Just for Laughs

T.D. Jakes (a well-known preacher) was returning to Texas after a speaking engagement. When his plane arrived, there was alimousine there to transport him to his home in Dallas. As he prepared to get into the limo, he stopped and spoke to the driver. "You know" he said, "I am almost 50 years old and I have never driven a limousine. Would you mind if I drove it for a while?" The driver said, "No problem. Have at it.."

T.D. gets into the driver's seat and they head off down the highway, short distance away sat a rookie State Trooper operating his first speed trap. The long black limo went by him doing 70 in a 55mph zone. The trooper pulled out and easily caught the limo and got out of his patrol car to begin the procedure. The young trooper walked up to the driver's door and when the glass was rolled down he was surprised to see who was driving.

He immediately excused himself and went back to his car and called his supervisor. He told the supervisor, "I know we are supposed to enforce the law but I also know that important people are sometimes given certain courtesies. I need to know what I should do because I have stopped a very important person."

"The supervisor asked, "Is it the governor?" The young trooper said, "No, he's more important than that." The supervisor said, "Oh, so it's the president." The young trooper said, "No, he's even more important than that." The supervisor finally asked, "Well then, who is it?"

The young trooper said, I think it's Jesus because he's got T. D. Jakes for chauffeur!"

Happy Birthday, Soul Movement Crew!

Don't forget that SMC 6th Year Anniversary Celebration starts tomorrow!

For more information, go here.

Monday Throwback Jam

Now this one goes centuries back!



BLESSED ASSURANCE
Text: Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915
Music: Phoebe P. Knapp, 1839-1908
--------------------------------

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

Refrain: This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

2. Perfect submission, perfect delight,
visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

(Refrain)

3. Perfect submission, all is at rest;
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love.

(Refrain)

AROUND THE WEB: "Lost Boy" earns college degree

If Kuol can do it, anybody can. What an inspiring story of faith and triumph!

------------------

Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- Kuol Dut was six when the swirling chaos of war churned through his village.

He recalls playing in a field as neighbors raced toward him, screaming about militias attacking their homes. Even a boy of Kuol's age knew that militias and soldiers slaughtered men, women and children in the vast, flat expanse of southern Sudan. So he ran, too.

That attack separated Kuol from his mother and father and cast him into a childhood of desolation. He would see friends starve to death, skin stretched taut over ribs, chests rising and falling with rattling wisps of breath.

Later, a rebel army would train him to fight as a child soldier, Kuol says.

Despite the horrors that he endured, Kuol's journey eventually gave him a reverence for education and a deep Christian faith. It also led him to the hustle and bustle of the United States, a place with gleaming office towers, cable television and all-you-can-eat buffets. There Kuol would pursue his dream of becoming a Catholic priest.

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For the rest of the CNN article, click here.

Dairy Queen Delight

Dairy Queen is offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal on its blizzards. There is a catch: you have to join the Blizzard Fan Club on the Dairy Queen website in order to receive the buy-one-get-one-free coupon by e-mail. For a list of Dairy Queen stores near you, click here .

Full Course

Recently, I found myself meandering through the usual mommying, churching, working and hanging out routine when

BOOM! POW! CLANG!

my throat started to feel as though terrorizing, little ningas were having it out...or that the Berlin Wall collapsed between my chin and my shoulders (intentional digression, here: how cool is it that this week the world is commerating 20 years since that historical moment?)...or that my tonsils suddenly decided they no longer liked each other and wanted a divorce...or...well, I think I've made my case, eh?

A quick visit to an Urgent Care Center revealed that I had Strep Throat. "No big deal," the doctor declared. "It happens all the time. Rest for four days and take your antibiotics exactly as instructed," she charged.

One prescription called for a seven-day course. Piece of cake; I took it as instructed. There was also a coinciding ten-day treatment. No problem...except that I carelessly stopped taking it after I finished the seven-day treatment. Eight days later, I found myself at square one: burning throat, fever, chills and so on.
Back to Urgent Care I headed.

Embarrassed, I explained to the doctor that I didn't take my antibiotics the way I should have and that I deserved whatever health speech was coming because I knew better. After a long but, indeed, well-deserved spiel about the importance of being faithful to our bodies and our medications, the doctor ordered me to restart the bout of antibiotics.

I learned an exceptional physical and spiritual lesson: if you want your deliverance from a problem, you have to complete everything it takes to receive the breakthrough. Do not, instead, simply do enough to pacify the situation. Against my better judgment, I interrupted my regiment--completely discarding my guard--once I felt better. Yes, it was "pure slackness," as my dear mother way say.

