Category Archives: the adversary

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Your Sinners & Saints Christian News Roundup…The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly…

Hello World, pastors.jpg

Have you missed me? I hope so…I haven’t been posting as much. I usually post on Sundays and Wednesdays but due to a pending deadline this month, I will only be posting on Sundays…So I hope my Sunday posts are worth waiting for :)…

Just because I’ve been focused on meeting my deadline doesn’t mean I’m unaware of all of the shocking news stories that have been unearthed in the Christian world…These stories are ugly…And I’ve come across some new stories that may not cause shock waves in the Christian community but are bad nevertheless…And thankfully, I’ve come across some good news that take a bit of the sting way from the ugly and bad stories that tarnish the testimony of the Christian faith…

So let’s get the ugly out of the way…

THE UGLY…

  1. Montgomery Pastor Admits to Having AIDS, Sleeping With Church Members...This, by far, has got to the be the ugliest news story in the Christian world that I have seen in 2014….Apparently, he had sex with several of the female congregants knowing he has AIDS, was using drugs and mismanaged church funds…I really don’t know how no one in the church confronted him about any of these three sins (Whatever happened to female intuition or the prompting of the Holy Spirit?) and likely way before he confessed all that mess to his church and removed from his post…
  2. Enugu Pastor Impregnates His Church Member, Forces Her to Abort Pregnancy…But former Pastor Juan Demetrius McFarland ain’t the only pastor acting up…Instead of a praying for a young girl in his church, allegedly Pastor Friday Onuh of Nigeria preyed on the young girl church, got her pregnant and “took her to a patent medicine dealer” (Are they talking about a witch doctor?) in order for their child to be aborted…Whew…I cannot imagine….
  3. Faith Under Fire: A Westlake Church Rallies Around Its Pastor After Charges That He Sexually Abused His Adopted Daughter…Allegedly Pastor Paul, as he is known to the congregants at Church on the Rise, is “awaiting trial on six felony charges of allegedly sexually abusing his adopted daughter,” But at least one congregant is pointing a finger at the adopted daughter rather than Pastor Paul…In fact, members are still packing the pews… (Whom do you believe?)
  4. 7th Heaven’s Stephen Collins Reportedly Admits to Molesting Underage Girl, Fallout Reaches Hollywood…As ugly as this story is, at least this story is about a fake pastor…Collins portrayed Rev. Camden, pastor of the Glen Oak Community Church on the TV series “7th Heaven,” is “longest-running series on The WB.” Although I am shocked and saddened by this story, Collins only portrayed a pastor on TV (If your pastor is a fake pastor on television, you need more than Jesus) …that point needs to be emphasized….

THE BAD…

  1. Boko Haram Destroys 185 Churches, Beheads Seven People in Borno…While this story is ugly, I put in the bad category because this isn’t the first time this Islamist terrorist group has committed crimes against humanity (Lord, please intervene…)…On April 14, more than 200 Christian and Muslim Nigerian girls were stolen in the middle of the night from their boarding school in Chibok town by this group…
  2. Jersey City Sunday School Teacher Stabbed to Death By Ex-Fiance, Police Say…As a former Sunday School teacher, this story is particularly troubling…Reportedly, Patricia Santana’s former fiance was a “nice guy” and went to church with her…(Just because a man comes to church with you, doesn’t mean he is saved, and even if he saved…well, see above…

 THE GOOD…(finally, right?)

  1. ‘Homeless’ Pastor Rick Cole Goes Home to Capital Christian Church…In spite of the shenanigans and crimes committed by a few “pastors,” I do believe the overwhelming majority of pastors have good intentions and are committed to serving God and their people…This pastor left his home, “living on Sacramento streets for two weeks to raise money for the area’s winter shelter program.” (Praise God for this pastor…)
  2. Columbus Churches Come Together for Prayer Walk…Under the leadership of Pastor Christopher Smith, Word of Truth Ministries partnered with other churches in the community to walk through its neighborhoods and pray for the people that live there…(Prayer is so powerful…)
  3. The Beauty of Small Church…Don’t get me wrong, megachurches are great, but bigger is not always better (#smallchurchestandup) and Rev. Hope Lee, lead pastor of Kirkwood Presbyterian Church, agrees with me…She wrote a sweet tribute to the small church in which she was raised…As a daughter of a pastor who leads a small church, I’ve had similar experiences…
  4. Christian Brothers Automotive & Lake Pointe Church Offer Free Oil Changes for Single Moms…Again, although the church and its leaders should be open to criticism when warranted, I believe that most churches and its leaders want to do good…(What about free or discounted oil changes for newlyweds? :))

Any thoughts?

