Are You a Man (of God)?

By: Elton C. Green, Sr. and Erika L. Green                                                                          

The question is …Where are the men? Are we in front of the television watching the football game? Are we in prison? Are we on the corner? Or Are we sagging our pants even at a late age?

The fact of the matter is we are in all these places. But I realize and recognize all men are not doing those things. I believe a percentage are growing to be leaders in their communities, jobs, family, and church. That’s where we should be! Why?

Genesis 1:26 states Then God said, “ Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Basically, God desires that we, as men, be like him. We’re made in his image and likeness. Therefore, we should present ourselves in a spirit of excellence especially in appearance. Dominion… He wants you to have power but not with a ruling spirit or dictator attitude.

Notice he created man FIRST.  So his choice is that man be FIRST. Lead first, walk first, speak first, hear first (from God), love first, and PRAY first.

Next, God gives some straight talk in James 4:9 about the leadership standards of a good man. He should be humble when leading his wife, girlfriend, and family. He wants the man to resist evil and turn away from things of the world. This calls him to be an example. Lastly, be friendly which is self-explanatory.

God has charged men to be leaders. As you ponder on you role as  man, keep the pages turnin’ by meditating on the above scriptures.

Are You a Fifth Sparrow?

 By: Erika L. Green

Have you ever felt insecure, unimportant, undervalued or had low self-esteem?  Have you ever been afraid of the future? Have you ever felt that because of the current negative circumstances in your life even God himself did not care?

Well be not discouraged, be not afraid, and most of all, know that God cares for you.  See you are what my pastor, Dr. Rayford T. Iglehart, has deemed a “Fifth Sparrow.”  Don’t stop reading this blog it is definitely for you. It was dropped in my spirit as I listened to the sermon that is actually an offset of a book entitled ‘The Fifth Sparrow”, co-authored by Dr. Iglehart. It provided me not only with encouragement but a sense of self-assurance in my identity and worth in God.

Why the fifth sparrow?  Remember the song His Eye is on the Sparrow? God watches over the sparrow; and he is a reminder that God is with you always.  Need more reasoning? The sparrow  has  an “insatiable appetite”.  Have you ever noticed he always finds food?  God provides.  The sparrow is independent at best, but frequently observed in large groups. Thus, he can, many times, go unnoticed.  He is, according to Matthew 10:29, inexpensive and worthless. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny.  Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies.” Luke 12:6.

Dr. Iglehart explained that if you look at the scriptures and attempt to determine the mathematical value of the fifth sparrow, you will notice that he has no value.  If  two cost a penny, then logically five would at least cost more than two pennies. Yet, the Bible gives the value of five as two pennies. Thus, the fifth one is thrown in for free.  But that one is still just as valuable as the other sparrows.

Now, the great part of the sermon drew on the facts that I strategically left out. The fact that both scriptures listed above had more information regarding “The Fifth Sparrow.”  Matthew 10:29-31 added, “Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  Luke 12:6 adds, “Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.” Well, it’s just that simple, even the most worthless animal is both known to God and important enough to him that he still cares about him. So then… who is the fifth sparrow? Its apparently all who have seemingly been forgotten by the world or experienced situations that has caused him to be separated from others. But just as the scripture instructs, such people should not be afraid because God cares for even him.

Fifth Sparrows, according to Dr. Iglehart, are those that:

1)      have been forsaken,

a.       See story of Joseph: A man from a nuclear family who was forsaken by his brothers who planned to kill him, then forsaken by his overseer but the Lord stayed with him. He eventually became in charge of Egypt. Genesis 37-50

b.      See story of Jephthah: An illegitimate child rejected by his siblings and the community but the Lord raised him up to be a leader and to reclaim the community that rejected him. Judges 11

2)      divorced,

a.       See story of Woman at the Well: married five times, shacking with another woman’s husband, and labeled by society but the Lord stayed with her.

John 4:1-26

3)      and handicapped.

a.       See the story of Mephibosheth: the son of Johnathan that lived in Lodebar whose  life was spared and was rescued from despair because of the covenant his father had with King David. 2 Samuel 21

What an awesome God! He loved them all as if they were perfect creatures and stood by them even at their lowest. Do you see yourself having any of those above labels? Have people talked about you and rejected you? Be encouraged, Fifth Sparrow! God will be with you, too. He will cause you to be raised up to be the leader of your enemies like Jephthah; give you favor with someone you don’t even know like Mephibosheth; or grant you a new reputation like the Woman at the Well.  So now all I ask of every Fifth Sparrow that has lost his or her way is to reclaim your Glory!  Learn you worth through scripture. And as always, Keep the Pages Turnin’.

-EG.

P.S. The sermon can be purchased at Gloryland Baptist Church. Just call and state it was preached on January 16, 2011. (shameless plug)

 

Thanks

Just wanted to say thanks for the support. I reached over 100 hits my first month blogging. Let's triple that. So tell a friend. -EG

The One That Got Away

The One That Got Away

By: C. Kelly Robinson

My overall critique of C. Kelly Robinson’s The One That Got Away is that it is a well written, real to life, stair-stepping 7 out of 10. The storyline, which is straight to the title follows a mid-thirty educated playboy reformed, Tony Gooden, chase after his college sweetheart, Serena. Did I mention Serena has two children (one that is a teenage case of puberty, emotions, and low self-esteem foolery) and a husband. Wait! The husband would be a rock in Tony’s way but he too has a few too many unfaithful issues that are all too typical for a man that was an athlete in college and moved on to the professional league.

