Is chivalry dead? Some would think so, but others may disagree. I personally engage in chivalrous acts whenever I am presented with the opportunity. Opening doors, carrying heavy items for ladies etc... That is how I was raised. My aunt especially taught me that when I was in the presence of a woman that I was to show her the utmost respect. The question truly becomes do women even desire chivalry anymore? Many women do not expect it so when they receive acts of chivalry it is a pleasant surprise. I have also had female friends that almost demand it whenever they are out with a male. Then again I've had female friends that thought that it was a bit too much and unnecessary. Which brings us to the question that if chivalry is dead, did women kill it?
From my personal experiences from interacting with females, the overall consensus that I get from them is that chivalry is nice but not required. In 2011 women are doing so many non-traditional roles that gestures from males are really uncommon. In order to receive this type of appreciation she should set a standard of expectation early in the relationship. If you do not require or request these things from your mate, unfortunatley, you probably will not get them. When it seems as if women do not seemingly care, then guys will not go out of their way to do those things. It's almost as if some women feel that if a man does these things he is weak or not manly enough when the truth is a real man will treat a woman like a queen when he first sees her and continue to do so throughout the friendship/relationship. Why do women give so many chances to men that do not express to her an ounce of appreciation? This has to stop. Women are strong, but they are also fragile. Being chivalrous should be a given especially with a man of God.
Ladies must understand their value and request a little more out of your man. I'm not saying he should worship you, but if you don't care about him holding the door open and things like that then you just dealt another fatal blow to your personal respect and chivalry as a whole.
Welcome!
Keeping the vision is all about staying focused on your goals in life and staying encouraged. It is very easy to get distracted in life with all of the challenges we can face sometimes. That is why it is so important to keep your vision in front of you and pursue it with all you've got! God has a plan for each of us and it is so important that we ASK him what that plan is and stay on course. It is okay if we slip sometimes on this path because that is what the Blood of Jesus has accomplished. When we fail just plead that Blood and keep pressing towards that vision. In my page I will discuss topics such as relationships, spiritual matters, fun things, and so much more. Just check it out!
"Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]--blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he." Proverbs 29:18
"Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]--blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he." Proverbs 29:18
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Ladies! You are not Superwoman!
I know many of you have heard of or may even use the phrase yourself of "doing the most" or "doing too much", well ladies I'm here to tell you that some of you are doing waaay too much. I understand that circumstances bring about responsibilities i.e. children, family, work, church, school, etc..., but "balance is the key to life". You cannot take on so many responsibilities. You must prioritize. You must always keep God first in everything you do so that goes without saying, and we know that you must make a living especially if you have children. That being said it is surely not your responsibility to take care of a man. First of all he was ordained to be the provider and therefore should be taking care of you. Now I know that there are some ladies out there that can take care of themselves so I am not saying that you have to depend on a man for everything, I'm saying that you should not let him use you.
Many women get into relationsips with "boys" not men. When you are dating someone who is not yet ready to be the leader of a household, it is not your responsibility to be the man yourself. He should NOT be living in your house, sleeping in your bed, eating your food, and driving your car. That ladies, is a boy! After you take care of this person i.e. feed, clothe, pamper and wash his "draws" you are physically and emotionally drained and when the right man comes along you are hurt, scorned, fed up and seemingly unable to proceed with someone else. You should not be living together in the first place, let alone having you paying for everything. Yet another reason the Bible tells us to flee from fornication. God forbid you get pregnant by a guy like that.
You can only be responsible for YOUR portion. So ladies, stop trying to be Jesus to these guys. If anything you should be leading them to Christ, not replacing Christ in their lives. If you meet a potential mate who is not yet developed in manhood, be his friend FIRST and assist him in his development. That may mean introducing him to other men at the church, assisting in helping him find employment, filling out resumes etc.. You do not have to just write him off completely if he is not yet a great man of God. Let him be a man, which means he may have to find his own way a little so that he can build the kind of muscle he needs to be the leader and provider that God called him to be. Stop feeling sorry for people. You could actually be hindering their growth. If they know that they can always come to you for something instead of coming to God first, you have crowned yourself their God. Ladies, do not be decieved "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being decieved was in transgression." ---1 Timothy 2:14 This is talking about in the garden when Eve ate not knowing what Adam knew even though he ate anyway. We can learn from that very first encounter with sin not to let it creep up on us again.
