christ as a result.

I attended one of their final showings during this period and will have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. The message is simple and one I have heard all my life: accept Jesus into your heart completely and you can achieve the gift of eternal life in Heaven. If one fails to acknowledge Him or has doubts, an eternity in Hell could be waiting.

The delivery of this message is what stole the show. The actors and actresses were very dramatic and passionate.  Skits included one with God at the gates of Heaven, Hell itself and Satan, and finally the kingdom of Heaven with Jesus and many angels. It was very obvious the work Hopewell had put in to learn the various skits, coordinate the rooms, design the sets, and make the experience touching and memorable.

Often when churches put on productions such as Judgement House, they are critiqued for asking for monetary offerings, pressuring people to accept Christ, and even soliciting membership into their congregation. I cannot speak for other churches regarding their JH performances. However I can say that Hopewell Baptist Church does none of this.  The pastor,  however,  does pray with each group at the end of the show and allow them to dedicate or rededicate themselves to Christ, pressure free. This is something I can very much respect. 

I enjoy it when groups of people find innovative and groundbreaking methods to bring people closer to God and His son, Jesus Christ.  We are in an era where it often takes more than witnessing and traditional church services to reach the masses. Hopewell gets this and has been using Judgement House as a positive vehicle this past few years. 

Visit www.judgementhouse.org to find a Judgement House near you. Or if you are interested in learning more about the one I attended,  visit Hopewell Baptist Church on Facebook,  or call the church office at (864) 839-6653. I know many of the members well, and recognized them in the skits.  They, and the ones at other churches performing Judgement House, definitely want to assist you in your spiritual journey. 

Dedicating yourself to anything important,  including worshipping the Lord, is both a commitment and a choice.  Thanks to Judgement House, the decision is now more visual and graphic, aligning with the Holy Bible and the teachings of Christ.

Have you attended a Judgement House either at Hopewell or another church? What type of impact did it have on you and others?

Rodney and Keia: An eight year journey of love

The institution or idea of marriage is not taken seriously anymore. The divorce rate is climbing daily, weddings are highlighted more than the marital union, and over 50 percent of black women never get married in their lifetime.

Now enter young black couple and soon to be newlyweds Rodney Davidson and Keia Dawkins. They have a wonderful and long love story worthy of talking about.

Rodney and Keia first were acquainted in 2005. Keia was working at Winn Dixie and Rodney happened to stop by her register one day. She initiated things, asking if he had a girlfriend and wanted his phone number.  Rodney played hard to get and a little cool at first, but they ended up exchanging numbers. Three months later, they were a steady couple.  Rodney started bringing Keia around his friends and family. This is always a sign that you're serious about someone, especially since they were only 18 at the time.

Four years later, in 2009, Rodney realized that Keia was the one for him and he eventually wanted to marry her. According to him, when you get that feeling, you simply know without a doubt. 

Their engagement was also nice as well. In October 2011, Rodney was at work on Keia's birthday. She was with friends and family celebrating at Broncos Mexican Restaurant.  Little did she know, Rodney had a special suprise for her: a proposal. He came by the restaurant on his break and popped the question. She of course said yes, and now it was time to plan their wedding and life together.

Rodney said one of the biggest challenges during the engagement was getting his credit score high enough so he could get a house for him and his new bride to be. He and Keia have always been hard workers, both often working two jobs to get what they need and want. They recently closed on their house, and their wedding is right around the corner.

Eight years is as long as many marriages last. These two have stuck it out through the temptations and tough times. Their love and trust prevailed throughout the years. Rodney advises anyone wanting to make a relationship last a long time to put God first, trust Him, and trust your significant other with all your heart.  There shouldn't be any doubts or secrets. It's common but golden advice that many people do not follow.

Now Rodney and Keia are nearly ready to simply enjoy being husband and wife, and live each following step as they have during the course of the relationship.

True, long lasting love is still possible, as proven by this story. It takes love, trust,and hard work.   You must be equally yoked, and be patient in the good and bad times.

I'm confident that when Rodney and Keia become one, their marriage will have a long shelf life. They are not taking this lightly and want to continue to love each other.  Life can be simpler when we're willing to listen to our instincts, follow our hearts and be trusting.  It's risky but can be very rewarding. 

