From "Thoughts and Testimonies, Booklet 1" (Part 4)

Here is the next section of a booklet I wrote in 2010. God bless.

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THE earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 

Psalm 24:1

     Lately, I've been thinking about ownership. For instance, my dog-MY dog-has melanoma. In the weeks preceding his tumor removal surgery, I fed my dog flax oil, ground flax seeds, organic cottage cheese and organic yogurt. I hoped the diet would help shrink the tumors and/or give him energy to survive the surgery. He is, after all, thirteen human years old. One of his veterinarians told my brother and me that the average life span for a dog his size is twelve human years old. He beat the average, but he's not getting any younger. Also, the vet who did the surgery didn't remove all the tumors, only the ones that caused the most concern. And I've spotted more tumors on my dog since the surgery. I'm reluctant about resuming the flax/cottage cheese/yogurt diet for my dog, though, because it might cause other health problems. 

     As I've thought more and more about ownership, it's occurred to me that I didn't make my dog. I may give him food and water (that I also didn't make), but I haven't been the sustainer of his life. I didn't give him life. 

     Taking things in another direction, I've also been thinking about people I've seen on cable news reports screaming or holding up signs saying, "We're taking back our country!" I've wondered if the U.S. really is our country. God blesses many people to be residents and caretakers of this nation just as He blesses people to be residents and caretakers of other nations and just as He blessed people when our one country was actually many nations, None of us made a single blade of grass, a single grain of sand, a single rock or a single water drop. Who owns this country or any other? "THE earth is the LORD'S .... " 

     I believe I'd mistaken stewardship for ownership for many years. I now know that my dog is not "my" dog. The Lord Who made him owns him. My country is not "my" country. The Lord Who made it owns it. My parents are not “my" parents and I am not even “mine”. The Lord Who made us owns us. “THE earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Amen.

From "Thoughts and Testimonies, Booklet 1" (Part 3)

Here is the next part of a booklet that I wrote in 2010. God bless.

***

IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:1-3

I think I had my first hair relaxer when I was in the sixth grade. I wanted to have hair that resembled the hair of the other girls in school. Plus, I thought that my hair would be easier to take care of if it was straight. My mom had been my hairdresser until then. It almost always hurt when she had to comb through a tangle in my natural hair. She tried to straighten my hair with a hot comb once or twice, a stench-filled endeavor of heated metal, oil and burnt hair.  

The beautician I went to for the first "professional" hair straightening apparently left the relaxer in too long. Some of my hair ended up breaking off, but that didn't stop me from repeating the process until I was in my late 20's. The constant cycle of relaxer, hair oiling, hair rolling, blowout comb, curling iron, semi-regular hot oil treatments and touch ups were a ritual of sorts.

     If I remember correctly, I had my last hair relaxer in 1995 prior to moving back to Texas. I returned to Texas that July for an extended visit with one of my brothers and his family. The visit turned into a relocation. My funds were very limited at the time, especially after I moved into my own place. I let my hair go. As it returned to its natural texture, I used different gels that were supposed to enhance its curliness. I rarely achieved the look that I wanted. My hair is naturally thick and looks like it grows out instead of down, hardly the American ideal of long locks that cascade past a woman's shoulders. At one point in the 1990's, I had enough spending money to pay someone to put synthetic braids in my hair. They were fake, but they were long.

     Quite a few people have stared at me critically or made negative comments since I let my hair go natural. The funny thing is most of the critics, which includes a couple of my family members, have been black. It's as if they've been disappointed with a trait that reflects the African part of my ancestry. One of the family members, who is now deceased, even told me (jokingly, I hope) to wear a wig the next time I visited him. I laughed at his comment. I never had the opportunity to visit him again.

Quite a few people have also given me compliments regarding my natural hair. Some of them have been other black women who wanted to know if I do hair or how I take care of my hair.

