1 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. 2 Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. 3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: 5 For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust. 6 The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy. (Isaiah 26:1-6)
You won't believe this but I found my Logitech (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/digital_pen/devices/408&cl=us,en)Io2 digital pen. (http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-IO2-Digital-Pen-965154-0403/dp/B000F4CUKY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1197119130&sr=8-1) I remember when I misplaced it, I was heartbroken and couldn't believe I lost it. I thoughts I left it in one of my jacket pockets, I checked every pocket (at least I thought I did) two of three time and still no pen. Well, low and behold I put on my peacoat because it is cold enough to where it in North Caolina Now and there it was right in the pocket. So, what is the first thing I try to do, see if I can write an ink blog post with it using Sumocat's (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/)build 52 (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2007/07/build-52-v2-beta-is-online.html). If you see this post I guess it worked.Show/Hide Text
Been thinking poetically a lot lately, which is one reason I haven't been blogging much around here. This is poem I have been working on for the last few days. Check out my recitation of the piece as well. I strongly believe that poems are meant to be read and heard. I think poets should give just as much attention to the written form as the spoken or performed form. Eventhough I say that this poem short on form, that is to say I didn't spend a whole of time on form, but then again this poem is about 90% done, I still have some fine tuning to do. I am hope to workshop this piece and have it rigorously critiqued. If you can help I am open to criticism, email me.
jazz requiem for revolutionary poets
For Amiri Baraka and Yeshua ben Yosef there is no finer art than revolution. sublime, syncopated turning liberated riff radical act motivated by thought liberated from hegemony thinking collective not digging on nobody's exploitation
art is banal, light repellent burning on the surface only without revolutionary goals; in mind and regime changing mellifluously like chords in a coltrane solo. hear the beautiful struggle
as siren as transcendent and elegant marrow piercing honest as poetry as words are to me, i'd rather write the constitution rewrite it rather give it arms legs hands teeth feet mouth a whole, black man living improvising dauntless incarnate dialectic incapable of shutting down dialogue open to inquiry for who the question is almost always the answer
a variation on a theme of an aristotelian standard this man is a revolutionary animal poem. positively bureaucratic. but reluctant to govern as less is more is the motto matter is neither created nor destroyed only changes form is the constant and the mantra
well-acquainted with suffering not-opposed to death As comfortable with chaos as this poem is intimate with the imperceptible power infinitesimally smaller than a quantum larger than the universe forever expanding like the piano bass and drums jamming, in the spirit of prophesy ezekiel bebop a little crazy and just credulous enough to preach in cemeteries- this is why you write poetry: to cry onto the four winds to give breathe to the revolution baba zu zat zu zat zu zat. Amen
My message yesterday came to me in a dream last week. The dream was like I was having a conversation with God and he was telling me some answers to things I have had questions about recently. In the dream I was talking to people and God was like the Director or Narrator, because he would explain the meaning of the scene, but I could also communicate with his voice. I woke up covered in sweat with this tremendous feeling of being in someone's presence even though I was in the house alone. Then as I got up and started walking around I heard the voice say to me "are you bitter or better?" And that that was a message for people to hear and ponder. I came from Ruth 1:19-22 and James 1:2-4. By way of introduction, I talked about how unpredictable life often is, and how it is often filled with disappointments, setbacks, and unexpected turns. Such was the life of Naomi; I suggested that Naomi's life was almost as tragic as Job's. Naomi's life definitely didn't turn out as she expected or wanted. So, when life doesn't turn out they way you want it to, when you life is assailed by unexpected tragedy how do you respond to it? Do you get bitter or better from these misfortunes? I gleaned three points from Naomi's story that inform us about how to be better instead of bitter. In this story, we see that Naomi grows bitter from her tragedy, she says as much to the village women as she returns to Bethlehem-Judah, {Ruth l.20), whereas Ruth gets better. Further evidence that Ruth grows better while Naomi grows bitter is that bitter people are often difficult to get along with; they shun human companionship. This might be said of Naomi (Ruth 1.11). Naomi seems to have given up hope at this point and becomes bitter. The first point we glean from the story is that bitter people focus on what they have lost, So, don't focus on, what you have lost. The second point we illustrated was realize you never had what you lost. One way to not focus what you lost is to realize you never had it in the first place. It is an illusion that things can be possessed. All material things are temporal, in flux, and deteriorating. They cannot be possessed; people, cars houses, jewelry, money cannot be possessed. Once we know this it should not be so difficult to let these things go when they are lost. The third and final point of the message was be thankful for what you still have. Ruth is thankful for what she still has, a relationship with Naomi, and this is why she clings to her. I concluded the sermon with James's entreaty in 1.2-4 to embrace troubles trials, and disappointment. In fact, rejoice, don't be sorrowful, because enduring these things make you more spiritually mature -- better.
