Religion Archive (154)
Alexia Anderson, 8, receives her backpack from Neyah Hubbard, 10, during a Back-to-School event sponsored by LovingKindness Ministries, the non-profit outreach arm of the Master’s Child Church in District Heights, Md., on Sat., Aug. 21. Left to right, Stacey Garnett, the mother of Alexia and Trevor looks on while Valerie Hubbard and the First Lady of MCC Cheryl Robinson smile. Ed Laiscell
Lyndia Grant
More than a Conqueror, Part 2
Romans 8:37: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
This week, I decided to continue my discussion on the topic “More than a Conqueror” from Romans 8:37. Many times we have problems but we give up much too quickly. We must remember that our heavenly Father has equipped us with everything we need. We have the strength within us, especially if we read our bibles and apply the lessons.
I’ve been writing about these challenging times. Yes, they’re challenging; that’s because many of us are not living our lives as we should and we’re coming up short. We’re in the red zone as minority business owners, we’re coming up short in most of our churches – tithes have dropped to an all time low – and we’re falling short on much-needed dollars for our homes.
Lyndia Grant
Do you have set goals that you plan to achieve? Or, are you someone who’s busy doing a lot of this and that, but nothing in particular? Think you’ve got to keep busy, hoping someday maybe you’ll get that big break?
Well this column applies to you. Goals will create definite activity and provide direction for you. If you can’t focus on the required early steps, and you believe your goal is impossible, you won't make the effort.
Tying the vote to nostalgia and obligation, black pastors invoked the civil rights movement and Obama's historic 2008 victory. At Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta — the spiritual home of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — the Rev. Raphael G. Warnock warned attendees that not voting would be nothing short of a sin.
“We are thanking everyone for their prayers through this very difficult time, and we know that she is out of her suffering and in a better place,” said a family spokesperson.
The Chicago native, known as the “Queen of Gospel,” began singing at age 4 in the children’s choir at West Point Baptist Church. Under the advisement of Mahalia Jackson, Walker, then 22, founded her own gospel group, The Caravans.
Greater Mount Calvary Men of Valor reportedly pulled out all the stops for their performance in Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound gospel choir competition. A crowd favorite, from the moment the all-male choir from the Northeast based church took to the stage, the audience was mesmerized. The 53-member choir, led by choir director Cornelius Young, ranged in age from 19 to 90 and sent many listeners to tears with their rendition of Milton Brunson's “Available to You.”
Lyndia Grant
No matter what you are going through you can live victorious through your praise. Through your exhortation and through your praise you can tear down the walls that Satan has built. Someone once said, when the saints go to worship that’s when deliverance will take place, and when the saints go up in praise that’s when all of Satan’s powers are erased.
(L-R) Judges Marvin Sapp, Karen Clark-Sheard and Fred Hammond speak during Verizon's How Sweet The Sound 2010 Finale at the Verizon Center on November 13, 2010 in Washington, DC. Photo by Christopher Polk/WireImage for VerizonWhen all the votes were tallied, the Voices of Destiny choir from Greater Zion Church Family in Compton, California walked away with the title of “Best Church Choir in America” at Verizon’s How Sweet The Sound finale held Sat., Nov. 13 at the Verizon Center.
Choir Director and Rev. Michael Fisher, 39, lead the voice choir’s performance of My Time For God’s Favor (Presence of the Lord remix) that brought the sold-out crowd of 12,000 attendees to their feet. The choreography, diction, uniformity, and tremendous energy also captivated the judges – Pastor Marvin Sapp, Karen Clark-Sheard, and Fred Hammond.
Dr. Howard J. Wesley (left) Pastor, Alfred Street Baptist Church and Lou Phillips Founder, iFaith Golf CupNow in its second year, the annual interfaith golf tournament presents a unique opportunity to bring churches together to fellowship with one another and to tackle a growing problem that many churches throughout the area are trying to address.
“Fifty million people in American wake up hungry every day,” said Lou Phillips, organizer of the event. “This campaign is designed to fight against hunger, as well as to create an avenue for fellowship within the faith-based community and help to fulfill the churches mission of being good stewards.”
Are you feeling sad, life seem to be getting you down? Don’t fight the feeling, do something positive to break the pattern.
The stronger those bad feelings are, the more frustrated you are likely to become. That’s why killers kill; they let a feeling of anger become intense. It’s why people who commit suicide finally just give in to those negative feelings. They allow those negative feelings to grow, and one day there is no more hope left, they give up, jump off of cliffs, or jump in front of trains as one of my school mates did recently.
Want to know a guaranteed cure to break the pattern? Begin to pray, and call on God. If you must, lie down on the floor and stretch your arms out to God, with your face down to the floor. Become as humble as a new born baby, and pray. I mean you must really pray sincerely and from your heart.
Secondly, realize negative momentum, is building and do something that you enjoy. After you have prayed, knock those negative thoughts and feelings off track by exercising faith in God, and do something that will renew you. It doesn’t matter how bad it is, an enjoyable activity always helps.
By focusing on negativity, problems escalate. Instead, render them irrelevant. Turn your attention in a radically different direction, focus on positives.
For example, a close friend of mine shared her experience with me. Her husband, a successful attorney, who owned his own law practice, had an affair with one of his female attorney’s. Every night, he went to her home, but would never spend the entire night. He always came home, very late. Year after year, he would come home late at night, get into bed and never say a word about the other life he was leading, and neither did his wife. The two of them acted as if nothing was happening!
He gave his wife gifts and provided full financial support. Although it did not give her the happiness she desired, it did cause her to come to the decision that she would never leave her husband. She felt sooner or later, he would stop his affair, and they could begin again.
While she waited, she found positive things to do in her life. She went back to college and earned her PhD in Education; she traveled around the world, and yes, he paid for everything. None of these things made her happy in her marriage, but the positive activities allowed her the opportunity to get some joy in her life.
She became outrageously positive. In fact, on one of her trips to South Africa, she was crowned an African princess. She started to laugh and enjoy her life. She was funny and creative and ridiculous and joyful all at the same time.
The couple stayed married and the affair ended. The husband loved and treasured his wife, and now some 30-40 years later, the marriage is alive and well. They attend church together, they study the bible together, and he continues to shower her with gifts. Anything he can do as a husband for his wife, he does. She did exactly what the scripture says, in Ephesians 4:31-32, Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.
What a wonderful example of what can happen if you really believe in your husband, still love your husband, and though he may be out there, as long as he is still caring for the family, if you can stay there, pray and wait on God. If he’s really your husband, he will come back home.
You too can be joyful and happy; and when you do, you’ll create great new reasons to smile.
Lyndia Grant is a speaker and writer who lives in the Washington metropolitan area. She can be reached at 202-518-3192; email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Featured Poll
ADVERTISMENT
ADVERTISMENT
ADVERTISMENT