ClydeStyle

Category: Accountability

  • Jesus — The Way, truth and life (Part 1)

    waytruthlifeEver since I can remember I’ve loved the English language. And with understanding any langauge one must understand the rules of engagement. It seems that some people have forgotten about the rules of engagement when it comes to reading and understanding God’s word.

    In this series I’ve been doing on the seven “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John, he constantly uses a definite article in describing himself. An article is defined as any of a small set of words or affixes (as a, an, and the) used with nouns to limit or give definiteness to the application. Whenever Jesus describes himself he needs to use the definite article (the) because of his alpha and omega status.

    For example, Jesus was in the midst of teaching his disciples when he said in John 14 to not be worried because if they believe in God, they should believe in him. He then talked about his fathers house having all of these rooms or mansions that he was preparing or making ready for everyone who belongs to him. It was after he made a promise to come back that Thomas expressed his confusion with where Jesus was going and he asked how could they (his disciples) ever know the way? Jesus then boldly proclaims, “I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the father but by me.”

    The first thing he said (and the emphasis of this particular blog) is that he was “the way.” Thomas wanted to know how they could know the way. Thomas did not know how important and relevant his question was. Jesus is the way maker. He can literally make a way out of no way. When Israel was trapped between Pharoah’s army and the Red Sea, it would have easily been assumed that God would simply take care of the problem and eliminate the army. The Lord instead got rid of the very thing that troubled Israel the most. You see, it would have been very easy for God to eliminate the army. God did the more impressive stunt by eliminating the hardest part. I still get overjoyed wondering how Israel felt crossing the Red Sea on dry ground.

    God made a way out of no way in this situation and all Jesus was doing is introducing his disciples to the family business. For eternal life, Jesus says that he is “the way.” He is the way back to God for those who have been separated by sin. He is the way when situations are bigger than us. And he is the way when it comes to saving our souls. The question now: Is he your way?

  • Some blood pressure truth

    Blood pressure truth

  • Jesus — The Good Shepherd

    ShepherdSheep are not the smartest animals. I mean, they really need caring for and who better to care for them than a shepherd. There is supposed to be a little shepherd in all of us. As Christians who are supposed to imitate Christ, we need to embrace the shepherd within.

    Look around you. There are many people who struggle with life’s challenges and make horrible decisions. We witness their calamity and in most cases we walk on by. Jesus said in John 10:11, “I am the Good Shepherd!” He explained that he was different from those who help because they are looking to get something out of helping. Jesus helps because it’s his nature.

    This being true, all who have been crucified with Christ have Christ living in them. This means that the life we now live in the flesh is a life of faith in the son of God who loved us and died for us (Gal. 2:20). So then, the Christ in me is a shepherd. And I need to take my part in the progression of the sheep. We have the ability in Christ to be game changers for some people. We know things, do things and have experienced things that would help others. A good shepherd searches for opportunities to do just that. And it’s easy to help people you know and care about. But what about the people who struggle that you don’t know? What kind of world would it be if we all took our “good shepherd” calling seriously? Albert Einstein said, “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.”

    The Good Shepherd was willing to lay down his life for the sheep. Dear reader, Jesus is inviting all of his disciples to be shepherds and lead those less fortunate to a path of righteousness. He wants us to join him in loving and caring for all mankind. Now what are you willing to do?

  • Lessons confirmed in 2012

    20130104-234856.jpgIf you are reading this blog, then once again there were foolish folks that believed the world ended a few weeks ago. We should all be thankful we made it out of 2012.

    I have to say that I didn’t learn any “new” lessons, but I definitely confirmed some lessons I thought I knew. It’s always good to recap the previous year so that the next year is better. Each year we’re supposed to get better. Life is supposed to get easier. After all we matured didn’t we?

    Well, I hope that you are enjoying the new year and you are already working your plan of action to make 2013 better than 2012. With that said, here are the top 5 things I confirmed in 2012. I’d love to hear about your list.

    1) Read more non-fiction books and watch less TV! This one is a no-brainer. TV is run by corporate America and it is designed for one thing: To get you to buy the ads you see. There is science that supports the ability for ads to reach your subconscious mind. Your spending habits are linked to this. Now before you go thinking that I’m crazy, there is a company called NeuroFocus and they probe consumers subconscious by using Electroencephalography (I’m not smart enough to make up a word like this). The other problem with TV other than being a big waste of time is how your body handles your emotional reactions to shows. For example, whenever you get angry, your blood pressure rises and your arteries take a hit especially among older groups. So when you get so into a character on a show and their actions make you angry, your body doesn’t say, “Oh, you’re just watching TV.” Since your body can’t tell the difference, it handles that situation as if you were really angry.