Man, oh man, did Katt Williams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katt_Williams)upset some folk with this fashion statement (http://blogs.sohh.com/atlanta/2007/10/katt_williams_w.html). But was this a fashion faux paux or complete and utter lack of judgment? Was it modern day coonery or mad social commentary? Personally, I think this is genius. Bro. Williams in the spirit of Richard Pryor of D.L. Hughley made a colorful comment on the meaning of nooses past, present, and future to Black people in the context of America; as well as the meaning of contemporary hip hop culture's obsession with excessively extravagant, jeweled necklaces. Is Katt saying "how funny is this really? When are nooses being hung from anywhere a practical joke? And let's remember who use to hang from these so called practical joke nooses." Or is Katt saying the excessive necklaces we wear are not that different from nooses? I don't know exactly what statement Katt is making but the possibilities are multiple and that's the genius in it to me.
Check out my latest screencasts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screencast) using Camtasia Studio 4 (http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp?CMP=KgoogleCStmhome). This time out I did two how-to's on subscribing to podcasts using the podcastready site's (http://www.podcastready.com/)special application mypodder. I have posted previously (http://thehallelreport.blogspot.com/2007/09/my-blog-has-some-new-features-that-i-am.html)concerning podcastready. com, I wonder if anybody has checked it out. I am big on podcastready because of it's social networking feature, you can share the podcasts you listen to with friends, and you know how big I am on social networking. So, please come on over to podcastready sign up and let's be fiends and share what cool podcasts we have found out there. Look me up under the username makmak01 (http://www.podcastready.com/friends.php), run a search on that name.
Upcoming post: Commentary on Katt Williams' Hip Hop Awards Fashion statement
I said in a previous post to watch out for my review of my new Treo 755p (http://www.palm.com/us/products/smartphones/treo755p/?cid=reprise_google_treo/Treo_755p). Well that review is completed and you can view it below. I love Youtube (http://youtube.com/).
I have purposely held back my comment on the Jena six (http://www.colorofchange.org/)Story because first of all I was caught completely off guard, by the time I knew anything they were protesting thousands strong down there. Now I pride myself on being up on current events, news, and politics, but this travesty of justice completely caught me by surprise, I completely slipped it. The second. reasons why I haven't commented on this story is because I wasn't comfortable that I had heard the entire story from beginning, in between to end. The mainstream media usually only emphasized a few events, the question about the tree, the three nooses hanging from the tree, and then the three young Black men assaulting the young Caucasian man. This kind of abbreviation of the news makes it difficult to form any kind of opinion on a subject, I mean you shouldn't make a judgment on half the story. So, these are the reasons why I have had no comment on the Jena 6 story. What has changed is a report on what happened in Jena, LA by a commentator on the RadioNation (http://www.thenation.com/)podcast (http://feeds.feedburner.com/RadionationPodcast). After hearing this more thorough telling of the Jena 6 (http://afronetizen.blogs.com/afronetizen/an_blog/index.html) travesty I felt in a better position to weigh in. I have embedded a piece of the audio below, but here is my brief analysis on the subject. First, those who say that the young black men should have been charged for the crime of assaulting their fellow white student but that the injustice was the severity of their punishment, completely miss the real problem in this story. Then there are those that are a little bit better informed that say the racism is evident in the fact the young white men who hung the nooses, or the ones who assaulted one of their Black classmates were not properly punished. While I agree that that was racist. To focus on the criminality perpetrated by the young white men and young black men and call for fairness lets the real criminals off the hook. In my mind, the real criminals in this case are the School Superintendent, the District Attorney and the white elite of the town many who are no doubt parents of high school students in Jena. For the record this is a classic example of racism. I could have my terminology wrong but there is a distinction between racism and prejudice. I was listening to NPR's coverage of this affair and a Caucasian caller hazarded the question, can't Black people be racist? And my reply to that question is not hardly, we are prejudiced, everyone has and acts on their prejudgments, but racism is a higher order, it is several orders of magnitude larger in scale than