In both our physical and spiritual lives, feeling better is far different than being healed. If we are serious about obtaining and maintaining vitality, then we must know that God requires us to complete a fulll course. Is there an area of your life where you've let down your guard?

Have you settled for just enough instead of fullness and wholeness? Perhaps, you, too, asked God to work on your behalf, yet, once He came through you waned on your commitment.

This week I want to reflect on some scriptures that speak to Believers about staying focused and not waning in our faithfulness:

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13b-14)

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24)

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7)

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. (1 Peter 5:10)

Shalom!

What's wrong with this picture?

Email Crusher

So Google just unveiled its super slick, new-horizons, call-and-tell-mom product called Google Wave. Many predict that the Wave will be so huge (suddenly, I’m wondering if we should instead call it Tsunami) that it will not only crush email but--like other Google products including the ubiquitious, extremely-powerful search engine portal--it's expected to become it's own verb canon. (Side note: Teyana Taylor’s “Google Me” video is so cute!) In other words, people will no longer "email" their coworkers, friends and family but will instead "wave at them” or "start a wave.”

Lars and Jen Rasmussen, the uberly-gifted brothers behind The Wave, are super stoked about their baby. But the public is not quite as excited. It seems like The Wave has too many hang-ups, especially for a product that is already in beta or testing mode. You see, on September 30th, the Wave was rolled out to 100,000 beta testers (read: genuia pigs).

Let’s all wave at them.

Technology is thrilling yet overwhelming. Web 2.0 is long gone and society has officially plunged into Web 3.0 with its apps and widgets and virtual reality spheres like Second Life and other shananigans. The train has already left the station, folks. "Get in front, get in back or get run over," as the saying goes. The information literacy gap will continue to widen. Yes, the IT haves and have-nots are increasingly distancing. Google and all of the other artificial intelligence giants out there are flourishing. It's both bittersweet in that the change is enchanting but simply occurs at breakneck speeds. I don't know about you all but just when it seems l've mastered a tool, it suddenly becomes obsolete!

Information is power. It's no wonder, then, that Obama's first appointment--indeed, to a cabinet position that didn't existed prior to his presidency--was of Vivek Kundra promotion to Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO).

Let's not forget, though, who the true CIO is: Jehovah God. Talk about power; the Wave has nothing on the Messiah. Every chip, every program, every online community, social networking site...touch screen gadgets...they all come from Him. We don't call Him omniscient for naught; our Lord is the author of all knowlege.

So how do we avoid drowning (especially if you're one of our Boomer or Senior readers) in this plethora of info and technology out there? Well, ,first, make sure to stay on top of developments through training, personal development and lifelong learning. Don't become a tech dinosaur! Besides, there's virtually no job industry--not even construction--that remains untouched by Information Technology. So, stay sharp, family.

Secondly, prioritize! We don't have to be techno-gluttons. Personally, my tactic is to learn as much as I can by toying with lots of new developments but only embracing the necessary. IT is supposed to create efficient. I find, however, that too much of it defeats it's very purpose and clutters my daily life.

Above all, though, we must remember what the Word says about God's finite Knowledge versus our miniscule skills:

Isiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than th e earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

Psalm 111:10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and they who live by it grow in understanding..."

Prov 9:10 "The first step to wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

Psalm 139: 1-6
"O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain."

Psalm 147:5

"Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit."

Isiah 40-13-14; 21-22

"Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor?
Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?"

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in."

Romans 11:33-36

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."

Defend your faith while in College

TrueU is a DVD-based apologetics curriculum. Dr. Del Tackett, architect and voice of Focus on the Family’s The Truth Project®, describes this endeavor this way:

“Produced by Focus on the Family in conjunction with Coldwater Media, TrueU is an apologetics (side note: apologetics simply means defending Christian doctrines) training series primarily geared to help prepare high school students for the rigorous challenges and attacks that will confront them on the university campus. My guess is that it will end up benefiting a whole lot more folks than just high school seniors.”

TrueU is designed primarily to help students solidify their Christian faith with foundational apologetics training. This will equip young people to stand strong in the university environment, and also serve as a precursor to the in-depth study presented in The Truth Project of how to live out a Christian worldview in everyday life.

We would encourage those who complete TrueU to immediately join a Truth Project small group, if possible, and continue exploring the practical day-to-day application of a biblical worldview.

AROUND THE WEB: Pre-prayer to get robbed

A would-be robber is convicted by his victim's faith and actually gets on his knees to pray with her and then surrenders the final bullet from his gun.
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Store clerk Angela Montez believes it was divine intervention that led a would-be robber to give up his heist and talk and pray with her for nearly 40 minutes Monday before turning himself in to Indianapolis police hours later.