I claim it’s true to title because Robinson provides each character with a realistic lifestyle, each educated and employed with an array of friends that truly know each other and can keep each other in check. My ultimate rating scored lower because Robinson who has the ability to put every character in your actual friendship/family circle, doesn’t keep me interested at least at the beginning. With only 272 pages, Robinson created a story with what I call stair-stepping drama. It wasn’t back to back or too much to seem unreal. There was also limited foreshadowing. However, by the middle of the book, the drama did come to life. For instance, a co-worker falls for another co-worker, an illegitimate child surfaces, family secrets show up, and a husband seeks revenge with the most unsuspected person. Robinson, I would say that…. (men watch this), you created strong male characters that support each other, take care of their families, and admit to their shortcomings in life and with women.

Yes, it is a bit of a love story with a soothing ending. C. Kelly Robinson, I applaud this work and look forward to reading more of your books. By the way, comment if you read this book or if you could move to another city to chase after the one that got away (oops that part of the book). Is there even “a one”?

As Always Keep the Pages Turnin’ -Eg

Oh, You Fancy, Huh: My Class Dilemma

Oh, You Fancy, Huh?: My Class Dilemma

By : Erika L. Green

 

Today, I need your help but not really. Lol I was reading an article today where the author said a guy asked her if she would move to a particular state. She replied (in her head) she would like to move back there, New York, but to the place it is now not the place she stated in when she was eating Ramen Noodles. He replies, “you too fancy”. Now those words made me think of a song (I heard played on the radio a zillion times as I traveled this past week) where the chorus says “nails done, hair done, everything done”, which implies this particular girl is FANCY!  I couldn’t tell you who the artist was but both the song and the article made me think of economic class issues.

In college, I remember watching an Oprah Show where she walked around Chicago asking people what class did they think they were in. I immediately told my girlfriend watching with me I know I’m middle class. I mean I had the two parent home, I went to public school but I never wanted for anything, pretty much everything in my closet hand name brands on it, I mean I even was a debutante (which had to coincide with middle to upper class). But to my dismay, I phoned The Green’s who responded with pure laughter. They replied we are probably lower class and at best upper lower… maybe working middle class. I watched the rest of the show and was a bit upset. I know what low class means, I thought. In the article I read, Ms. Andrews quoted bad language in connection to the lower class. I just thought that was for people from the hood. Fortunately, Oprah explained it to me. It all made sense after the show. I even set back and thought about how Sallie Mae had to contribute so much to my college fund. So are you too fancy? Do you even know what is your economic class? Well, I’ve included the definitions of the classes below and the links of the article and even the lyrics to the song. Be my guest to review both, and comment on your insight about class issues. I would love to hear it.

Class Breakdown:

Lower class: “working class”- term used to describe those employed in lower tier jobs (as measured by skill, education and lower incomes, often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below average incomes.)

Middle Class:  “professional managerial class”- Under Marxist theory, this is the ruling class or bourgeoisie; have reasonable amounts of discretionary income; salaried mental workers who do not own the means of production and whose major function in social division of labor is the reproduction of capitalist culture and capitalist class relations.” i.e. teachers, social workers, engineers, and nurses.

Upper Middle Class: higher status members of the middle class. Max Weber says it consists of well educated professionals with graduate degrees and comfortable incomes.

Source : Wikipedia

Article: Single Minded: Class Acts By: Helena Andrews

http://www.theroot.com/views/single-minded-class-acts?page=0,1

Song: Fancy By: Drake

http://www.directlyrics.com/drake-fancy-lyrics.html

P.S. I have read Helena Andrew’s book Bitch Is the New Black. I suggest if you like exposes about people’s lives in a bunch of mini stories , you should read it. It’s a comical view of her life growing up and getting through single hood, sort of. I give it a C rating. You be the judge.

 

As always keep the Pages Turnin’- EG.