prejudice. A Black man may find out his daughters is dating a Caucasian young man and he may do everything under his power to break them up simply because he doesn't want his daughter dating a "white boy." This is prejudice, he has judged this young man without having ever met him. This same scenario could be applied to a young man of a different class; even though he may be the same race as the young lady in question; the father doesn't like him, because of what part of town he lives on. This is prejudice, and yes we are all guilty of prejudice. But it seems to me racism is a historical and political phenomenon. It is when one race of people systematize their prejudices and then by means of superior political/military might enforce this system of prejudice. It is racism when the power elite in a society prevent through lending practices and city ordinances the sell of houses to people of another race in their particular neighborhoods. There are few places on this globe where Black people have amassed that kind of power. Now, while it is conceivable, and quite likely that you would have aBlack DA and a Black Superintendent of schools in office in the same city, I argue that it is unlikely that they could conspire with Black parents to pervert the justice system as the people in Jena have. It's not that I don't think Black people are capable of racism, we most certainly are, power corrupts, but I argue that we don't have the confluence of position and power like Caucasians all over the globe have, and specifically in this country. I feel the need to add that racism in a society is also a means of exploitation, whereby the race in power is able to maintain and even enhance their economic, social, and political lot at the expense of the oppressed race. I feel that we overlook the real problem, when we don't find the fault in the institutions and their representatives, the DA's the Super's for such miscarriages of justice, read racism. I mean where is the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department when you need them?
We had Young Adult Day at our church Sunday and the Lord gave me a burning one, I mean I really felt this one. I would like to think that my congregation; especially my young adults felt my passion and conviction on the subject. The title for my sermon was The World Is Not Yours, I came from Luke 12.13-15 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2012.%2013-15;&version=31;) and 1 John 2.15-17. (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%202.15-17;&version=31;) The title is a variation on the theme and subject of a rap song by NAS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nas)entitled "The World is Yours." I argue that while the message of this song may be ostensibly positive, it definitely does not reflect a Christian worldview or value system. It reflects more specifically the spirit of the world that puts tremendous value on material success. I think the operative question for Christians is why do I want the world? Jesus correctly frames this whole discussion when he poses the rhetorical questions >"what good will it be For a man if he gains the whole world, yet-forfeits his soul? Orr what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt.16.26&version=31) This was the premise for my message, not to what some say is lower our expectations, but to change them. I primarily exegeted the Luke passage for the body of my message. I used three points gleaned from the text of Luke 12. 13-15, I drew my first point from verse 13, where the young man addresses his initial question to Jesus. This young man's question is not appropriate I argued; such self-interested, material concerns are not the domain or concern of Jesus. We must come correct (1st point) When coming to. Jesus or the church; naked self-interest has no place in the lives of disciples of Christ. The second point is related to verse 14. In this verse, Jesus' response to the young man reveals that Jesus has his own agenda (2nd point). Many contemporary televangelist would have us to believe that Jesus shares our concern for our very personal and particular material welfare, but Jesus' response to the young man suggests different, and I believe that is because God has an ultimate plan that seldom takes into account our particular material comfort. Finally, I made the point that we need to get right (3rd point). Instead of trying to get a job, get paid, get laid, get over, get down, get comfortable, get rich quick, we need to get right, or in other words establish a saving relationship with Christ. When I put the idea Jesus expresses about covetousness in verse 15 against the back drop of 1 John 2.17, I am convinced that getting a relationship with Christ is the critical thing, because everything material is passing away. Why play for little mortal chips, why not bet the farm on eternal life? If you can't already tell, this is one of the sermons where even if no one else got anything out of it I definately did.
