Sodom And Gomorrah Revisited

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"Champagne corks popped, rainbow flags flapped and crowds embraced and danced in the streets of Manhattan's Greenwich Village as New York became the sixth and largest state in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage." So reads the first paragraph of an Associated Press release on yesterday's historic legislation of same-sex marriage. Another report states that New York has 42,000 same-sex couples and that the passage of this bill can have tremendous moral and political impact for the rest of the country. Already New York is gearing to make New York the primary destination for gay weddings.

Is Your Dad Perfect?

Photo credit: manuere from morguefile.com Some people may answer  "yes" to this question, but I know some, men especially, who will give an unequivocal "no." It always saddens me when I hear the latter. My own father, who departed this life when I was just a little girl, was my hero. He taught me to read and spell while he indulged his hobby/part-time occupation -shoemaking. Needless to say, I had shoes to match every dress, and love shoes to this day.

My father also cultivated in me a love for reading and I became a good speller. I enjoyed going places with him, and when I heard his voice in the front yard in the evening, I would leave my mother and run to meet him. She often complained that I loved my father more than I did her, which wasn't true, of course. I was just fascinated with him - his voice, his smile, his jokes. The only bad thing I can recall about my dad is that he left me too soon. Late at night, quite suddenly and without warning. Died of a stroke in his sleep.

So, what about your dad? Is he flawless in your eyes? A man's man? A woman's man? As head of the home, fathers carry a heavy responsibility. They are entrusted with the task of providing, protecting and caring for the home and family. The mother is the one who nurtures, comforts and keeps the home together. However, a real father assumes the mother's role as well. The father who confronts the school bully is the same father who takes his little girl on his lap and reads her a bedtime story. Or tucks her in at night. Or takes her to the doctor when she is ill.

Sadly, some dads do not measure up to the ideal. Some walk out on their families and never look back. Others stay in the home, provide and protect but do little else. We need to pray for these fathers. I think of King David, a mighty man of God, but his track record as a father left a lot to be desired. His son, Amnon, raped his daughter Tamar (2 Samuel 13: 10 - 18) and even though the Bible says David was furious (v 21) he did nothing about it. Absalom, David's other son, had Amnon executed to avenge what he had done to his sister.

Later, Absalom fled from David and they didn't see each other for two years. Eventually, Absalom tried to take the throne from David and to murder him, but Absalom himself was killed. On hearing the news, David wept bitterly. "O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you--O Absalom, my son, my son!" (18: 33).

Many thoughts run through my mind when I think of David. After his sin with Bathsheba, the prophet, Nathan, told him, "Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house ..." (12: 10). Oh, if David only knew the weight of those words. As a father, his sins fell not only on him, but on his children. Fathers, do not let this happen to you. The Bible says, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). Provide, protect and care for your family, but make sure you obey God's word. Happy Father's Day!

Should We Give Money to Beggars?

I've had various replies to this question. Some people say we should never give money to beggars because most of them use it to buy drugs or alcohol. Others say we should buy the food instead and give it to them, still others say we should simply give the money and not worry about how they use it. I tend to straddle the fence on this one. Sometimes I give to the person depending on how he/she looks. If I think the person looks really hungry or needy, I give. People in wheelchairs and bearing a sign that says "Veteran" get me everytime.

My Blog Talk Radio Interview

Here's the audio of my blog talk radio interview with Ella Curry of BAN radio in which I discussed my new book Women For All Seasons. There were some technical difficulties in the beginning and midway through the show, but Ella was a very kind and capable host and we were able to pull it off.

Please listen and leave a comment.

Listen to internet radio with Black Author Network on Blog Talk Radio

Suffer Little Children to Come Unto Me

Mother's Day has just passed and soon it will be Father's Day, so I thought I would stick with the family theme until next month. We haven't yet begun to celebrate children's day, maybe because everyday is children's day. I think I hear mothers everywhere agreeing. When it comes to topics dealing with children the choices are as numerous as our imagination would allow. So, for the next three weeks I'd like to focus on three areas - how should children be treated? What is their role in the family? What does the Bible have to say about children? Today I bring you the first part.