Televise the Revolution: A Prison Strike is Going on Now

Televise the Revolution: A Prison Strike is Going on Now

Yes, you heard me correctly. The inmates in Georgia prisons have gone on strike in what is being reported as the largest prison strike in American History. I know you didn’t know about it. Apparently, the media has taken a break to report  Mariah’s twins or WiKileaks foolery but the reality is inmates in Georgia prisons have united for a good cause. The cause is to gain attention to some of the inadequacies in their prison system. My question to you is could there really be inadequacies in prison. The purpose of a prison system is for punishment. Therefore, inmates according to the public (my opinion of the public) should receive at best standard living conditions: food, housing, and clothing. What about the rehabilitation aspect of this process? Well, I believe that’s the crux of the inmates’ arguments.  They’re demanding wages for their work (citing the 13^th Amendment-Slavery), educational opportunities beyond a GED, as well as vocational and self-improvement opportunities- to name a few.  According to the article, “wardens started triple bunking prisoners in response to budge cuts- squeezing three prisoners into cells intended for one.”  I think they don’t have a bad argument. If some inmates will be returned to society, then I believe they should be provided a plethora of opportunities while in prison. I am not at any point advocating that they receive down mattresses and plasma televisions but they are humans. Humans that are being given an opportunity to reflect on their misfortunes and possibly change themselves. The most ironic part of this strike is the unity being shown by the inmates. One of their leaders stated “We have the Crips, we have the Bloods, we have the Muslims, we have the head Mexicans, and we have the Aryans all with a peaceful understanding, all on common ground.” Truly beautiful! But before I sing Kumbaya, My Lord, I urge with all sincerity and respect that individuals would gain such unity prior to entering the prison walls.

Now, here’s the link:

http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/41235/the-largest-prison-strike-in-american-history-goes-ignored-by-us-media/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+hackernewsyc+%28Hacker+News+YC%29&utm_content=Yahoo!+Mail

and let me know what you think (Post some comments). And as always keep the pages turnin’ –EG

Note: The article cited above is The Largest Prison Strike in American History Goes Ignored by the US Media by Joe Weber.

Wise Reading!

With as many times as I have heard or asked the question “do you know of a good book to read,” no one responded with the bible. Granted we all suggest it in times of despair, but forget about it during the most brief conversations. I even will venture to say that I’m not the only person to put the bible in the category of things I will read later. Thus, the other night I heard in my sleep, if you want people to read a good book, suggest the bible. For those of you that just can’t seem to find time, I pray my study for this post and once every week thereafter will force you to do so. And since my boyfriend (Kelvin) is a Sunday School teacher, I enlisted his help.

In my life, I have a desire for success but more importantly I wanted God to sprinkle wisdom over my success. Proverbs 4:7 (actually all of Chapter 4) gave me a little insight on what I would need to do to get wisdom and keep it. “Wisdom is the principle thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”

Kelvin’s notes:
After an in depth look into this, we will realize the responsibility that comes along with it. It starts off telling us to get wisdom. Wisdom is defined as knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action. What does that really mean? It means that first we must obtain knowledge. Knowledge in the word of God only comes from reading and studying the word. After we obtain this knowledge of the Word, we must next use it with just actions. Meaning that we must use this knowledge in the right context. It should not be used to impress others, to make ourselves look favorably to a certain crown etc… Now that we have wisdom, the Word says that we need understanding. Understanding is the ability to convey your wisdom to others that may not understand. For example: Wisdom is knowing that a car and an automobile is the same thing. However, no one would tell a 3 yr old to go get in the automobile. That is because as an adult we should be able to understand that a 3 yr old cannot comprehend on that level.
Wisdom is nothing without understanding. Unless you can convey your message to whatever crowd you are dealing with, wisdom does you no good. That is why the scripture ends with get understanding.

How does this relate in our everyday life though? Actually wisdom is used on a regular basis. When we decide to do what is right rather than wrong, it is because our wisdom has led us to that point and our understanding points out the consequences.

Everyday example: You are walking down the street and you spot a car that is turned on and the windows down. First thought may be that you could steal the car and get away with it. However, that is when wisdom kicks in. You have the knowledge to know that if the car is still on and the windows down, the owner is probably not far away. Not to mention that it is illegal to steal. Your actions kick in when you continue to walk down the street without bothering the car. At this point your wisdom has stopped you from doing something wrong. And that was all because your understanding of the possible consequences of your actions. Wisdom and understanding is constantly working on a daily basis. In order to continue in a positive manner we must continue to read and study to gain knowledge. After the knowledge we must use what we have learned in the appropriate context. Finally we must learn to convey our wisdom in such a way that others can receive it.

EG- The lesson is interesting but reading the bible still seems boring, Right?. Well, there is a character in the bible by the name of Solomon. The author of the bible (GOD) even went as far as to say there would never be a man as wise as Solomon. Why? This character was a young man from a father (King David) that stole his mother (Bathsheba) from her 1st husband by strategic methods. And when it was time for him to become king others tried to take his place. Once in position, this young character “heard” in his sleep a command from God. That was simple. Ask for whatever you want me to give you. Solomon’s response was simply give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong i.e. wisdom. God gave him that and things he did not ask for. Notice that because Solomon had wisdom (even at a young age) and understanding of the power of God, he was blessed. Now what a beautiful story!

In today’s society, we ask for success and wealth but not wisdom. Seek wisdom. As I matured, I realized reading the bible wasn’t boring. Further, this lesson provided confirmation that with wisdom you start looking at things differently. That’s how reading the bible will effectively change your life. Age can’t give you that wisdom-maturity. Remember, the character Solomon. From one author to another, God you out did yourself with this book. I hope this post helps you keep the pages turning and brings you closer to turning to the bible more. -ELG See Proverbs 4:1-7 and 1 Kings 3:9-15
( The next co-author in the word post (once a week) will be my dad, Elton C. Green, Sr.) on Men)