Men that participate in this kind of behavior are not without fault, but ladies end up carrying the hurt for so much longer. Love yourself enough to choose someone who really cares for you and will not use you for their selfish, greedy lusts. God bless!
Many women get into relationsips with "boys" not men. When you are dating someone who is not yet ready to be the leader of a household, it is not your responsibility to be the man yourself. He should NOT be living in your house, sleeping in your bed, eating your food, and driving your car. That ladies, is a boy! After you take care of this person i.e. feed, clothe, pamper and wash his "draws" you are physically and emotionally drained and when the right man comes along you are hurt, scorned, fed up and seemingly unable to proceed with someone else. You should not be living together in the first place, let alone having you paying for everything. Yet another reason the Bible tells us to flee from fornication. God forbid you get pregnant by a guy like that.
You can only be responsible for YOUR portion. So ladies, stop trying to be Jesus to these guys. If anything you should be leading them to Christ, not replacing Christ in their lives. If you meet a potential mate who is not yet developed in manhood, be his friend FIRST and assist him in his development. That may mean introducing him to other men at the church, assisting in helping him find employment, filling out resumes etc.. You do not have to just write him off completely if he is not yet a great man of God. Let him be a man, which means he may have to find his own way a little so that he can build the kind of muscle he needs to be the leader and provider that God called him to be. Stop feeling sorry for people. You could actually be hindering their growth. If they know that they can always come to you for something instead of coming to God first, you have crowned yourself their God. Ladies, do not be decieved "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being decieved was in transgression." ---1 Timothy 2:14 This is talking about in the garden when Eve ate not knowing what Adam knew even though he ate anyway. We can learn from that very first encounter with sin not to let it creep up on us again.
Men that participate in this kind of behavior are not without fault, but ladies end up carrying the hurt for so much longer. Love yourself enough to choose someone who really cares for you and will not use you for their selfish, greedy lusts. God bless!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
What's the difference?
When I'm out in public sometimes I often look around at everyone and wonder which of these people are Christans and which of them are not. It's sometimes very hard to tell the difference. I mean everyone is wearing the same type of clothing, having the same types of conversations, and carrying themselves no different that anyone else. How are we going to be a light to the world if we do not let our light shine? As Christians we are SUPPOSED to be different and stand out from the crowd. If we are "fitting in" then something is wrong.
If I am a Christian male and my pants are sagging just as much as the guy who is not saved how am I influencing him to do any better. I understand that no person is perfect and we should all be renewing our minds on a daily basis, so I'm not judging anyone, but as Christians we should set an example for people to follow as we follow Christ. We should never allow ourselves to be brainwashed by societal norms when we have the Word of God to stand on. If you do not stand for something you will fall for anything.
Our choices have to be those that are informed by the Holy Spirit. As my pastor said this Sunday we should do things that do not displease God. Pressure from our peers or so-called friends only hinder us from being all that God called us to be. Even when looking for a mate, as a man of God I find that task daunting at times because some of our women of God are wearing the same "freakum dresses" as they call it, that some worldly women wear. I'm not saying that you should judge a woman's value by her attire, but how can I tell the difference between the two?
We are all a work in progress, but that is no excuse not to try our very best everyday and continue to be "a cut above" as children of the Most High God!
If I am a Christian male and my pants are sagging just as much as the guy who is not saved how am I influencing him to do any better. I understand that no person is perfect and we should all be renewing our minds on a daily basis, so I'm not judging anyone, but as Christians we should set an example for people to follow as we follow Christ. We should never allow ourselves to be brainwashed by societal norms when we have the Word of God to stand on. If you do not stand for something you will fall for anything.
Our choices have to be those that are informed by the Holy Spirit. As my pastor said this Sunday we should do things that do not displease God. Pressure from our peers or so-called friends only hinder us from being all that God called us to be. Even when looking for a mate, as a man of God I find that task daunting at times because some of our women of God are wearing the same "freakum dresses" as they call it, that some worldly women wear. I'm not saying that you should judge a woman's value by her attire, but how can I tell the difference between the two?
We are all a work in progress, but that is no excuse not to try our very best everyday and continue to be "a cut above" as children of the Most High God!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Woman's Worth.....(Part 1)
A woman is so very valuable and precious. Oftentimes we as men do not realize how valuable and fragile a woman is. Life is actually birth from her womb. Behind every strong man you will find a good woman. They should be appreciated and respected even if they do not realize their own value. As men we should never take advantage of a woman nor take her for granted. She should not be abused verbally nor physically nor in any other fashion. The Bible speaks highly of women and states that "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of the Lord" --Proverbs 18:22. It also says that "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband:...." Proverbs 12:4.