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Seven Scriptures We Can Apply to Ferguson…

Hello World,

I must confess I have neglected my humble corner of the World Wide Web lately because of a variety of reasons…

I’ve attended two funerals this month and have begun planning to honor a sorority sister that passed away a year ago in October and another sorority sister that passed away in 2005 resulting in my emotions ranging the spectrum…I have written two articles, a column and worked on my book which has made me feel like I have no words left for my blog (in other words, a good old-fashioned case of writer’s block)…It seems that our home is going through some sort of mid-life crisis or entering old age as we have worked on getting our stove, refrigerator and air conditioner fixed…and other developments, I cannot mention here just yet…And of course, my one-year wedding anniversary this month has had me in contemplation of what is to come…

In sum, I’ve had a good ole dose of life this month as I do every month…but somehow this month, this mixture of life has been more potent than other months…y’all pray for me as there are a few days left in the month :).

With all of that said and or written, I remain committed to viewing this world through the lens of Christian faith and writing about my view here on my blog…So on to today’s post….

I’ve noticed that when faced with negativity from numerous sources, I tend to feel powerless and attempt to direct my energy in another direction where I hopefully will have more power or retreat altogether…That is how I felt when I witnessed (via television) and read about what happened in Ferguson…For all of the progress made in black life in the United States, it seems that black men remain targets…However, I can no longer no retreat or redirect…

Below are seven verses we can apply to Ferguson…

1.“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28…When will we learn that all races are equal and loved and created by God? I have to wonder if Mike Brown would have been a white teenager, would he have been gunned down in the same fashion or shot at all?

2. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8…Since black men seem to be targets, black men must have a “double consciousness” that while we (United States citizens) are free to live equally above and below the law as we please, the consequences  for black men will likely not be the same…Much has been said about Mike Brown being a cigar thief (which the police officer had no knowledge of before observing him) or “no angel” as if any transgressions he may have committed are justification for being shot and left in the street like a dead dog…The devil is busy…Be aware…

3. “Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” Romans 13:2… All should of us should attempt to be law-abiding citizens, but given the unfair treatment of black men in the justice and legal systems, black men, unfortunately, have to be even more careful about obeying the laws of this country…I hate to say that, but as my nephew gets older, I will tell him this again and again for his own safety…

4. “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall.” Isaiah 40:30…To be a black man in this country is know that stereotyping, ignorance and downright racism is real…We have to encourage young black men in particular (see above) as they, like all young people, are in the process of finding themselves and prone to make mistakes as they learn lessons…

5. “In your anger do not sin.” Ephesians 4:26a…I truly believe that one of the reasons that Dr. Martin Luther King’s efforts were so powerful is that he employed the tool of non-violence. The juxtaposition of having dogs, clubs, tear gas and more unleashed on the peaceful protesters of the ’60s showed the world just how unjust those that literally fought to maintain the racist and unequal status quo were…As organizations plan more protests in the wake of Ferguson, I hope they employ the method of non-violence…

6. “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12…All of the strife between various races, economic groups, political parties, neighbors, plaintiffs and defendants, etc… All strife period can be traced back to the father of strife…the devil…In other words, we need Jesus…It is only with Jesus that we can win against the power that wants to divide and conquer us…

7. “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:20… This world (although I love it with all of its faults) will never be the way we want it to be…That is no excuse to not keep fighting for justice…However, we must realize it is only in heaven that we will experience perfect justice…And maybe God has allowed it to be that way to point us toward Him…

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Book Notes: My Review of “The Deliverer” by Kathi Macias (BOOK GIVEAWAY)

Hello World, 

In every book I choose to read, I always hope to learn something new. In “The Deliverer” by Kathi Macias, I learned about the hidden worlds of child sex trafficking and slavery. These are topics I would normally choose to avoid as these are likely the most reprehensible “industries” in existence, but Macias was able draw me into this dark world through the heroine of her book Mara.

In the third book of the “Freedom Series,” Macias tells how Mara, a young Hispanic woman who has been freed after years of sex slavery, must make conscious choices regarding a relationship with God, a potential romantic interest Jonathan and forgiveness to create new life for herself. Interwoven in Mara’s story are the stories of Lawan, a former child sex slave from Thailand, who is adopted by an American couple; Sarah, whose romantic desperation creates a heartbreaking love triangle; and Francesca, who wonders if she should give her soon-to-be born baby up for adoption.

Aside from the various stories of deliverance told in the book, I also appreciated how Macias was able to interweave diverse races and cultures in the book without being obvious. Both Mara and Francesca are Hispanic. Lawan’s new parents are an interracial black and white couple. And Sarah as well as some of the other characters are white. The book takes place in California, Mexico and Thailand.

For more information about “The Deliverer,” please check out the book trailer below:

For more information about “The Deliverer” and the first two books in the “Freedom Series,” please go to kathimacias.com.

If you would like to win a free copy of  “The Deliverer,” please see the link below. By entering the contest, you are also subscribing to my e-mail list 🙂 Don’t worry. I don’t e-mail very much 🙂 For more opportunities for free copies of “The Deliverer” by Kathi Macias, please visit Facebook.com/CSSVBT.KathiMacias.

Note: I was given a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for posting a book review on my blog; however, the opinions are mine alone.

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Any thoughts?