Tithing

People don't like to sit in church and listen to a 45 minute spiel about giving their money to God. They just don't. It gets uncomfortable and I'm guessing for many, hearing a preacher tell them to "give their 10% back to God" has them feeling so uneasy that they walk right out the church doors and don't go back.

I've been attending Elevation Church since the summer and currently Pastor Steven Furtick's in in a sermon series called Banner Years in which we're learning how to make every year great in our lives, thusly making it a banner year. A few weekends ago he had Pastor Robert s Morris (I think, my notes are not within reach at the moment) in from Gateway Church in TX and he gave a 2 week sermon about tithing. And I must say, it got to me.

Yeah, I'll admit it, sitting there listening to this man talk about giving money had me having those uncomfortable feelings, but it wasn't because I don't want to give God my money, but because earlier in my life I had been doing it for a long while, weekly, regularly. But once I moved out on my own and (cough-cough stopped going to church for a year) I started having to support myself financially, budgeting out 10% of my money to give back to church was a struggle for me. I mean I was barely having enough money leftover to put gas in my car to get to work and buy groceries to stock my cupboards with.

However, sitting in church hearing Pastor Robert and Pastor Steven talk about tithing really hit home to me. One of them made a comment about how when you stop tithing and giving God what is rightfully his, a curse gets put on your money. Now I've heard this for years growing up from old pastors and my parents. So it wasn't like it was old news. But sitting there, in that particular moment, it was like DING! the light bulb went off. Pastor made a remark about when you stop tithing, your money gets cursed and then the money you do have seems to run out faster and you struggle to make ends meet; things break down and you're always shelling out money for something or another.

Well, I sat there and did a mental check list. Since I've moved out on my own almost three years ago, I'd wrecked my car, twice, I'd gotten a speeding ticket, my computer started falling apart, I had high bills, I didn't have any extra income to save, a night out on the town consisted of me heading to Wendy's to order off the value menu on Friday nights, and I was struggling to make ends meet, like really struggling. Like I would do good to have $40 left in my checking at the end of the month before payday. So when he said that and I realized all the money I essentially lost over the last two years I tried to think about what could be a reason behind it. Well, it was simple. I stopped going to church which translated to I stopped tithing regularly.

Back in high school when I was working part time I got paid every Friday. So that meant every Sunday I was filling out my offering receipt and putting it in the church offering. I wasn't making much back then, maybe $200 a week, but man did that $200 go far. I always had money, my gas rationing was good. I didn't wreck my car (to where it was my fault; I'd been hit a few times); I never wanted for anything; my belongings lasted and didn't break. Life was good! Then all of a sudden, life wasn't so good.

Was it because I stopped tithing or was it just life circumstance. You can take your pick. But I know for me personally, sitting in church I knew I had to get back on it. It'll be hard for me to crank the top 10% off my gross salary and put it in the offering because bills are still so high, but I'm working to start with at least 2-3% and increase it to the full 10% (and hopefully go beyond that to 15 and 20%) as I get accustomed to not missing that money. Sounds bad, I know. Why give at all if I'm not going to give the full 10% you might ask? My position is this, God knows my heart and he can see that I'm trying to live right and follow his commandments. I'd rather give 3% regularly to him rather than give 0% and have the rest of my money be cursed.

I'm sick of wrecking cars, I'm sick of high bills, I'm sick of never being able to do things because my budget won't allow it. I want the curse off my money and I want a better life. So here we go. Jasmine is tithing again.

I started this past Sunday 12/2/12, and ya know what, it felt great!

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PATS SELF ON THE BACK!
Memory served me well. It was Robert Morris at church the other week. And this quote was very memorable from his sermon:
Concerning your money -- "90% with God's blessing will go a lot further than 100% without it."

GOD vs. Science: A Conversation

I saw this on facebook and thought I'd share. I found it interesting; so did my dad, a preacher.

TAKE TIME TO READ. It's worth reading it. Trust me :)

Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son ?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?
Student : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is GOD good ?
Student : Sure.
Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?
Student : Yes.
Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?


(Student was silent.)


Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Is satan good ?
Student : No.
Professor: Where does satan come from ?
Student : From … GOD …
Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student : Yes.
Professor: So who created evil ?


(Student did not answer.)


Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, who created them ?


(Student had no answer.)


Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?
Student : No, sir.
Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?
Student : No , sir.
Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?
Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.
Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student : Yes.
Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.
Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.
Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Professor: Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as cold?
Professor: Yes.
Student : No, sir. There isn’t.


(The lecture theater became very quiet with this turn of events.)


Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.


(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)


Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?
Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?
Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?
Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?
Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?


(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)


Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?


(The class was in uproar.)


Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?


(The class broke out into laughter. )


Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?


(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)


Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.
Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.


P.S.
I believe you have enjoyed the conversation. And if so, you’ll probably want your friends / colleagues to enjoy the same, won’t you?


Forward this to increase their knowledge … or FAITH.


By the way, that student was EINSTEIN.

Resurrection Sunday

Most people took to social media this morning to wish people "Happy Easter". My first tweet this morning was a different spin on this Holiday.