    2) Life is too short so to maximize your time you should spend time letting the people close to you know how important they are to you. Your circle of trust should know who they are. Your family should know they are loved because they heard you say it as well as demonstrate it. You should make sure you are living forgiven meaning that no one should die thinking you have a grudge with them or that you thought ill of them. Be known as a giver and allow others to benefit from your generosity — not just your money, but even more important is your time.

    3) Get your house in order and keep it that way. This means that no matter how old you are the people close to you should know your advance directives and your wishes at end of life. We don’t know when our time is up, so it’s always a good thing — no matter how old you are — to have a plan and let those closest to you know what your plan is and the role they play in that plan. If you have done this, every year it’s a good idea to make sure it is current and your wishes are still the same. You want to make sure that the people involved in your plan at the end of life are still willing to carry out your wishes at the end.

    4) Everyone needs a day of rest. God rested from his labors on the seventh day and he created us with the idea that we would need a break from the natural rhythm of life to reset. There is an awesome book written by Dr. Marva Dawn called “Keeping the Sabbath Holy” and she beautifully describes this concept and gives a lot of great information on the topic.

    5) One of the most hurtful things is to have expectations for someone or something and get let down. It would help us all to remember that in America we make money. That’s what we do above all else. There are some secondary things that we do, but due to big business and politics, our system is flawed. Case in point: Sandy relief was recently left for the next session of congress because there was so much other stuff (like a new roof for the Smithsonian Institute) written into the bill. One would think that a bill with the subject Sandy Relief fund would only include things immediately related to people. I’m sure the Smithsonian probably does need a new roof, but at this point it is at the expense of the Sandy survivors. Our wars are about money and greed. There is an excellent documentary series by Oliver Stone on Showtime that talks about the untold history of the United States. It’s a sobering look at how the world sees and has seen our country over the years. This documentary has challenged me to re-evaluate what’s important to me and to help make America truly beautiful. Make the most of 2013 my friend!

  • The 1% and taxes

  • Something must be done about voter suppression

    Wow! What an election!

    I’m writing this blog hours before the final counts are in, but I wanted to put this idea out into the universe. Today it took me 2.5 hours to vote –that was the longest For me since I became eligible to vote. There were two precincts voting in one place and it was obvious that voter suppression was at play.

    The city I live in is a metro area to Detroit. There are lots of townhomes, apartments, condos and houses in this area. Instead of dividing the two precincts in my area by addresses, congressional districts or even a Jedi using the force, someone decided that the homowners should vote in one precinct and everyone else in the other.

    The result: homeowners could vote in less time than it takes to make a country breakfast. The other group might as well been standing in line for a roller coaster ride at cedar point on their busiest day! This was not just a divide by race (because there were some African-Americans disproportionate in each group) but financially as well.

    As I stood in line I had this idea; what if before the election a proposal to impeach the Secretary of State was on the ballot in every state? So, if you didn’t like the way voting was arranged then you could do something about it immediately.

    It’s as if minorities in America expect things to be unfair. We put up with all kinds of “stuff” assuming that we won’t get a fair shake in this country. I’m still wondering why voter suppression is not a federal offense punishable by mandatory jail time. Lol! I’m not wondering…I know why and so do you.

    Voter suppression is as blatant now as it was when African-Americans were first given the right to vote. All of this is being done to “buy” our government. If “we the people” continue to lay down for these shenanigans then our government will be up for sale. If we sell our government into slavery, then doesn’t that make us all slaves?

  • Democracy and trust?

    http://www.ted.com/talks/ivan_krastev_can_democracy_exist_without_trust.html??utm_medium=social&source=email&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=ios-share

  • A month before the election and there’s nothing to get excited about

    Don’t you just hate election season?

    The worst of us comes out during this time. We actually get a glimpse at how divided our country really is. It’s sad that we are forced to choose sides.

    The majority of the US is poor and hopeful that the election may change something in their favor. The wealthy are hoping for the same thing.

    In our country we play with a lot of things, particularly terms. We will use a word that commonly means one thing, but we will give it another meaning. We even act as though all things are equal, when clearly they are not. For example, it bothers me every time a politician promises to create jobs. I often wonder what kind of jobs.