I know, I know, I have been seriously neglecting this blog, but be forwarned it might get worse. Actually, my schedule is getting more hectic rather than less hectic. The main thing taking up my time now is that my wife has gone back to school, which means, I have to watch my lovely children, bless their hearts. It is a joy, but I just can't blog and hold my 4 month old at the same time, I know you understand. I have got something I want to mention: By way of update I took the Moto Q back to Alltel within the 15 day trial period and got my money back minus about $60.00 for activation fee and the air time I used, pretty expensive trial I thought. So, after that I went back to Sprint and made up my mind to bite the bullet and pay through the nose for a Smartphone that was going to meet my needs. I didn't actually go to a Sprint store, I went to Radio Shack and the Lord went with me because as soon as I walked in looking at the Sprint phones they sell, the salesperson started telling me about the special deal they had on a reconditioned Treo 755p (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDpbXbFppIk). When she told me I could get a 755p, for $60.00 after a $100.00 I was floored. And from that point, the deal only got better. She called to activate the phone and the sprint rep took it upon themselves to upgrade my data plan ( I had the old sprint data plan that came with the first pdaphones that Sprint came out with like 6 years ago, I had the Toshiba 2032 and then the Hitachi G1000. My data plan cost 10.00 a month for unlimited web and text messages), and this Radio Shack salesperson didn't like that, so for the next 45 minutes she argued with Sprint's Retention Department trying to either get my old plan back or get me a discount. Eventually, she got Sprint to take $15.00 off my base data plan rate, but I had to come off of $8.00 a month for unlimited texts. Then, I put in for my postal employee discount (25% off) which I had never applied to my bill and bam, my monthly bill decreased. Needless to say I thanked that Radio Shack employee, it was probably the best customer service I have ever had.
Upcoming Posts: -Treo 755 p renew -Mobile websites
Did you know you can find how-to's, software, and hardware reviews for virtually anything you can think of on youtube? For example, before I tried out the Moto Q I watched several video reviews of it (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Motorola+q&search=Search). I recently tried to do a flash-based presentation with the web app S-Present (http://www.spresent.com/v2/). I watched several vidoe tutorials on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=S-present&search=Search)to show me how to best employ the application. Say you want to find a review or how-to, all you need to do is do a search on the youtube website and bada bing. So, before you make that next purchase or fumble around that unintuitive software UI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_interface) see what others have to say about it on youtube.
This is a cool new mobile interface. It reminds me of the iphone. I am not exactly sure what model of phones it works on. In one of the videos as you can see it is clearly loaded onto a windows mobile phone of some kind, but the documentation on the website suggests that their aim is for zenzui (http://www.zenzui.com/) to work on the vast array cellphones. So, I have applied to be a beta tester of the application I hope they invite me.
I'm in the market for a new cellphone right and I am searching high and I'm looking low for the best deal on a smartphone or pda phone. The first phone I gave a try out was the Motorola Q or Moto Q (http://www.motorola.com/motoinfo/product/details.jsp?globalObjectId=113) for short. These were things I liked about this phone: 1. Design- This phone feels awesome in your hand, Tactile wise this is the best smartphone I have ever used. 2. Price- It was free after a mail-in rebate. 3. Yahoo Go (http://mobile.yahoo.com/go)- This a third-party mobile web app (this the future in mobile computing by the way) that was more user-friendly than Windows Mobile. While I had this phone I stayed on Yahoo Go more than in the windows mobile os.
And that's a good segue way into what I didn't like about this phone and what ultimately made me take it back. 1. No push email (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-push-email.htm)- With my treo 650 (http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/24/treo-650-is-official/), I had the ability to recieve email ala the blackberry. 2. Windows Mobile 5 (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/default.mspx)- this OS is snappy and quick, but the smartphone version of it is very limited. I couldn't even find a native app for entering text notes.