It's not Easter. It's Resurrection Sunday.

I followed that tweet with this one.

Jesus died and rose again so that we might live. Take a moment to be thankful that He loves us so much to die for our sins.

On this day, several people go to church and get a watered down version of what happened when Jesus died on the cross for all of us. Then after church they go out and have Easter egg hunts and snack on chocolate bunnies and eggs. That stuff doesn't do it for me. The eggs and the bunnies are all pagan symbols of a fertility god. If you ask me, fertility has nothing to do with My Savior dying for my sins.

Call me a miser if you want to, but I don't look at Easter the same. It isn't about looking for eggs and getting Easter baskets full of candy and toys. It's about remembering. Remembering a time when the human race was so corrupt and full of sins that our Father God was ready to blight us from the world. Instead, his son, Jesus, bore all of our sins on his back and died so that we might have a fresh start.

Today, on Easter, I choose to let that by my focus. And for that, Jesus, my Lord, my Savior, I thank you. Thank you for caring enough about me and my future to die for me.

A Play on Words/Fast Five Movie Review

I just had an epiphany. Why do people say, "Yo man, that was good as hell." I caught myself saying that this morning as I thought back about the movie I saw last night, then I thought, wait a minute, what's so good about Hell? Eternal damnation. A pool of fire. Unyielding suffering and torture. No, Hell isn't good at all. It is the direct opposite of good. So why do people use that expression so commonly? I know I do. It's one of those cliché things. But now that I've thought about it, I'm going to try to switch up my vernacular. If I feel the need to express my extreme adoration for something I'm going to try to say, "Yo man, that was good as heaven" or simply say "That was so good!".

SN: I went to see Fast  Five last night. Hands down BEST movie I've seen since Inception. If I had the excess cash, I'd go see it again. I'm definitely going to buy it when it comes to DVD. The plot line was great, it was well written. Tyrese and his witty comments made for some great laughs. If you've never seen any of the Fast and Furious movies, this one is a must see! There was so much action, manly brawls and racing scenes. At one point, the entire movie theater was holding their breaths because of an action scene. It was magnificent. Families could take their young children to see it because there wasn't that many curse words or sexually explicit scenes or suggestions. Men will love it for the action and the cars and hot latinas. Women will love it for the action and the cars and all that sexiness. There was so much sexiness filling up that screen it's hard to pick who I like best. Between blue eyed Paul Walker, muscular Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, bad ass Vin Diesel, smooth Sung Kang (guy who plays Han), and fast talking Tyrese...I just sat in my seat ogling at their manly splendor in awe. Sometimes with my mouth agape...sometimes letting out an "mmmmm" in approval. hahaha....

Go see Fast Five! It was well worth it. And if you need a movie buddy, I'll be glad to go with you. P.S. Stay after the credits. There's an extra scene that will blow your mind. I don't want to give too much away, but it will definitely throw you for a loop and make you wonder, is there gonna be a 6th movie?

Mmmm, so much sexiness. Go see this movie. It was good as heaven!  =D

Hi Mom, I'm a Stripper

I’ve been slack on blogging this month. This will probably be my only post, so let’s make it a good one.

I finally had my first experience at a strip club. I went with some friends of my for my home girls birthday plus a whole bunch of people she knew. I don’t know who was more excited to go, me, her, or the guys we were going with. Going to a strip club was one of those things on my bucket list that I wanted to do, and being a writer I think I needed it especially if I ever wanted to write from the viewpoint of a stripper in one of my future books. So when she asked if I was down to go that night, I said sure! I’m down for anything.

We went to a rather upscale strip club, and by upscale, I mean popular, with the best looking girls. At least that’s what the dudes said who drove us there. I was definitely a little uneasy. But the guys assured us we wouldn’t be out of place. “There’ll be more girls there than guys” one had said, and boy was he right. I don’t know if there were more women there showering gadzooks of $1 bills on the strippers or not, but it seemed like a pretty even split.

One thing that popped into my mind as I was being given a lap dance (a present from the birthday girls male cousin) was, why did I slave away for a 4 year degree and get a job in education that isn’t promised to me next year due to budget cuts, when I could be taking off my clothes and shaking my goodies for money? I mean those girls, the good ones anyway, were getting bank.  And if there were so many people who were enjoying it, why is it such a big deal for women of a respectable human code to be taking off their clothes for money? It’s not like they are hookers on the street having sex with random people for money. They were just dancing. My philosophy is: If it pays the bills and it’s not illegal, it pays the bills. There shouldn’t be a stigma attached to it? Right? But there is. Guys don’t like their girlfriends stripping.  Girls don’t like their girlfriends stripping. Parents don’t like their children stripping. Sure the boyfriends or girlfriends might be fine with it in the beginning, but if the relationship gets serious enough, they don’t want their partner showing all “the bizness” to random strangers. They want to keep intimate body parts within the confines of the relationship.

