Filed under: Stories | Tags: family, food, interview, narrative, prayer, prison, story, TI
I’m normally not a narrative, fiction based writer. I actually find that it can be difficult sometimes. Since I started school, we had to write a paper for my English 1101 class based on the idea that we were having coffee with a rock star. Well, I’ve always wanted to sit down with this particular gentleman for a while, so I jumped at the “opportunity.” Enjoy the story.
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- T.I. after a 2003 arrest
It felt like my mind was spinning just as fast as the engine in my rental car as I sped down Interstate 40 about 20 miles outside of Memphis, Tennessee, on my way to meet with a man that no one, outside of his family had spoken to in nearly eight months. I personally wanted to know how this time away had affected him, but did others? What should I say? Would anything be off limits? What can I learn from him? Would he give good answers? Would I ask good questions? Should I just focus on having a good conversation instead of giving him some automated survey type of interview? I had not a clue.
Veering off on exit 241, I headed south on US 1 through the small Arkansas town of Forrest City. My heart began to beat faster. A left. Then a right, and I saw the Forrest City Federal Correctional Complex appear on the horizon, off my driver’s side. The last left turn down Dale Bumpers Drive and the one mile that lead into the FCC felt like it lasted the majority of the 30 minute drive. Continue reading
Filed under: Mind Flush, My Life... | Tags: blog, disclaimer, facebook, friendship, honesty, twitter
I feel a little like I’ve been neglecting my blog since school has started on August 17th. I’ve also been blogging at another site, Elev8.com, which is owned by Radio One and while it’s been fun blogging there, it’s definitely a different crowd than here. Y’all get the more transparent, honest, side of me over here. They get the more Christian, spiritual side of me. I’m going to try not to post the same articles in both places, but occasionally will.
I wanted to write this post for 2 reasons: to let you know I still care about my readers and to give all those who know me in “real life” my disclaimer. For some reason, I feel like I need to give folks a disclaimer as to what they’re getting into when they converse with me> It’s really more for them than it is for me.I want them to know what to expect from me. The reason I feel this applicable to discuss now is due to a conversation and ensuing drama I had to deal with last night because of a tweet and Facebook status update. Continue reading
Filed under: Mind Flush, My Life... | Tags: encouragement, God, honesty, questions, rejection, Relationships
I’ve been very lazy with my relationship with God lately. Honestly, I’ve backslidden. I haven’t had drastic moral failures, but in any relationship you’re either moving forward or backward. I was moving backward with Him. I haven’t been spending time with Him like I should and I couldn’t figure out why.
So I had a very honest conversation with Him. I rambled about how I felt and about my fears in life. What I wanted, what I thought I needed, and how I was angry with Him. I told Him how I didn’t see Him working in my life and the confusion that was causing. I was as open as honest as I could have been. At the end of our conversation (or rather my rambling), I still hadn’t heard Him speak, so I simply said, “God, why do I not have as close of a relationship with you as I should?” Continue reading
Filed under: Think About It | Tags: Barack Obama, Freedom of Speech, Glenn Beck, Media, Racism, Racist
- Radio & Television Host Glenn Beck on the set of his Fox News Program
“This president [Barack Obama] has exposed himself as a guy over and over and over again who has a deep-seated hatred for white people… this guy [President Obama] is, I believe, a racist.”
As of late there has been a lot of uproar about the above statement made by conservative radio and television host, Glenn Beck. In this statement, taken from the show “Fox & Friends” he says that he believes President Obama to be a racist. In order to not speculate about the phrasing or the context, you can watch the video for yourself. The statement in question begins at 1:55. Continue reading
Filed under: Think About It | Tags: economy, God, money, Pastors, tithe, trust
Christians should be the wealthiest individuals on the planet.
If we’re attached to the Author and Creator of all things, why aren’t we receiving incredible business ideas, inventions, and corporations? Why shouldn’t we create companies that can be used to employ more people, create more jobs and meet the tangible needs of those in the communities around us, which in turn can further the Kingdom? Isn’t the most tangible way to impact the immediate community to create our own economic stimulus without relying on the government to furnish the funds?
Give people a job that allows them to tithe. The church receives the tithes they need, and they’re then able to spend more money doing outreach and evangelism, and in turn, not only does the church grow, providing more money, but more souls are won to the Kingdom. Which in turn produces more tithers, and the cycle continues itself. Continue reading
Filed under: Relationships, Think About It | Tags: bitterness, forgiveness, lessons, Relationships, resentment
In the last post, I talked about learning how secrets will kill your relationship thanks to “The Maury Show.” While I probably should have changed the channel, it was like watching a train wreck, I couldn’t turn away; I kept watching. The next couple had been married for 22 years and he’d cheated on her 5 times that she knew about. Now she’s found make up in his car and a dress in the laundry she didn’t recognize. As you might have guessed, he “didn’t know where it came from” but he was cheating again.
The caption at the bottom of the screen read, “She’s forgiven him before but she won’t forgive him this time.” I thought to myself, “What’s different about this time?” I’m sure she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and probably thought, “He won’t do it again.” But he did do it again. When is enough enough? I don’t think you can ever have enough forgiveness in a relationship. Why? Continue reading
Filed under: Relationships, Think About It | Tags: honesty, lies, marriage, maury, secrets, trust, TV
- No matter how hard you try to hide it, what’s done in the dark will eventually come to the light.
I rarely watch “The Maury Show” but I was flipping through the channels and stumbled across a “headline” that caught my attention: “Husband Keeps 3 Secrets From Psychic Wife” I thought, like you probably did, “Shouldn’t she haven’t seen it coming? She is psychic, right?” I continued watching the show and found 3 valuable lessons in the midst of the chaos which I’ll discuss over this 3-part series.
The show went on to reveal that while the couple had been together for over 15 years with 5 kids (and they had made a previous appearance) and that the husband had gotten 2 new women pregnant. They were 8 and 6 months pregnant with his children. He had also been moonlighting as a stripper (for men and women) for the last 10 or so years. What does this teach us? Continue reading
Filed under: Sermon Notes | Tags: cross, forgiveness, God, Jesus, prayer, release, Sermon Notes
“Connecting w/ God” Series
Pastor Crute
August 5 2009 7pm
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2 of the greatest barriers that would keep you from receiving the Peace of God are guilt and resentment (The misery twins) Continue reading
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