I have more to say about the Q in this little video I did: check it out.
Supercapitalism (http://www.amazon.com/Supercapitalism-Transformation-Business-Democracy-Everyday/dp/0307265617/ref=ed_oe_h/104-7917376-8735940) is a new book by economist Robert Reich (http://www.robertreich.org/reich/biography.asp). I first heard about this new book from a Fresh Air interview (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14321590)with Terri Gross. Then, it seemed like every time I looked up somebody was talking about this book. At this point I feel I need to be forthright and disclose that Dr. Reich (http://www.sharedprosperity.org/av/20070914.html#)is my main man for economic policy. He is a true progressive in my mind. He believes government is created to do for the public good what the often limited resources of the individual or a smaller governmental institutions (state. and municipalities ) can't do. We progressives, believe the Fed should have major social programs like national healthcare, Social Security, and Unemployment insurance. The Federal Government's welfare is not for people to make a living off of (I don't see how anyone could do that anyway) but to give them assistance in times when they are in need. In Dr. Reich's new book (http://media.www.hlrecord.org/media/storage/paper609/news/2001/03/09/Opinion/Supercapitalism.Is.Undermining.The.Moral.Foundations-431866.shtml), he argues that the demand for low, low prices by consumers, and higher returns for investors has put corporations in a bind. On the one hand, the demand for lower prices means a need for lower labor cost, which impacts US jobs one way or the other. On the other hand, the demand higher returns means keeping overhead down so you can maximize profit, this often results in companies downsizing or outsourcing. The pressure on the American Labor force effects workers' incomes, so basically our demand for these things put pressure on our jobs; we are slitting our own throats. Pretty insightful, don't you think? This book is next on my reading list, be on the look out for insights from the book as I read it.
Finally, here's some youtube footage of Dr. Reich (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Robert+Reich&search=Search)discussing this book.
My blog has some new features that I am so excited about that I feel the need to point them out and explain them to you. First, I want to tell you about the Barrack Obama widget that links you to the latest videos his campaign has posted to youtube (http://youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom). I put this up not because I am all that enthusiastic supporter of Obama, but because I support his embrace of the power of technology to get his message out. Most of the candidates are using youtube, but Obama's camp has gone further by widgetizing a feed to those videos on youtube (http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/barack-obama-latest-video). The second feature I want to point you to is a flash audio widget that allows you to listen to and subscribe to the podcasts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast) I am listening to. I am a big fan of podcasts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast). I have an mp3 player that has not one minute of music on it.I use it almost exclusively to listen to podcasts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast), And through podcastready (http://www.podcastready.com/), the application I use "to catch" my favorite products, you can get fed off of what I am feeding my head with. Thirdly and finally, another flash audio widget. This. widget streams audio to one special podcast that is particularly near and dear to my heart, and thats the podcast that I am myself producing for Tree of Life Ministries, Intl., (http://tolministries.podbean.com/)a web-based ministry. that some minister friends and myself have started. With this widget you can listen to our latest podcasts right from this site, pretty cool I thought, Well, those are the new features I hope you find them useful.
Few are agreeable in conversation, because each thinks more of what he intends to say than of what others are saying, and listens no more when he himself has a chance to speak. -Francois de La Roche Foucauld French author & moralist (1613 - 1680) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_de_La_Rochefoucauld_%28writer%29)
Today on my way to the Farmer 's Market to pick up some fruit, I had one of those NPR driveway moments (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=700000). A driveway moment is when you can't turn off the radio, can't turnoff the car, can't get out of the car, because you are captivated by a story being run on NPR (http://www.npr.org/) at the time. The object of my intense interest was a, story about methane gas geysers in the fresh water lakes of the near arctic north (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14288215). It was ostensibly just another story about the subtle, but apocalyptic effects of global warming, however as Melissa Block (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=2100245) related what she was seeing in the lake I became more intrigued. She talked about how the lake had the look of a giant fizzing soda pop in the area where the gas was rising out of the lake. I think what really grabbed me was when they began describing what happened when open flame was placed near the gas geyser, a blowtorch effect was created. I guess I sat in the car for about 5 minutes until they finished the story, only us loyal NPR listeners know how subversive and disruptive NPR really is.
