therstblog

imagine, you’re tending sheep, your brothers in a line up as an old dude with a horn of oil examines each of the brothers only to have not found the next king of isreal…

now imagine, you smell like sheep, your tired & you’re called to this posthumous line up. the old guy comes to you and says you are the next King of isreal?

what the heck??

and for several years after this proclimation you are still not king, yet you serve the king.

you defeat a giant and save your country, the people love you, yet you’re still NOT king!!

here’s my point, David, like Jeremiah & many others before & after him, there WAS A PROCESS!!

we cannot, as much as I want to, skip through the process. we cannot select what parts we want to go through and which we don’t.

process hurts, it’s uncomfortable & often it is never as attractive as the vision or finish line, but we MUST endure… we MUST walk through the fire… we MUST learn about ourselves… we MUST not abort the process!!

The news of finding out your bringing new life in the world is both exciting and flat out scary… And before the rumors start, no Esther is not pregnant, I am!!!

What?? No, I don’t have some “organ” condition that allows me to physically give birth, but spiritually my womb is with child!!

Have I been here before, yes! I have been pregnant with vision, with dreams, with hope for the city of Atlanta & old fourth ward. But…

I have also suffered miscarraiges & have aborted the very same seed I carry now! I have fallen on my face & repented before God & know that I have been forgiven!

I am expecting!!! And with eager anticipation I KNOW this process of pain, morning sickness, sleepless nights & lack of comfort is a MUST!

The next 10 months, ladies I know you feel me, are going to be filled with amazing revelation, with power, with pain & jubilation!!

Please pray for the birth of these dreams, the vision that God has given me for the city. Please pray for my family as God stretches me & that I will be first the leader & pastor of my family! Please pray that no weapon formed against the seed growing inside of me grow full term!!

I AM EXPECTING!!!

my goal with this series is not to point a finger, nor is it to simply play the blame game, but to create a conversation between all of us about a subject that is shunned. In the wake of all that is taking place around the country, who are the men sharing with, if they share at all?

Why must a man be strong all the time? What does strength look like? Do we confuse “macho” with manhood?

I know growing up I was told “men don’t cry, suck it up”, I’m sure you’ve heard this before. My question is, if men don’t cry, then what do they do? I never got an answer! But, I can tell you what I saw in my community. I saw men drinking, I saw men abusing thier spouse, I saw men angry for no reason, I saw men “take it to the streets”. Is that the subsititute for dealing with ones emotional state? Does this work?

Again, I’m not saying to be a wimp & allow every leaf that blows to arrest you emotionally & render you useless, but I’m saying that there has to be a release valve where you can legally & without hurting yourself or anyone release emotionally!

Ladies, I know you don’t want a softy, I know you want a manly man, a protector, the strength of the home, but let me ask you this… CAN YOUR MAN COME TO YOU AND SHARE HIS HEART, HIS FEARS, HIS HURT & PAIN WITHOUT FEAR OF YOU THINKING HIM LESS THAN A “MAN”?If he can, does he know that he can?

Look around you, do you produce a cooperative environment for your man, your husband, your sons to share without fear of redicule? Do you foster an environment for a healthy emotional life of those men in your life that you love? Fathers, husbands do you?

I had a conversation last night that ROCKED MY WORLD! It wasn’t some deep super spiritual theological geeky conversation, but one that was man to man, heart to heart! It was this conversation that has sparked this post & several others I plan to write this week. Please, if you are married, single with hopes of being married, have a son or sons or have a father that you care greatly about allow them the comfort or discomfort of reading this & subsequent posts. Encourage it, I’m begging you!

MEN, we are both emotionally retarded & constipated! Yes, I said it & I mean it! Ok, maybe not you, because you have it ALL together, but the rest of us are!!

Do you cry? Do you feel like you can never be “weak” in front of the people you love? Do you dodge going home because you can’t take it? Do you find solace in a bottle or puffing on something? Do you have anger issues?Do you feel like the walls are closing in on you, yet you don’t say anything because you are afraid of what others might think or say?

I could go on with questions & examples for hours, but here is one of the most important… ARE YOU AFRAID OF BEING VULNERABLE? Even with your wife or your children?

I hope in my posts this week to share, be transparent with you. I hope that in doing this, someone may find freedom in going home & releasing the weight of being emotionally constipated! I’m hoping this series is the laxative you needed to BE FREE!

Being a MAN does not require you to be emotionally inadequate!! The boys, young men, the daughters, wives, women in your life NEED YOU!!

A very good friend of mine, really more like brother, has begun an amazing personal challenge that he needs our help with. I say our, because in order to truly make a difference in his challenge he will need us to encourage him, pray for him, give to the causes he is supporting & lastly he needs us to see that THISMUSTCHANGE!

Folks, I will be honest with you, we spend way too much time talking about change, what we would do and not do, how we would fix this or that if given a chance, yada yada yada, but here is someone who has search his heart and believes God has given his a chance to become more fit/healthy and to BE the change. It doesnt get any better than this!!

So with that said, I need you to go to THISMUSTCHANGE right now, yes now, click the freaking link, and donate a $1, $2, heck give more, & then SPREAD THE WORD!!! Please, of course…

But if im not compelling enough or you dont believe me, his words follow mine below… check it out!

THISMUSTCHANGE! is a challenge to see how many people will donate $1 for each pound I lose in the 3 months for 6 life-giving causes.

My goal is to lose 40-50 pounds during the next 3 months through regular exercise (cardio and weights) and a healthy eating plan. I’ll be sharing more about the specific workout/nutrition plans as time goes on.  It begins on Monday, August 17, 2009 and the final weigh-in will be Monday, November 16, 2009.  All donations are done directly through the websites of the organizations and no money go through my hands.

I’m asking folks to do 2 simple things:

1) Commit to give a buck a pound to one of these great causes during the next 3 months. (Can be donated weekly or all at the very end)
2) Spread the word and let others know how they can be a part of this.

I will chronicle the journey on THISMUSTCHANGE.org and share more about these amazing causes.  I will also have weekly weigh in’s and will be as honest as I can about the up-beats and beat-downs that are bound to come when trying to get back in shape.

My hope and prayer is get get hundreds, if not thousands, of people to join me in this.  But I need your help to spread the word.

Can you imagine the impact if loads of people donated a buck a pound?

Let’s say I lose 40 pounds.

100 people x 40 lbs = $4,000

500 people x 40 lbs = $20,000

1,000 people x 40 lbs = $40,000

2500 x 40 lbs = $100,000

You get the idea.

That’s less hungry people. More clean water and less disease. Shelter and care for battered women. More feet without blisters, sores, and infections. More doctors without borders. Less children sold into the sex slave industry. These are serious issues and I seriously need to help.