Crutches In Life

Co-dependency can be a huge problem. Don't get me wrong, we all need a helping hand sometimes. But at some point, no one is going to hold your hand all the time.

We like to use many people, things, and circumstances as crutches or excuses. We use our family, spouses, friends, even the Lord. There are folks that even use public figures, celebrities and the slowly recovering economy as a crutch. It's not always a pretty sight.

People often get criticized and ridiculed for being lazy and/or not being independent enough. However, when you take advantage of something and you can't stand on your own two feet mentally, it's really serious and crucial.

Heck cell phones are even a crutch, and probably the latest and biggest one. Before no one could simply go without one. Now everywhere you go: malls, social gatherings, sporting events and restaurants, people are overly dependent on their mobile devices. It's their alarm clock, camera, computer, music player, day planner, their whole lives basically. Google and Apple continue to manufacture phones that keep users hooked. Currently people feel they have to get the iPhone 5 at some point. To me, that's a crutch if you don't have any other alternatives, and it can become dangerous.

Once again, we all need aids and help sometime. But if you can't be your own person, stand for something, make important decisions and judgment calls, you have maturing to do.

Unfortunately, too many people never grow out of this funk of co-dependency. It all starts with the person's mentality. One must wake up, smell the coffee, and realize that life is real and they gotta get real also.

One should be grateful that they have the tools and gifts where they do not have to be completely reliant on some type of crutch. The Good Lord giveth and taketh. Consequently, he can take something precious from you if its in his plan. One must remember that not every is guaranteed or lasts forever. Cherish what you have, before it becomes what you had.

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Fantasia: Still got a ways to go

The hoopla over former American Idol winner, Color Purple musical star, and platinum selling musical artist Fantasia Barrino has reached a fever pitch this month. Therefore, I felt the need to blog about this young, troubled lady earlier than I expected.

Many folks have seen the interviews, the Behind The Music special, and maybe even more things than the average person (or average Fantasia fan has). I will not make this a blurb detailing her entire background and personal bio. I'm just going to reference certain parts of her life as part of the point I'm headed towards.

Honestly, I was initially planning on only bashing and lambasting Fantasia in this blog. I'm taking a more diplomatic approach, especially after watching these many interviews, reading other blogs, and watching the Behind The Music special on VH-1.

Fantasia's life has been quite a roller-coaster. She has overcome rape, teenage pregnancy, lack of education, money, and now a suicide attempt to succeed and have plenty of support from fans irregardless of her past. There is nothing wrong with that. We should be supporting someone instead of tearing them down all the time. Folks have real problems (celebrities included), it shows they are human. We have to encourage them.

However, there is another end of this spectrum that cannot be ignored. The mere FACT that Fantasia does have many character flaws that she has yet to work out. Her overall behavior towards life, her work, mothering, family and the regard for her own life. Prior to her failed suicide attempt, her 2nd album didn't sell as well as the 1st album. That can be chalked up as a sophomore slump. She started out well again, playing "Celie" in Oprah's Broadway nationwide production of "The Color Purple". However, about a year or so in, she was missing performances, practices, etc. She was in Oprah's doghouse and was dismissed for a few performances. She came back from that, however, and delivered beautifully until the show wrapped.

Fantasia then had a reality show on VH-1 "Fantasia for Real " (which has been renewed for a second season). Now that was just one big coon-fest and buffoon-filled mess. It portrayed Fantasia just how she acts at times, a ghetto-hood rat from the South, making the South look bad. VH-1 is known for this, as I briefly elaborated in my coonery blog in May. Her family and brothers were even worse, as she was keeping them all up, and many of them were lazy bums. She was in the process of completing her GED during the show's filming. She had the nerve to say that GED stood for "Grown Educated Diva". Who does that? She made herself look like a complete fool after another chance to get her career back on track post The Color Purple.

August 2010 has been traumatic for Fantasia. First she's been messing around with a married man on the tail end of his divorce, a controversy wrapped in an enigma. Then comes the suicide attempt. Granted, most folks (myself included) are happy that she's still with us. But why would you OD on aspirins? Better yet, why OD in the first place. It showed America that Fantasia has some deep demons to fight, and a long ways to go yet still.

