Category Archives: Culture

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Seven Scriptures to Remind Us that Jesus is the Real Reason for the Season…Still…

Hello World,

Like the treasured Christmas tree that my husband and I lovingly decorate each Christmas season (we bought the tree during our first Christmas together as a married couple in 2013), the post below, which I originally wrote in 2012, is still relevant especially as today is December 1!

I don’t know about you but December always seems to fly by…Between making Christmas lists, shopping with the masses, sending out Christmas greetings via e-mail or snail mail, going to Christmas parties and other events, preparing for the New Year and regular life stuff, it seems there is never enough time to do it all and so I almost look forward to January when life is back to its regular pace…

And if you noticed, I haven’t mentioned Jesus at all…That is because with all I have to or want to do, I can forget that the birth of Jesus, God’s precious gift to mankind, is the real reason for the season…And so to prepare my heart for this season and hopefully help you prepare your heart for this season too, I have decided to list seven scriptures that take the focus off of the worldly expressions of the Christmas season and help us to focus on Jesus…

1. “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23 I just love that Immanuel means “God with us.”  Jesus was born so that God could be with us…Remember that the next time you feel alone because you are not…God is with us!

2. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 Look how much we are loved by God! He sacrificed His one and only Son! What have we sacrificed for God lately? Something to remember and act on at this time of the year…

3. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 Every time I see Christmas lights, I’m going to remember that God is the father of heavenly lights and that every good and perfect gift is from Him…I’m feeling better about the Christmas season already…

4. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 Although we will never be free of sin this side of Heaven, we can still accept God’s gift of eternal life with Jesus Christ who helps us not to sin…

5. “…Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” 1 Peter 3:15 At some point during this Christmas season, we have to know that everyone around us does not know the real reason for the season…I hope I’m ready when the opportunity arises for me to tell somebody about my Lord and Savior…

6. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4…Do  you want the desires of your heart? Of course 🙂 Then we have to delight ourselves in the Lord and His purposes…Now, this does not mean that we send up a list of what we want and then He delivers gifts like He is some Santa Claus in the sky…No, this verse means that mysteriously when we align ourselves with the Lord, His desires for us become our desires…and then we get the desires of our heart because they are His desires for us too…

7. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” Luke 2:14…This time of the year especially I have to make every effort to give glory to God and live at peace with others…I wish those in government would remember that…

And what is the Christmas season without beautiful music? Check out Jonathan McReynold’s rendition of “O Come All Ye Faithful.” His voice is simply angelic…

Any thoughts?

 

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‘Judas’ in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar,’ An Alleged Jan. 6 Capitol Insurrectionist, Asserts ‘Divine’ Authority in Court…

Hello World,

He’s certifiable y’all…So on Sunday, I told y’all about James Beeks, who portrayed “Judas” in the U.S. tour of the popular musical Jesus Christ Superstar. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 49-year-old James Beeks was arrested last week “related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.” Read the rest of that post HERE.

Well, since then, on Monday, as a matter of fact, Beeks appeared in court where his crazy was on full display to the aggravation of the judge. Check out an excerpt of the CNN article “‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Actor, An Accused Capitol rioter, Claimed ‘Divine’ Authority in Court Hearing.”

A court hearing for a January 6 defendant quickly turned contentious Monday after an actor and Oath Keeper tried to reject the United States’ authority over him.

James Beeks, who played Judas in the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” before his arrest last week for his alleged participation in the January 6 riot, prompted the judge to consider sending him to jail after telling the court he had “divine” authority and arguing the government had no jurisdiction over him.
“That’s all gobbledygook,” Chief Judge Beryl Howell of the DC District Court said. “Mr. Beeks, you should be quiet unless spoken to.” Read the rest of the article HERE.
Y’all, I guess the right response is to pray for Jud…I mean James Beeks…that he come to senses that he hopefully had before all of this…But it just seems fitting that a lost soul would be a Judas…And then again, I’m pretty sure that everyone who portrays Judas in a dramatic production didn’t allegedly storm the Capitol back in January…Anywho, that’s all I got…
Any thoughts?
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TUNE IN ALERT: Kirk Franklin Chats with The Ladies of ‘The Real’ TODAY, Dec. 1!

 

Hello World,

Watch KIRK FRANKLIN on THE REAL on Wednesday, December 1, 2021  (Check Local Listings for Showtimes + Watch on Bounce, 5AM EST/3!) as the gospel megastar will be discussing his new movie Kirk Franklin’s A Gospel Christmas! Below is a synopsis of the movie, which will be on Lifetime on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 8/7 c…

When Olivia (Demetria McKinney), a young assistant pastor, gets assigned to be a lead pastor at a new church a month before Christmas, she’s fearful she can’t manage the transition, including getting the choir ready to open the town’s annual Winter Jamboree. Banding together with her new congregation, Olivia discovers a new home for herself, and even finds a little Christmas romance along the way! Featuring a special appearance and songs written and arranged by Kirk Franklin. Starring Demetria McKinney, Chaz Lamar Shepherd & Kirk Franklin…
See the trailer below…

Kirk Franklin’s A Gospel Christmas is produced by Swirl Films and Big Dreams Entertainment. Executive produced by Kirk Franklin and Tracy “Twinkie” Byrd and produced by Leslie Greif, Eric Tomosunas and Ron Robinson. Erica Sutherlin directs a script by Kourtney Richard.
#AGospelChristmas
Any thoughts?