Where does this guy get this stuff from? The Lord? Seemingly. We love you nakedpastor, and as you continue to get naked, you will help us throw off some of our inhibitions and religious traditions. Take us back to Eden,we are ready to go there with you.
I was surprised when I ran across this little techno-political nugget that further illustrates how political campaigning is catching on to the power and utility of the web. Well, actually it appears that the Democrats get it more than the Republicans. And even more to the point, it looks like Barrack Obama and his people get it more than any other campaign. The other day I went by Widgetbox (http://www.widgetbox.com/) to see if they had a generic video viewers like the google audio widget (http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/mp3), and ran across a gang of Barack Obama widgets (http://www.widgetbox.com/search?q=Barack+Obama). From a widget (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_widget) that plays the latest video produced by his campaign to one that tells you the details of his next speaking engagement. Go Obama, him and Edwards are running neck and neck for my vote and for most net smart/tech savy. But I agree with what many in the blogosphere are saying about Obama and Edwards, namely that they should join forces against Clinton. (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3508592)
Today is two for Tuesday. We have a quote and some video footage of the man behind the quote. Check it-out: Not all conservatives (http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Video_50_year_study_says_conservatives_0711.html) are authoritarians, but all authoritarians are conservative. -John Dean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dean), author of Conservatives Without a Conscience (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00084.htm) Update: As you can see I was supposed to post this tuesday, but I got busy producing my first podcast (http://tolministries.podbean.com/2007/09/13/the-inaugural-podcast/) for Tree of Life Ministries, Intl (http://tolministries.podbean.com/)., a ministry that some friends and I have started up.
What do you think about how I blog in ink? Ever at least wondered how I do it? I have made a little screencast (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screencast) with Camtasia Studio ( http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp)that shows the rather tedious, but highly rewarding process that I go through to create a blog in ink with searchable text and hyperlinks using Build 52 (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2007/07/build-52-v2-beta-is-online.html). I realize that ink blogs will never be anything more than a novel idea with limited market penetration, (http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/2007/08/you-have-spoken.html) but I think ink or more specifically handwriting is more conceptually congruent with the very personal, self-reflective nature of most blogs. I mean a blog is really like a web diary, and when you think of a diary you don't think of text you think of ink. Then, most people don't have tablet pc's (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/default.mspx)or umpc's (http://umpc.com/Devices.aspx) which are almost essential to be able to ink blog. As the tablet pc gets more and more mainstream (http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2007/05/18/15193.aspx)maybe ink blogging will pick up few more adherents until then I guess its just you and me, Sumocat.
Listen to this indictment on self-help books issued by these two bestselling authors (http://wamu.org/programs/dr/07/09/06.php#13704)who wrote a book together called "Why We Read What We Read" (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/140221054X/wamu-20) based on extensive research of books on the Publishers' Weekly bestseller's list (http://www.publishersweekly.com/)for the past 16 years. I'm thinking this could easily apply to the messages many prosperity gospel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_of_Faith)preachers of the televangelist bilk. To me they make believing and then prospering sound so easy even an adult could do it, which is very misleading. Living a life of faith is not easy as evidenced by the recent very public marital problems of popular prosperity gospel prognosticators, Juanita Bynum (http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2007/09/06/bynum_0907.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab)and Paula White (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20418259/). Booboo happens. Anyway, this is just an excerpt from a podcast I got of this Diane Rehm Show (http://wamu.org/programs/dr/); you can get the whole show in its entirerity here (http://wamu.org/programs/dr/07/09/06.php#13704).
I am a minister and an aspiring writer that is married and has 4 beautiful children. I am progressive in my politics, liberal in my theology, and fanatical about tech and gadgetry. ;-)