    Even when they say the Obama administration has created X amount of jobs, what does that really mean? Is this a job that will allow a man to take care of his family or will the same man need three of these newly created jobs to do that?

    Then the other party says, “His economic policies have failed us!” They want us to believe that they could have fixed every that happened during the Bush years. They say they would have created even more jobs. You know me, I then wonder what kind of jobs? No one ever talks about what kind of jobs. They just say jobs.

    If you have been watching, I told you in the summer that this election would be the most expensive election in US history. And in the midst of the homeless and jobless, we will elect someone who will make more money being president than they did before they got the position. And they will make even more money when they exit the presidency than they made as president.

    It’s October and I’m already tired of these ads. I don’t know about you, but this is depressing to me. Despite everything, please vote. Your voice will be heard. It’s one of our rights that people died for. It’s the least you could do.

    It makes me long for the return of Jesus. Only he can make things fair.

  • Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of victory, but for what?

    For years I celebrated Cinco de Mayo thinking that it was the equivalent of the Fourth of July for Mexico. I grew up with Mexican neighbors, I still love Mexican food (minus all that cheese) and never did any of them ever correct my thinking. Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

    In the spirit of unlikely victories I’d like to say that I am dissatisfied with the way civil rights is rationed out in Christian America. Our civil rights movement of the sixties advanced African-Americans some. Not that African-American’s have arrived by any stretch of the imagination, but it just seems to me that those who have been through a struggle would reach back with empathy  to help others going through a struggle.

    Based on our history, you would think that on a massive scale, the Jewish nation would have done more things to assist African-Americans in their struggle. I’m not at all saying that nothing has been done, but with the reparations as a result of the horrible Holocaust and the fact that Jews maintained their identity through that process, Jews had information that would have changed the state of African-Americans today. Now I say this fully aware that most of the houses sold by Jews from the 60s-80s were sold to Blacks because Whites would not live in homes formally owned by Jews. Southfield, MI is a perfect example of this. There have been educational, healthcare, housing and other services given to assist African-Americans which were funded by Jews. These things were great helps in the struggle and they specifically dealt with the RESULTS of the struggle. I don’t know of anything done to PREVENT the struggle — and that’s my point. After slavery, Blacks needed direction and guidance. There was a need to know how the financial system functioned and ownership of real estate. Other than Tulsa’s Black Wall Street (and we know what happened to it!), this knowledge was missing. I wonder what if the Jews taught Blacks how to succeed much like the Native American taught the pilgrims how to succeed what would things look like now?

    Fast forward to the 21st Century and African-Americans should be doing more to help Mexicans and Hispanics in their struggles with this nation. The very same struggles that we are still trying to overcome. Granted this should be the responsibility of everyone including federal, state and local authorities. When you start running statistics you will see that Jews went through some very horrible things here in America. African-Americans are still going through some horrible things in this country. And Mexicans and Hispanics are catching hell right now. From being kicked out of our country, to not having their healthcare disparities even addressed, to not receiving fair wages and benefits for work and poor education.

    I don’t mean to sound harsh or offensive, but we need to stop accepting the unspoken pecking order that ranks the races.  I want to do something about this. I’m not sure what exactly, but I would like to do something to help with this cause. I realize that there are a lot of causes out there, but this Cinco de Mayo I would like to not only celebrate the Battle of Puebla with them, but I also want to end that celebration, by asking them what I can do to help. What about you?

  • Another year

    It seems that the older we get, the faster the years go by.

    We were just ushering in 2011 and now it’s over. The end of the year becomes a time where we are able to reflect on the things that happened and make changes if needed.

    It’s a time where we should be deciding to end bad relationships because the year has revealed to us that there is no benefit in them.

    It’s time to take control over the things that this year has shown us are out of control.

    It’s time to rededicate our lives to the people who matter the most to us.

    It’s time to talk to God about purpose, plan and repentance.

    It’s time for us to make sure that we don’t miss out on the real important things in life because we’re too busy chasing the superficial things.

    Don’t let 2012 come and go without you experiencing the things that matter most. Make sure you seize every moment to love someone, admire things God created like sunsets and rainbows and mentor someone that needs you — what God has hidden in these types of relationships make life worth living.

    And finally, do the best you can to eliminate stress, the Western culture diet and revenge out of your life. All three of these things can kill you.

    Lord thank you for allowing us to see another year. Grant us the courage to make the most of it and honor and glorify your name in it.Amen!

    Happy New Year my friends!