Angela Montez says the alleged robber just needed someone to talk to.
"I believe the Lord sent us both together," Montez told "Good Morning America" today. "The more we talked, he just broke down. ... He said, 'Talk to me. No one will talk to me. I have nobody.'"

Surveillance cameras recorded video of an armed man, alleged to be the suspect, 23-year-old Gregory L. Smith of Indianapolis, jumping over the counter at a check cashing store where Montez worked and pointing a gun at her Monday. Montez, fearing for her life, broke down, crying and praying.
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Click here to read the rest of the article.

6th Annual Fall Family Festival

It's this Saturday, Oct. 31 @ 6PM @ Landshark Stadium. Bring your friends and family!

Let's try this again

You all might remember the Oprah+Kentucky Fried Chicken fiasco earlier this year, right? Well, it seems that KFC got with the program...this time their bypassing the coupon and just giving away chicken for free . Today, Monday, Oct. 26, more than 5,000 KFCs will give U.S. customers a free piece of grilled chicken (one per customer).

Nobel Peace Promise?

"Hey did you hear? Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize."

"Really. That's bananas. But...for what?"

Yeah...we thought the "Is Obama a qualified candidate versus a wet-behind-the-ears media darling?" debate ceased after his inauguration.

Nah.

Here we go again.

The chatter surrounding Obama's October 9th Nobel Peace Prize win has ranged from celebration of this uncanny move to scorn for "cheapening" the highly prestigious award through an unearned appointment. Some responded with jubliee and noted that, although the new kid on the block, Obama has done more for international relations in a short span than most presidents did in their entire terms.

Others--like Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele--contend that Obama's "star power" is what drove the Nobel Peace Prize clinch.Then, there are folks like former President of Poland Lech Wałęsa, who received the prize in 1983 and said: "So soon? This is too soon. He has not yet made a real input."

Meanwhile, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee defends its stance by arguing that Obama deserved it "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." They essentially said, "we see his heart for peace."

Obama accepted the award and noted that "throughout history the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievements." He added, "It's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st Century."

I, for one, agree with the Nobel Peace Prize Committee.

Obama is not perfect, but he is just. He is contagiously hopeful and has a passion for reconciliation. I find it strange that there's so much chatter about a man being too young and too new. After all, there are several examples of Biblical heroes who received huge mantels when they were yet "too young" and "too new." Take a look at these three:

David

He was the youngest of Jesse's son. He was a petite, teenage shepherd boy. Oh yeah, he was also sensitive, artistic and a bit on the emotional side. David was not your likely royal candidate but he was chosen for his potential. After all, David had a heart after God. Despite David's hangups and disqualifications, God anointed David to replace Saul as King of Israel and equipped him to be a great warrior and leader.

Gideon

A teen boy from the wrong side of the tracks became a national leader. Gideon was from anunfavorable clan from the tribe of Manasseh. He was also prone to nervousness and cowardice. Gideon was unsure of himself and his God. Talk about not being ready for command! Still, the Lord saw promise in Gideon and used him as a judge who led Israel to triumph over the Middianites.

Esther

Born "Haddasah," she was a young orphan girl who was raised by her older cousin, Mordecai. It's likely that she grew up very poor. Although far from a queen, God groomed her to be a regal first lady. When God saw Esther, He recognized possibility. Esther, along with other young ladies, underwent six months of purifying treatments followed by six months of beautifying regiments. Against all odds--including her Jewish nationality--she was chosen as King Xerxes' wife. Through humble influence, she helped spare the Israelites from doom.

No doubt, if Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize it's because God allowed it. And, as the president and others have stated, the recognition is a responsibility, not a reward. Critics should allow Obama a chance to warm up to his Oval Office desk chair before picking him apart. You never know, Obama's Nobel Peace Prize may bring the credibility that's necessary to spark harmonious dialogue among torn nations in this broken world.

Warm yourself up with a little latte

The weather's been kind of nippy lately. Why not enjoy a nice pumpkin latte? For a limited time, Dunkin Donuts is offering small lattes, hot or iced in various flavors (including pumpkin and mocha) for just 99 cents. Enjoy!

Young Adults: Are you engaged? Married? Then there's a space for you!

One of my favorite online Christian young adult communities, Boundless, just announced two new portals for engaged and married young adult couples.