In Genesis the Bible tells us that Adam was formed from the dust of the ground, but his wife Eve was taken of a rib from Adam's side and a woman was formed from this exchange. So even the creation of a woman was more special. As mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, daughters, nieces and so on women have helped to make the men in their lives stronger and reach his full potential. The support of women often goes unappreciated and is undervalued, but to some it is priceless. Proverbs 31 speaks very highly of virtuous women and their roles in the household. As men we should line our mindset up with how God values women and change our perspective of how they are to be treated. Simple gestures such as holding doors, pulling out chairs etc.., should be observed in the prescence of a lady. Though these are small gestures they still express tokens of your appreciation. If a woman is in need do not look at it as an opportunity to get in good with her look at it as an opportunity to honor God regardless of whether or not she is interested in you afterwards.
Do everything as unto the Lord, because if you do it unto the least of his brethren you have done it unto him (Matt. 25:40). Anytime a man of God does something financial for a woman of God it should be looked at as a seed and not an expense or money lost. We are constantly developing and renewing our minds and we will continue to get stronger in this area. If we keep God first in all that we do including our interactions with women we will be blessed in our doing so and God will honor that. I thank God for women, whatever their capacity be it mother or wives. They are truly a help meet for us.
In Genesis the Bible tells us that Adam was formed from the dust of the ground, but his wife Eve was taken of a rib from Adam's side and a woman was formed from this exchange. So even the creation of a woman was more special. As mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, daughters, nieces and so on women have helped to make the men in their lives stronger and reach his full potential. The support of women often goes unappreciated and is undervalued, but to some it is priceless. Proverbs 31 speaks very highly of virtuous women and their roles in the household. As men we should line our mindset up with how God values women and change our perspective of how they are to be treated. Simple gestures such as holding doors, pulling out chairs etc.., should be observed in the prescence of a lady. Though these are small gestures they still express tokens of your appreciation. If a woman is in need do not look at it as an opportunity to get in good with her look at it as an opportunity to honor God regardless of whether or not she is interested in you afterwards.
Do everything as unto the Lord, because if you do it unto the least of his brethren you have done it unto him (Matt. 25:40). Anytime a man of God does something financial for a woman of God it should be looked at as a seed and not an expense or money lost. We are constantly developing and renewing our minds and we will continue to get stronger in this area. If we keep God first in all that we do including our interactions with women we will be blessed in our doing so and God will honor that. I thank God for women, whatever their capacity be it mother or wives. They are truly a help meet for us.
Zoo Atlanta
Be not weary...
Sometimes we can get discouraged when we feel like we're doing the right things, and nothing good seems to be happening for us. It is important that we do not grow tired or weary of doing the right things, but instead remember why we are doing those things and keep going forward. The Bible tells us in Galatians 6:9 "Be not weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not". Oftentimes our breakthrough is right around the corner and if we don't give up we can enjoy the manifestation of that blessing. When fatigue, heartache and pain try to set in it is important to remember that these are merely obstacles and distractions on the road to success and should only be used for our development and character building.
You may not always get a pat on the back or a "good job" word of encouragement, but that's no reason to lose heart or quit. We should focus on the purpose of why we are doing something to keep us motivated to keep pressing forward. When we are doing things to honor God we will face opposition and tribulation which may make us feel like giving up. We may also feel overlooked or misused by others, but complaining should not be an option. Keep God's vision for your life in your heart and HE WILL do the rewarding. Do not be focused on the temporary things that man and this world try to offer, but instead stay focused on the eternal things that only God can bring. Don't give up!
You may not always get a pat on the back or a "good job" word of encouragement, but that's no reason to lose heart or quit. We should focus on the purpose of why we are doing something to keep us motivated to keep pressing forward. When we are doing things to honor God we will face opposition and tribulation which may make us feel like giving up. We may also feel overlooked or misused by others, but complaining should not be an option. Keep God's vision for your life in your heart and HE WILL do the rewarding. Do not be focused on the temporary things that man and this world try to offer, but instead stay focused on the eternal things that only God can bring. Don't give up!
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