Happy Mother's Day

For most mothers around the world Mother's Day is a pleasant time when mothers and their children get together to celebrate this happy occasion. Gifts, hugs and kisses and expressions of love will be exchanged, and that's the way it ought to be. However, for some, Mother's Day may not always be a time of celebration. I hate to interject a note of sadness, but the reality is, there are people for whom Mother's Day is one to dread rather than a day to look forward to. For mothers, especially those who have lost their children, this day can be even more depressing.

In The Midst Of Celebration

If you live on this planet, you would no doubt have been aware of or be caught up in the excitement and awe of the Royal nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton. I'm sure everyone would agree, no one does Royal weddings like the Brits. As I watched the newly- wed couple ride off in the royal carriage, escorted by dancing white horses and ninettenth-century attired horsemen, I felt transported into a wonderland.

However, at the back of my mind was the devastation that had taken place two days earlier in the southern United States, my state, Georgia, among them. The news networks kept interrupting their coverage of the royal wedding to show scenes of the destruction and of the president touring the disaster area in Alabama.

As I pondered on these things, this verse popped into my mind: "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child ; and they shall not escape" (1 Thessalonians 5:3). In this case it wasn't all that sudden. The news stations had been issuing warnings days before. Even nature seemed to be preparing us. The storms began during the day, then quieted down, something which the meteorologists called "a warm up" for what was to come. So we did have time to escape. And yet, hundreds of people died.

The Bible tells us, "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5: 2). This verse calls on us to prepare ourselves because no one knows the day nor the hour when Jesus will return. In the case of tornadoes and hurricanes we do get some warning, but it's not always easy to save ourselves. This must have been the case of those unfortunate ones who perished a few days ago. However, we can prepare ourselves for the coming of Our Lord. We should not be so caught up in the things of the world that we leave ourselves open to eternal destruction.

In our age of information overload, the gospel has not been left out, but some of us remain in our stubborneness and will not heed the warnings we're being given.  President Obama, during his tour of the stricken areas in Alabama, said he'd never seen such devastation. Well, there's a devastation far greater that will come upon the earth when Jesus returns. Those of us who are ready will celebrate, but for those who are not "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out" (Luke 13: 28).  Now where do you want to be? In the midst of a celebration or a destruction?

Happy Easter!

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This Easter Sunday morning millions of people all over the world will gather to celebrate the astounding event that took place over two thousand years ago when a Man called Jesus raised up from the dead, folded His grave clothes neatly and got out of the tomb! My hair grows just thinking about it! The crowd saw the soldiers nail His hands and feet to the cross, suspend Him between earth and heaven, heard His ragged cries and saw Him breathe His last. Yet, three days later, "He had risen, just as He said" (Matthew 28 : 6).

A time of miracles

So what does Easter mean to those of us who believe? It means a time of miracles. By His resurrection, Jesus performed His greatest miracle ever, bringing down the curtain on His extraordinary performance here on earth. If Jesus could raise Himself from the dead, He can raise you up from death to life. I'm not speaking of physical death, although He can do that too, but spiritual death - the one that separates you from God and keeps you from being all that you were created to be.

A new beginning

As He drew the curtain on His life here on earth, Jesus was preparing for a new chapter with His Father in heaven. God "exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth" (Philippians 2: 9-10).  Jesus' work was by no means finished. He would now ascend to heaven to be once more with His Father, interceding for us until the time comes for Him to return to earth.

A time of triumph

Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was nothing compared to His triumph on Easter Sunday morning. By His resurrection, Jesus "destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1: 10). Not only did he destroy death, but by "His death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--" (Hebrews 2 : 14). Jesus also overcame hell. "I am he that liveth , and was dead; and, behold , I am alive for evermore , Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (Revelation 1 : 18). 

So what does all this mean to us? It means because of Easter we have hope, victory and newness of life. We know that He who was crucified is now alive and well, and He is seated at the right hand of God the Father, making intercession for us. We know that we do not have to fear death, or the devil, because Jesus has overcome them both, and in Him we have eternal life. In Him everything has been made new. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away ; behold , all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5 : 17). Have a blessed Easter.

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Let's Be Crucified

Image by abcdz2000 via FlickrToday is Good Friday! I remember when I was a child wondering why this day was called Good Friday when such a horrible thing as Jesus' crucifixion occurred on that day. But as I grew older I realized that it was actually a good thing because Jesus had to die in order that I might live. And so in my prayers this morning I asked God to help me crucify myself and all those things in me that need to be crucified: My stubborn will, my thoughts, my fears, hopes, dreams, desires.