Check out what the editors have to say:
While most of our readers are single adults, a good 20 percent of you have gotten married. We love having you a part of the Boundless community, but the truth is that you're likely finding that some of the things we talk about here just aren't as relevant as they used to be. So, after lots of planning and work, we're happy to let you know about Young Married Life, a kind of virtual young married small group just for you.You'll recognize the YML contributors: Steve and Candice, Motte, John, Suzanne, Heather, Ashley, and me. While some of the issues we explore there won't be found on Boundless, you'll find a lot that's familiar: blogs, featured articles, a breadth of discussion. And we've got some new stuff over at YML as well: a forum, your own profile, access to engage the broader Focus on the Family community. Here's the thing: Before jumping into Young Married Life, please take a detour through a webpage I created for those transitioning from single life to married life. That page will give you an opportunity to tell us your story by e-mailing us and by taking a special survey created just for you.

So if you've jumped the broom or have a few months before you get hitched, head over to these sites to get some spiritual food.

http://www.boundless.org/engaged/

http://www.focusonlinecommunities.com/community/marriage/youngmarried

AROUND THE WEB: "I'm Christian, but am I Christian enough?"

Opened up an article today during lunch...got filled with wonderful wisdom on top of some scrumptious food. : )

It's called EXTREME and it's pretty lengthy but it talks about not trying to be super Christians. We need to get rid of the illusion of superiority...or of "super Christian."

Here are the nuggets that really just blessed me:

Based on my upbringing, my perceptions and gut reactions I've found my leanings on all these topics and so many others, but the truth is I don't know the definitive answers. Neither do you...Throughout all the sermons and seminars about who I should be and what I should be doing, there were so precious few times that a person stepping into my life and showed me how to love Jesus. Not talked at me about it, but showed me...It seems like we're always trying to make a huge impact, to transform the whole world, country or community all at once. In our pursuit of grandeur, though, the all-too-important little things get pushed aside...Looking back, I feel like all that time I was being pressured to impact my campus, evangelize my peers and do my part to change the world, nobody was teaching me to just be a man...Frankly, I'd rather be a plain everyday man who loves a few people really well, and gives somebody an intimate glimpse of the real Jesus by giving them a look into the real me, the one God Himself is making just right.

In a nutshell, the article EXTREME echoes an Oscar Wilde quote that is burned in my memory: Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.

For the rest of the article, click here.

Food for Thought

Count your blessings, not your problems.

Food for Thought

“The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.”

―Ben Stein

Monday Throwback Jam

I'm Walking
Donnie McClurkin
2004




I'm walking in authority, living life without apology
It's not wrong, dear, I belong here
So you might as well get used to me

(Verse 1)
My mother may not be a queen
But my Father's King of everything
I'm adopted into the family
So I guess that makes me royalty

(Bridge)
And He's given me dominion yes (oh)
Power over men, them yes (oh)
Everything I do is blessed (oh)
Promised me some great success (oh)
I am the authority (oh)
God of the majority (oh)
Livin' in my liberty (oh)
So you might as well get used to me

(Chrous)
I'm walking in authority, living life without apology
It's not wrong, dear, I belong here
So you might as well get used to me

(Verse 2)
We're children of the most-high God
Understand and believe His word
We never have to beg or plead
For our Father will supply our needs

(Chrous)
I'm walking in authority, living life without apology
It's not wrong, dear, I belong here
So you might as well get used to me

I'm walking in prosperity, living life the way it's meant to be
It's not wrong, dear, I belong here
So you might as well get used to me

Get something in your hand
And wave it in the air
1 2 3 (oh)
1 2 3 (oh)
1 2 3 (oh)
So you might as well get used to me

Chris Rock's GOOD HAIR in theatres today

An exposé of comic proportions that only Chris Rock could pull off, GOOD HAIR visits beauty salons and hairstyling battles, scientific laboratories and Indian temples to explore the way hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships, and self-esteem of the black community.



Director Jeff Stilson follows Chris Rock on this raucous adventure prompted by Rock's daughter approaching him and asking, "Daddy, how come I don't have good hair?" Haircare professionals, beautyshop and barbershop patrons, as well as celebrities including Ice-T, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Dr. Maya Angelou, Salt n Pepa, Eve and Reverend Al Sharpton all candidly offer their stories and observations to Rock while he struggles with the task of figuring out how to respond to his daughter's question.

GOOD HAIR marks a reunion of the team behind Rock's acclaimed and Emmy® Award-winning HBO series The Chris Rock Show, including producer Nelson George, writer-director Jeff Stilson, writers Lance Crouther and Chuck Sklar. The film is produced by Chris Rock and Kevin O’Donnell.