I have said some harsh things about Fantasia. I still believe that if she wasn't blessed with that wonderful voice that she would be regarded as a basic, coonish, hood-rat and would be chilling on the corner in High Point, NC and not many folks would care. I caught flack for that. However, Fantasia HERSELF made a similar comment about herself to George Lopez on his show. She said that had she not won Idol that she would most likely still be stuck in High Point and doing the things she were doing before.

Nevertheless, my compassion and sympathy for this young lady has blossomed. She needs our support and prayers. Fantasia is the type of woman that was persecuted early in life, picked on, has been raped, has issues with her father till this day, and has had many issues with men. Many times when a person seems ignorant, it is deeper than that. They just have become so confused and screwed up by life that if they do not subscribe to God or a higher power and don't get proper help, they only get worse. I certainly do not want to see Fantasia go down even further.

I only hope Fantasia does realize where she's at, where she's headed if she doesn't learn from her mistakes, and where she has to be. Her music career is back on track, her show (albeit not a good move for her) is still ongoing, and she recently received that coveted GED. It is up to HER, Fantasia Barrino, whether or not she wants to succeed and have a positive image for herself. She just needs to break stereotypes, stay healthy in EVERY way possible, and make better life decisions, including regarding the opposite sex.

Fantasia already has God, a loving family, a daughter, and much of America behind her. Now the ball is in her court. I honestly hope the next blog I write about Fantasia will be 100% positive on how she made a complete 360. Time will tell that tale.

CHURCH: not what it once was, and not what it's supposed to be

Being that this is Sunday and the Lord's day in many eyes, hearts, and minds, church is a major part of Sunday. Some folks, regardless of their relationship with the Lord, pack churches mainly out of habit. They've been doing it for years, and they feel weird when they're not there.

I can't chalk it up to getting older, the church and overall way folks have changed in the 21st century or both. But the modern church has changed now and NOT for the better. It is become more of a business, very corporate, flooded with crooked ministers, shady, hypocritical members, and more drama than the WWE, Facebook, and SOAP.net combined. It seems God is no longer on the forefront. And folks wonder why I don't currently attend church. I will come clean in this blog and explain why I PERSONALLY do not choose to attend church.

First, I have to explain how great church was, and still can be. I grew up in the church. My late grandmother was a devout, religious Christian, attending church every time the doors were open. She never made me attend church, but highly encouraged it. And I loved it then. The fellowship, playing with the children before and after services, Sunday School, VBS, church dinners, etc. Church was soo great then and people were loving and God-fearing. Then I grew up.

I remember how one church had wronged my grandmother over and over again, even after she became disabled. The pastor came to my grandmother's house just weeks after she suffered a stroke and talked down to her like she were a child. My grandmother was a Sunday School teacher (a dang good one too) and she basically said some things in her lesson that stepped on some toes. She didn't call anyone out, but sometimes the truth hurts. Anyways, some of the "inner circle" inside of that church complained to the pastor, and the pastor took their side. My grandmother then left that church. However, my mother still went to that church a few years later. She felt more comfortable in that small, country environment, rather than the bigger church my grandmother and I were now attending. She was disrespected and ostracized by the members and the pastor because she couldn't attend all the time, and judged wrongly due to petty issues. My mother no longer felt comfortable there as she felt the wrath of the inner-circle and favortism working against her.

I then experienced problems of my own within the church. You see, I try to avoid drama at all causes, and my focus was (and still is) worshipping the Lord and receiving His message. However, when I can't do either peacefully and openly, there's a problem. The church I was at was (and still is) a good church. I was there for years. However, it was my family church, therefore most of my family attended that church. It seemed like I couldn't raise my hand in worship at a certain time without getting snotty looks, judgments, or a phone call to my mom and grandma. As the young folks say now, #wheredeydothatat? Also, I had been undergoing changes for a while. You see, I grew up Pentacostal, in the Church of God. Yes that's right, the shouting, speaking in tongues, fire-breathing sermons, so on and so forth. However I began to realize that denomination shouldn't be the reason you worship God. It's about his love, his lessons and teachings, and the fact that he sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.

