I want to say a word or two about MICHAEL JACKSON

I can only remember going to three concerts in my life and two of them were to see Michael Jackson. My first at age 11 at the Chicago Amphitheatre. You have to be at least a baby boomer to remember that place. There was a crowd and my mother, who took me, was pushed to the ground. She was not injured. Michael was from August to February older than me. I remember the Jackson Five cartoon show and the teen magazines with the Jackson Five on the cover every month. My first albums were Jackson Five albums. I remember ABC I can not recall what other ones I had.

The other concert was in 1984. I think it was his last tour with his brothers. I saw with my own eyes young people fainting just by seeing him. Say what you want about him, but he could put on a show.


It is my prayer that Michael's death will cause some to think about their lives and a relationship that they need to make. More people walking on the earth today may know the name Michael Jackson and his life than Jesus and his life. Believers,we need to work on changing that fact.

Younger loved one....

the one named after the Gospel writer (you think you know which one?) is in Mexico on a mission trip. They are building a house without the use of power tools.
It has been unseasonably cool this week, in the 70's. I think that is blessing for these young men who I think may not be used to hard labor in 95 degree heat.

Younger one started attending his current church because his friends were attending and SERVING there. Their congregation meets at a high school so there is set up and tear down each week. He and his friends help with this each week. The majority of his close friends have chosen to attend a Christian college.Your peers influence you.

I'll give you a hint on the Gospel writer with the same name as my son. He went on mission trips :)

Loving Day

"It’s not a “Hallmark” holiday,but June 12 is LOVING DAY. On that day in 1967 the U.S. Supreme Court declared that laws banning marriages between the races were unconstitutional. In 1967 there were still several states that had laws against miscegenation. Relationships between the races were deemed “unnatural,” and marriage - a legal binding contract, illegal. Loving Day has a double meaning because the case (Loving vs. Virginia) that the Supreme Court heard, involved the 1958 marriage between Richard Loving, a white man, and Mildred Jetter, a black woman, in Virginia. The Lovings were arrested in their home and told to leave the state for 25 years or face imprisonment."

The above is from an article my friend wrote for the June 2009 issue of the monthly magazine Positively Naperville, I won't use her name because I do not use my name in blog. She is like me in that our knights in shining armor are white, we fell in love with white guys.

Some have felt, and some still do feel that the Bible supports miscegenation. I believe the Bible clearly states that marriage prohibitions were based on believers marrying non believers. If one married a nonbeliever it could open the door for believers to turn away from God. The Old Testament has a number marriages where the nonbeliever chose to follow the God of the believer so these marriages were fine.

Tomorrow I will toast the Lovings with some sparkling grape juice.

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER

June 3rd was the last day of the school year. I was not looking forward to it as many were. I missed 44 school days so I do not feel that I need time away from school. More importantly, I knew that the end of the school year would mean a change in relationship for two coworkers and me.

These two listened to me, advised me and helped me to keep it real from day one. Seeing them daily was a highlight of my day. One lives in another state and the other's daily life will probably not intersect mine any longer. As I have said in an earlier blog, sometimes people are in our lives only for a season. This season is over. :(

I want to share a couple of continuing thoughts regarding last week's blog. The book Network listed "creative communication" and "craftsmanship" as Spiritual gifts. I had never heard of such before, but reserved judgement when they provided the Bible references to support the idea. The authors state "Talents can be an indicator to your giftedness but do not necessarily equate to your Spiritual Gift.""The affirmation of any Spiritual Gift must be consistent with glorifying God and edifying others." This brings to mind the constant dialogue particularly in the Black community can one\should one be a Gospel singer and one who sings secular music for pay.

Again I welcome your thoughts.