   I've had a lot of time since 1995 to think about my hair's natural state. Although lack of funds was the initial reason for going natural, I never put aside money later on to get my hair relaxed again. I started asking myself why I should subject my hair to harsh chemicals to fit a certain standard of beauty. I also started asking myself why that standard of beauty should be my standard of beauty. Then, I started questioning standards of beauty. I realized that the hair texture I have is the hair texture that God gave me. I woke up to the fact that criticism of a feature is criticism of its Maker. If my natural hair is good enough for God-Who made it-then who am I to complain about it or to try to change it?

   I've given up on buying loads of hair care products. Currently, I use shampoo and conditioner or sometimes just shampoo or a shampoo/conditioner combo. When I use a separate conditioner, I usually comb my hair while the conditioner is still in so that I can get the tangles out fairly easily. Other than that, I basically have wash and go hair that I wear as is or in twists that hold well for a few days-no more harsh relaxers, hair oil, hair rollers or blow dryer followed by curling iron; no more hot oil treatments or hot combs; no more inconvenient convenience to please anyone other than God.

From "Thoughts and Testimonies, Booklet 1" (Part 2)

Here is the next section of the booklet I wrote while recuperating at home in 2010. God bless.

***

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 

John 4:24 (Words of Christ)   

I don't know what Jesus looks like, neither does anyone else who's alive today. The best any of us can do, if we so choose, is guess. So, I'm sure the fellow voter (who happened to be white) didn't mean anything when, after going on and on about a black coach (teacher? principal?), she told my parents and me that, years ago, said school administrator had her kids thinking God is black. I held my tongue but wanted to ask her something like, "Who said He isn't?" I was kind of amused that she assumed my parents and I accepted the popular western idea of a non-black God. 

       I've since wondered how the fellow voter would have reacted if I'd gone ahead and asked the question. Would she have been offended as was one of my former schoolmate's classmates when my schoolmate told him that he believed Jesus is black? Or, would she have been open to the idea of a black God? Although she didn't come right out and say that she believes God is white as opposed to any other color, I'm assuming that she's in agreement with the common American depiction of a Jesus Who looks like His line is primarily European. Why is the idea of a white God acceptable and the idea of a non-white God unacceptable? And why are we inundated with images that influence the way we picture God in the first place? As Jesus Himself said in John 20:29, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." Why do we need pictures and movies, videos and plays that feature portrayals of Jesus when faith is "the evidence of things not seen"? (Hebrews 11: 1) 

European Renaissance paintings help explain American images of a white Lord. The primary heritage of many Americans is European. The recent portrayals of Jesus, derived from old artworks, are of a good-looking man with Whom a large segment of the population can identify. 

I went through a Jesus-is-undoubtedly-black phase myself. And I have known other people (who also faced prejudice) whose disdain for the Gospel seemed to rest partly in having "white" images of God shoved down their throats. I reasoned (and believe they agreed) that Jesus, Mary and Joseph, once they fled to Egypt, could not have blended in well with the population of the area if they were white. 

I have also known other people (who also faced prejudice) who balked at the idea of a black Christ. I vividly recall one instance that took place when my parents were living in my mom's hometown. As I recall, my mom had a Nativity scene on display in the family room, one in which all the people depicted were black. The wife of one of my somewhat distant cousins said to me (after everyone else had left the room) something like, "I don't agree with that!" I defended the display by sharing my belief about Jesus being black, but I also wondered why she waited for everyone else to leave the room before voicing her opinion. I also felt sorry for her, believing that she had bought into her own brainwashing.

     Jesus may very well look mostly or partly African, but my attitude at the time was, "He's black! So, there!" I was still lost in those days. My attitude has changed. If Jesus looks Irish, He's my Lord and Savior. If He looks Chinese, He's my Lord and Savior. If He looks Nigerian, He's my Lord and Savior. If He looks Cherokee, Mexican, Samoan or Pakistani, He's my Lord and Savior. No matter what He looks like, He's my Lord and Savior. 