It's only by crucifying, by dying to these things that we can live the abundant life that God intends us to live. The Bible says, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20.)

As we celebrate the death of Our Savior Jesus Christ, let us be one with Him today in His sufferings so we can share in His victory. For that is what the cross represents, not a thing of shame, but of power and love and triumph. God bless you and have a wonderful Good Friday.

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Modesty In Dress cont'd

Image via WikipediaTwo things led me to pursue this subject: One was a sermon I heard on the radio while driving to work in which the pastor thundered about the need for women to dress modestly in church. The other had to do with the increasingly warm days we've been having here in the south. As the days get warmer, the clothes tend to get skimpier even in church, so I thought I would pose this question to an online community I belong to. Do you think women should wear shorts to church?

The Story of The Todah

The Story of The Todah

Modesty In Dress

Cover of Royal WeddingLast week while driving to work I listened to a series on the above topic in which the pastor thundered about the need for women to dress modestly in church. The pastor reasoned that if women knew what goes through men's minds they would be more careful when putting their wardrobe, particularly their church wardrobe, together.

Prayer For The People Of Japan

Prayer For The People Of Japan

A Word In Due Season

Image via WikipediaAs a Christian, it never ceases to amaze me how the Holy Spirit works in our lives to give us a word or a song just when we need it. As I prepared for the book launch party yesterday for my book Women For All Seasons, I prayed that I would be able to pull it off without being nervous. After all, public-speaking is not one of my favorite things, but as I read my devotional, I realized that God had given me a word in due season.

Prayer For Japan Earthquake And Tsunami Victims

Prayer For Japan Earthquake And Tsunami Victims

Women's History Month

Image via WikipediaThe month of March is set aside as a time when we celebrate and honor women for the great strides they have made here in the US and around the world. The women's movement was started in 1848 by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and a small group of friends as a way to air their greivances at being treated as second-class citizens. The movement snowballed into a widespread outcry that swept the world and changed the way women were seen and treated by their male counterparts.

Jesus Waiting For Sunday

Jesus Waiting For Sunday

Uncle Tom's Cabin: A Lesson in Forgiveness

Many of you may have read this epic novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, a nineteenth century abolitionist and author. This novel, believed to be the precursor of the Civil War, became such a sensation that President Abraham Lincoln is purported to have said when he met Stowe,  "So here is the little lady who made this big war."

The novel tells the story of  Uncle Tom, a middle-aged black slave who was sold by his master, Arthur Shelby, in order to pay off his debts. Uncle Tom ends up on a riverboat down the Mississippi River where he befriends a young, white girl named Eva. She falls into the river one night and he rescues her. Augustine St. Clare, Eva's father, buys Tom in order to show his gratitude. The friendship between Tom and Eva deepens as they share their Christian faith. Eva becomes ill and dies, not before asking her father to free Tom. Her father agrees, but before he can do that, he is stabbed to death and his wife reneges on the promise, selling Tom to a vicious plantation owner, Simon Legree.

Legree hates Tom and beats him when he refuses to beat a fellow slave. Tom's faith is sorely tested but he continues to read his Bible and comfort the other slaves. When Cassy, a female slave, decides to run away, Tom encourages her. He refuses to tell Legree where Cassy has gone, so Legree orders his overseers to kill Tom. As Tom lies dying, he forgives the men. Humbled by Tom's forgiveness, both men become Christians. Just before Tom breathes his last, George Shelby, son of Tom's first slave master, arrives to purchase Tom's freedom, but is too late.

Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin Uncle Tom's Cabin (Thrift Edition)to highlight the cruelties of slavery. She succeeded in doing so, but Stowe, who was a Christian, also showcased the love of Christ who taught us the value of forgiveness. As He was dying on the cross He also prayed,  "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23: 34). When Peter asked Jesus if he should forgive his brother seven times, Jesus replied, " I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven" (Matthew 18: 22).

Do you, or I, have that capacity to forgive your enemies?  Or do we hate them as they hate us? If we are Christians we are told, "Do not take revenge ... but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge, I will repay', says the Lord" (Romans 12: 19).  As we reflect on slavery and the injustices meted out to our ancestors, let us also focus on Jesus Christ who exemplified love and forgiveness in His life and death.

