Living Single

Wow! Who would have thought that at 27 years old, I would still be a single woman. Growing up, I always thought I would get married around 21 or 22. Knowing what I know now, I am so glad that I didn't get married at that time. The last thing I want is to enter into a marriage that would end prematurely. I know who I am now, but I know that when I was 21 and 22, I had no idea. And if I didn't know who I was, and hadn't experienced all that I have, there is no way that I would have been able to commit my life to someone else. Back then, I probably didn't love myself the way I do now....and loving yourself is always the first step, before you can love anyone else. My love of God and my relationship has grown so much in just the past year, its ridiculous. But I am thankful for that and everything that has happened that has propelled me to this point. Truly knowing the love of God and loving myself, after all these years, I am ready to love my husband....whomever he may be. But don't get it twisted....I'm in no rush. :) God is still preparing me. I am still a work in progress. I welcome the changes. As a single person, its the ideal time for me to continue the work of God. Once I'm married, that won't change, but it will add another person that I will have to focus on. Right now, its just me, God, and my son. As long as its that way, I am happy....But I know when I am blessed to have my husband find me, I will be happy too. I'm sure there is no way to describe the feeling of being in a life-long commitment with someone that you not only love, but with someone who loves you conditionally as well.

Be blessed and continue to grow in Christ. Find yourself through HIM. Live your life according to HIM and what it is that He has for you to do. Don't worry about your future or anything else. As long as you walk with Christ, everything else will fall right into place. (If you can't tell, I am telling myself this, as I tell you.) As with everything else, it may not happen when you want it to, but it will happen in God's time. Be patient. Trust God. Watch Him work.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On this day, April 4, 1968, we lost a great man. This is the date in which Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. I found out this week that there are so many more things about Dr. King that I never knew. I know that day alone, I had no idea that things went the way that they did. Its interesting what we learn in schools and what we don't. But its also interesting that with people in history, we seldom think of them as real people. Rather than a human being, they are put on a pedestal and seen as a hero...which of course, he was and still is, but because we do this, sometimes we don't see past the outer shell of the person. Yes we know that Dr. King was a great speaker. He was a father, a husband, and a preacher. After watching Tavis Smiley on Tuesday, I got a glimpse into Martin the man....the friend.

Rev. Samuel Kyles was one of the guests on Tavis' show. He is one of the two people who were with Dr. King, just before he was killed. He is the only one of the three of them who is still living. Openly, he shared with Tavis and the world that he believes he remains as the sole witness of that experience to continue to tell the story of what really happened that day. He is able to shed light on what actual events occurred....not just outside of the hotel room, on the balcony where King died, but also what went on the hour before, behind clothes doors. Now, I can look at Dr. King as the human being that he always was and I hope that after this, you will look at him in the same way. He was more than just a civil rights activist who preached equal rights and nonviolence. Turns out that he was actually a very funny guy who often shared jokes with his friends.

The Sanitation Workers sent for Dr. King to come to Memphis because they were striking at the time, hoping to be recognized as a union. He came, although his people initially turned them down,saying that he was too busy to come. He was asked to lead a march, and when violence broke out, he was hurt by it. But being the man that he is, he wanted to have another march, which he also led. On April 4th, Rev. Kyles went to the hotel where Dr. King was staying, at 5pm to pick him up and take him to dinner. The women of the church prepared a dinner of the delicious "soul foods" that he actually hoped he'd be having. At 5pm, Rev. Kyles went to pick him up, but he was in no hurry to leave because he knew dinner didn't actually start until 6pm. From 5 to 6pm, the three ministers, Rev. Abernathy, Rev. Kyles, and Dr. King sat in the hotel room having "preacher talk". They shared a few stories and a few laughs and just hung out, just like three friends would. As they were preparing to go, Dr. King was standing on the balcony, leaning over the rail. He shouted down to Jesse Jackson who he spotted down in the courtyard, joking with him about how he didn't have on a tie although they were supposed to be going to dinner. Rev. Jackson said all he needed as his appetite. :) As Dr. King stood on the balcony, he realized that he didn't have his coat so he yelled into the hotel room for someone to bring it out when he came out. Rev. Kyles tried to rally the troops because it was getting late and they had a rally to go to after dinner, then he walked away. Five steps later, he heard the shot. When he turned around, Dr. King had fallen back onto the floor from the railing where he had once stood, joking with his friend. That evening, the man, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, but his kindhearted and gentle spirit will live on forever. Never forget....

If you get a chance, check out the transcript from Tavis Smiley's show. The link is below. No one can tell the story like the man who was actually there. :)

http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200804/20080401_kyles.html

God bless you!

Third graders in a murder plot?

Waycross, GA A group of third graders plotted to kill their teacher after she chastised one of the children for standing in a chair. Each child had a particular role in the plot, such as watching the door, tying up the teacher, and cleaning up after the murder had been carried out. Third graders...children ranging from the age of 8 to the age of 10.

I am saddened with the thought of children having the idea to even attempt to kill their teacher. Why is it that after one child being disciplined, the group decided they would take part in such a heinous act? Perhaps a better question would be, why did those children decide to take revenge rather than taking correction. I realize we are in a world where our children are often babysat by the television and sometimes as parents, we fail to censor movies of certain ratings from our children, but something has got to give. It is imperative that we are mindful of what our children are watching on TV and what types of behavior they are around. We can no longer be complacent or naive and think that they aren't paying attention or that they really don't understand what they see. They do. Children these days are much smarter than we sometimes give them credit for and are more aware than many of us were at their age. They are the technological generation. We can't take that for granted.

Keep praying for our children, their teachers, and their parents. There are so many crazy things going on in schools these days that prayer is absolutly necessary for survival. Prayer changes people and prayer changes things. Watch God work.

Be blessed

Father drowned his children

I will never understand how an adult could kill a child, let alone how a parent kill their own child. In this case there was a father in Baltimore, Maryland who had his three children visiting with him (2, 4, & 6 years old). He drowned them one by one in the bathtub in his hotel room some time on Saturday. On Sunday he called the front desk to tell them what he had done and that he had intended on committing suicide. Their mother was expecting them to be back at home on Saturday around 8 pm. I can only imagine how she felt after hearing what their father had done to them. I hope that she doesn't blame herself for letting them go. Let's pray for both parents, along with the rest of the family and everyone else who my have any connection to the family. Senseless acts are rarely understood.....but then again, I guess they aren't for us to understand.

God bless