This is one of those questions that you ponder over as you’re driving down the highway. I certainly couldn’t imagine telling my family I’d left my job as a teacher to strip, or tell them I was doing it part time to cover some bills. Imagine me driving to Kentucky, waltzing though the door and saying, “Hi mom, I’m a stripper.” I think she’d beat the black off me and tell me to go find my common sense. Being the daughter of a preacher, that just wouldn’t fly in her or my stepdad’s book; doesn’t matter if it paid the bills or not. She’d say there is a better way to make money than flashing my boobs and butt every night.

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Race in the Altar

If anyone has been on my facebook page recently, you'll see that I recently posted an excerpt from a conversation I was having at lunch on Wednesday with a 2nd grade student of mine. It went like this:

(Marcus) Ms. Davis are you married to somebody named Mr. Davis?

(Me) No, I'm not married.
(Marcus) What?! When you get married it need to be to somebody black.
(Me) No I don't. They don't have to be black.
(Marcus) WHAT?! You like white?!! Nuh uhh Ms. Davis; black go with black. White go with white. If you was white you'd already be married by now.


Instead of being immediately offended like some people would have been, I had an uncontrollable bout of laughter erupt from my body. It was so severe that my eyes started watering. But as I talked with a friend of mine about it late in the afternoon, she made a comment that Marcus’s last comment had been true. Of the close friends or acquaintances I’d had in college, a vast majority of the white girls are either married or engaged, and a vast majority of the black girls are very much single. That called for some question in my mind. Why is it that we as black women aren’t getting our happily ever after as soon as our Caucasian counterparts?

Also, where along the lines did Marcus develop these racial lines in his 7 year old mind? “Black go with black; white go with white.” That is a pretty powerful statement. If this had’ve been a conversation during segregated times, it would be an accepted norm, but is it still a norm in modern times?

When I pause and watch the relationships of those around me, the majority are same race. There are a few people who like to mix the races but it is still taboo. My question is WHY? When I was a little girl my father told me that I better not ever bring anybody but a black guy home to meet him. So far, all the guys I’ve dated throughout my life have been black. I’ve had countless crushes on guys from other races, but for whatever the reason, I’ve never approached them for a date and they haven’t approached me.

I feel like a hypocrite when I talk about mixed race relationships. I’d like to say that I am a total advocate for it. I’m open-minded and I don’t care who people marry. Race is not an issue for me. We are all human beings. We live, we breathe, we eat, we love, we bleed, and we die. Nothing separates us except the pigmentation of our skin. But yet, deep down, I can’t quite get used to the idea of black men dating non-black women. Three of my four brothers seem to have a preference for white girls and for some reason it bothers me. I always wonder, why can’t they date a black girl? I asked my 20 year old brother that once and he just replied, “I don’t know. I just prefer white girls.” He said it had nothing to do with black women having “attitudes” and being “too demanding” as the stereotype goes, he just liked white girls. I myself am fiercely attracted to Hispanic men and European men; c’mon who wouldn’t want a suave Italian or an Irishman who’s a little rough around the edges? But have I ventured outside my race? No. I have not. I say I want to do it, but I don’t.

When will race in relationships stop becoming an issue in the world? Part of me knows the answer to that question is a strong never, and that saddens me.

Anyways, that was just something on my mind. Think about it.

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Searching For A Church

I moved out on my own almost a month ago, and three Sunday's have gone by and I've sat on my couch in my PJs and watched cartoons instead of getting dolled up and heading out to a morning Church service. My parents have asked me a few times have I found a church and I replied to them that I was waiting to get settled into living on my own before I go out there and find a church family, which is true. So this morning I woke up super early and as I was flipping through the channels trying to find a marathon of Avatar, I came across a local church service airing on TV. I sat and watched. And then I turned on my computer and started researching the church. I even went as far to email the pastor and ask him some very poignant questions. 

Is it wrong and lazy of me to not be out there visiting these churches in person, but rather taking a more reserved approach and researching them on the Internet and emailing the pastors and asking them about the messages they teach, doctrines and their beliefs, as well as the racial and age percentage breakdowns of their congregations. I mean, I'm the type of person who doesn't like to waste my precious time and precious gas, going to different churches that don't fulfill my criteria.

Having been raised as a pastors child I know the Truth about God's Word, and I can't just go plop my rump down in any pew and listen to just anybody with a ministry ordainment preach what they believe to be the "Truth". I want to be in a God-centered, supportive family environment that doesn't sugar coat heaven and hell, and repenting for sins, and consequences of not living a Godly lifestyle. I want to be somewhere that we uplift me spiritually while also challenging me in my Walk with Christ. I want to be somewhere that simply is honest and teaches the Truth. While also not being full of only one race, and having a lot of old people. Tough criteria I know. But I want a church that has people that look like me, and different from me, and are near to me in age, while also older and younger than me. This world isn't comprised on only old people, or only black people, or only married people. It is a diverse world, and I want to become a member in a diverse church family. 

What are your thoughts? It's a lot to request, but I will not give in. I will be successful in my endeavors to find a new church to call home.