What I'm trying to say is that we risk making Jesus' physical appearance seem as if it's a part of the Gospel when we create images of Him. If He was to appear in front of any of us and we could see His skin color, hair texture, eye color and other features, what then? There's no saving grace in His-or our- physical appearance. Isaiah 53:2 states, "[h]e hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." 

People who die lost will be held accountable for their sin, but we believers should never let our fantasies be other people's stumbling blocks. Wanting the Lord to look a certain way doesn't mean that's how He looks. And portraying Jesus as a particular color sends a misguided message. It's as if one group of people is saying, "He's our Lord, but don't worry. He'll lower His standards to save you, too!" Our visual aids can become spiritual distractions. God, the Creator of all Who is no respecter of persons, becomes a foreign god who favors people who look like his son over people whom he (unfortunately for them) made with dissimilar features. And that message may drive people away from the only One Who can save them.

From "Thoughts and Testimonies, Booklet 1" (Part 1)

My posts over the next several weeks will be excerpts from an autobiographical booklet that I wrote in 2010 while recovering at home following hospitalization for bilateral pulmonary emboli and a couple of surgical procedures. Today's part is the introduction and the first part of the body of the booklet. Even though I primarily wrote it with fellow Christians in mind, I hope that anyone who reads a selection will get some good out of it. God bless.

Thoughts and Testimonies 

Booklet 1

Introduction

       

     The Lord saved me in 1992. Around 1994, I wound up having a wilderness experience that lasted about sixteen years. It involved physical and so-called mental illnesses as well as backsliding. I thought that God and fellow Christians had abandoned me.                                                                                                           On May 2, 2010, I was rushed to the hospital after having difficulty breathing. The Lord made his presence known during my hospitalization and brought me out of the wilderness. He reminded me of other times in which He'd made His presence known and helped me realize that He would never abandon me.             I wrote the thoughts and testimonies in this booklet after my hospitalization. As I recuperate, I've had a lot of time to reflect on past experiences and observations. Many of those experiences and observations involved  prejudice or discrimination.

     Even though past experiences often left me feeling angry, sad or fearful, I believe that God allowed me to go through them for a reason. However, I'm not about to claim a new revelation. According to Ecclesiastes 1:9, "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun." Other people in the past and in the present have also experienced prejudice or discrimination. I believe that the Lord has helped me understand my experiences in light of Scripture. Hopefully, the things I've written in this booklet will encourage or comfort someone who's had the same or similar experiences.

     As you read these "thoughts and testimonies," please open a Bible and read the referenced verses in context. Trust the Lord and His guidance. May God bless you.

*****

Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

Acts 10:34-35

A friend of mine and I recently had a discussion about "white" churches compared to "black" churches. Afterwards, I thought about how strange it is to discuss white versus black or white versus black versus brown churches in 2010. The American history of segregation persists in far too many - but, thankfully, not all - houses of worship. It's as if we fail to see that Jesus is not a patchwork Lord, His body consisting of black arms, white legs and a brown torso.

     If you believe the Holy Bible, then you believe that Adam and Eve are the roots of every family tree. Since we all descend from them, deliberate divisions based on skin color make no sense. This is especially true where churches are concerned. Once upon a time, some people believed that God's confounding of languages at Babel was also a confounding of colors. Therefore, they believed that we were meant to be separated along color lines. The basis of this belief seemed to be grounded in the idea that when we get together, we disobey God.

I believe that unity doesn't necessarily lead to disobedience. Our ancestors, in their unrighteousness, tried to build a tower to reach heaven. Those of us who are saved, having the righteousness of Christ and submitting to God's will, would not have a similar goal. Lost people, united, exalt themselves and act like gods. Christians, united, exalt God and serve Him. But here many of us are in the United States today speaking the same language but all too often not even attending worship services together, rendering them color-based or color-conscious. You wonder how anyone who claims to be saved could ever justify segregated fellowship when you consider verses such as Acts 10:34-35 or Galatians 3:28 ("There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."). May we leave that part of history in the past and truly be one in Christ.