Dr. Ben Carson

Image via WikipediaIn honor of Black History month, I am proud to feature Dr. Ben Carson, Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at John Hopkins Hospital and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award, given to him by President George W Bush in 2008.

Ben Carson's life story reads like a fairytale, a black male Cinderella, whisked from the ashes of poverty in Detroit, Michigan, to the hallowed halls of Yale University, where he earned a degree in Psychology, then on to the University of Michigan Medical School where he studied Neurosurgery. However, he did not have a fairy godmother but his own dogged determination to become not just a doctor but an "authority".
Dr. Ben Carson is regarded in medical circles as a miracle worker/living legend/surgeon extraordinaire, but he attributes his amazing successes to hard work and God. Dr. Carson always makes it a habit to pray before every surgery and to give thanks to God for the successful outcome.

In 1987 Dr. Carson made medical history when he became the first surgeon in the world to successfully separate twins (the Binder twins) who were joined at the back of the head. For this feat he spearheaded a surgical team of 70 members in an operation that lasted 22 hours. Other notable achievements include performing the first intrauterine procedure to relieve pressure on the brain of a hydrocephalic fetal twin, and a hemispherical, in which he removed half of the brain of a young girl suffering from severe seizures.


Despite his busy career, Ben Carson took time off to marry Candy Rustin, a Yale graduate and accomplished musician. The couple has three sons. They have also founded the Carson Scholars Fund for students in grades 4-11 who maintain a 3.75 GPA.  Dr. Carson has achieved many prestigious honors and awards and sits on the boards of many companies, including Kelloggs.


In looking at the life of this great African American, one might wonder what set him apart. He was born to a mother who couldn't even read and grew up in poverty in a broken home. In his early years he was considered one of the dumbest kids in school, but according to Dr. Carson, he held on to his dream of becoming a doctor. "There is no such thing as an average human being. If you have a normal brain, you are superior." As a doctor in his early years, he experienced racism, but that didn't deter him. He maintained his humility because he believes "you can never get too big for God."

Do you have a dream? The Bible says, For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak , and not lie : though it tarry , wait for it; because it will surely come , it will not tarry" (Habakkuk 2:3) . So, hold on to your dream and don't give up, " for with God nothing shall be impossible " (Luke 1: 37).



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What Do You Pray For?

Prayer is the Christian's most lethal weapon, I'm sure all Christians will agree, but when you get down on your knees or lie between the covers what do you ask God for? Do you ask Him to help you find a better job, heal your sick grandmother, help you buy a house, car, pay your bills? God is our provider, isn't He? And He does care about our basic needs, so praying for all these things is all well and good.

However, as I lay in bed meditating on God and prayer, the Holy Spirit gave me a brand new revelation. He said that all my prayer should be encapsulated in one word: contentment. Then He reminded me of this scripture by the apostle Paul, "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound : every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry , both to abound and to suffer need" (Philippians 4: 11-12) .

In this passage, Paul commended the church at Phillipi that they were once more able to continue caring for his needs, which they had ceased to do because they lacked opportunity. He was saying to them that he had learned to be content whether he was full or whether he was hungry. This was exactly what I needed, for lately I've been giving in to bouts of anxiety. When will I be able to retire? How long can I continue working the way I do? Will I ever fulfill my dream of being able to retire from my job and work from home? These thoughts and others like them do not make for a contented state of mind.

The Holy Spirit showed me that if I couldn't be content now, working at a time when a lot of people wish they were, I would not be content when I stopped working. If I couldn't be content here, I wouldn't be content there. It sobered me up and made me realize that by being discontented I was playing right into Satan's hands. I was allowing him to use me to grieve the Holy Spirit. In effect, I was saying to God, I'm   dissatisfied with you, I don't trust You to give me what I want, so I have to worry and fret and try to figure it out myself. That's a dangerous path to be on. It led the children of Israel to wander in the wilderness for forty years!

So, should we pray for the job, the house, the car, the healing? Absolutely, but when we pray for these things, let us ask God to give us contentment to wait on Him. Because when we are contented we are saying, God I trust You in this season of my life. I don't know how long it's going to last, but while I'm in it, I'm going to put on my hat, button up my coat and go out there and give it the best I have to give, because You are with me. You have promised "never to leave me or forsake me" (Hebrews 13:5) and I stand on your promises. God bless

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