Having all of these thoughts in my head, I left my family church and became non-Denominational. I just couldn't belong to a church where 90% of my family belonged, were in my business all the time, plus subscribed to a certain denomination. You see, Christianity has become a big joke now. You have Pentacostals, southern Baptists, independent Baptists, AME Zion, Presbyterians, Methodists, etc. What people fail to realize is WE ALL WORSHIP THE SAME GOD IN CHRISTIANITY!!! When you lose sight of that and your spirituality, you are missing out. Your heart might be the right place, but your mind must wake up.

When my beloved grandmother passed in 2004, I decided to give church another try. I went to a non-Denominational church that was all I was asking for: free and open worship, not subscribing to a religion, getting away from traditional church service but not the traditional message. I even knew the minister and liked him. However, that church lacked structure and organization. It appeared an inner-circle of few tried to take over the church once the Pastor left. They even had it rationalized since one of them was an ordained minister. However, none of the church members voted on it. Heck I was there 7 months and they never even made me a member. That was very sad. I wasn't kept informed on much of anything: church happenings, gatherings, prayer meetings. Basically, if it wasn't in the church program, I didn't know about it. I got tired of that mess and left by the end of the year.

I then tried another church a couple of months later. It appeared to have the elements I mentioned earlier, plus a lot of more organization and order. Too much order, as I would later learn. This church was quite a piece of work as I would also learn later. The pastor and his wife were evangelists so they would, in addition to Sunday morning worship and Wednesday Bible study, often have services out of town 3-4 nights a week. These services would be as far away as Forest City, NC, and they expected their members to attend. Now at the time I was evaluating the church to become a member, I didn't realize the church was like this. It seemed once I became a member, it was completely different. It was difficult for me to make certain services as I lived 30 minutes away from the church. Plus they had funding issues at the building they were at, and would always ask every Sunday for a $20 offering from everyone, in addition to tithes. When that was ineffective, they toyed with the idea of making folks bring in their check stubs and tax statements to ensure that they were tithing properly.

The pastor there was also quite a piece of work. He was a talented, charismatic minister, teacher and musician. However, he had an attitude problem and was very aggressive. He got sooo ridiculous that used to get onto me for using the restroom during altar call (by get onto, I mean publicly call out for the ushers to block the doors so I couldn't get out). That's when I just about had it. I mean, seriously, how and why can you tell an adult NOT to use the bathroom during services? That never did sit right with me. I let that persist for a couple of more weeks, even sought the advice of some Christian warriors in my life. Within a month, I left that church.

Some of you are probably thinking "well Drew you just haven't found the right church, you can't give up on God, etc, etc". I say well back the truck up there! I have NEVER given up on God. Just because you don't attend church doesn't mean you've given up on the Lord! Give me a break! I have just grown tired of being around hypocrites, crooked ministers, unfocused, fake Christians. That's not what God intended for his church to be about. If one reads carefully in Matthew, it says nothing about these things being part of the church, nor does it say you will be condemned for not attending church. Personally I read my Bible daily (especially Proverbs) thanks to my Bible app on my BB, I watch Joel Osteen weekly, I pay my tithes to charitable organizations and other Christian avenues that need them. Lastly, I associate myself not only with Godly folks, relatives, friends, and ministers alike, but REAL, HONEST folks who I know I can trust and aren't hypocrites. I've already did a blog on "Keeping it 100?" so by now you should know that honesty is important all around for me. It is no different in regards to the Lord.

I'm ashamed of how the church is now. Corrupted by inner circles, Aunt Esthers, crooked ministers, the mega-church system, hypocrisy, prejudice, and I could go on (Heck I already have). It is frustrating to me to see how church is now. I do attend a few live services a year, but I feel that my way is good as well. Only God can judge me and my spirituality.

By no means am I trying to get anyone to stop attending church. I just get tired of folks looking down their noses at me and feeling I'm a heathen just because I'm not in church every time the door is open. Well to you I say this in closing. I know who I am, my relationship with the Lord, my Bible, and I do what is required of me, in spirit and my heart. Please sweep besides your own front door first before coming to mine. Thank you and good night!