Our Motivation

I have a question to ask: why do you do what you do?  I mean seriously, why do you do what you do? Why do you help out your family member?  Why do you help out your friend?  What's your motivation?

Recently I've had to do some serious gut-checking to realize why I do what I do.  In the 14th Chapter of Luke, Jesus is once again blowing the Pharisee's minds (aka the religious-know-it-alls) and he hit them with a challenge: "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid." (12)

Lets be honest, who would you rather invite to a nice lunch with you?  People that you know that have your back?  Or people that you don't know?  Now you might stop me right there and say that the logical response is to have the meal with someone you know and I would wholeheartedly agree with your response.  But if I was to come back with the infamous one worded rebuttal of "why?" what would you say?

Overall better conversation? Ok, that's a fair response.
Overall better enjoyment? I would even accept that response.

But a response that most people would not readily admit because it may be in your subconcious is a great motivation to dine with people we are cool with is because we know that they have our backs.  Say you "forgot" your wallet and your with your girlies, I'm sure you have that one or two friends that would take care of you citing you to pay them back but you never get around to it.  I mean that's what friends do right?

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with one friend taking care of another.  In fact, as the song says, "that's what friends are for."

Let me ask you a question, when was the last time you did something for someone that you knew didn't have the means to pay you back?  This person not only didn't have the means to pay you back, but probably won't ever pay you back.  For some of the readers I know that you may not have to think too far back in your memory deposits, however for others, you may have to think too far.

Forget dinners, lunches, or meals.  This little statement that Jesus makes has huge ramifications.  The loudest yelling one being: WE SHOULD NOT GO THROUGH LIFE DOING THINGS JUST TO HARVEST A BUNCH OF KARMA CHIPS.  Sorry about the whole "caps lock" thing, but I need to get this point across [mostly to myself].  In the 13th verse Jesus tells us that when we have a gathering, to invite those peeps that can't pay us back.  Why?  The reason is simple, it's a blessing to be a blessing.

Now I'm not telling you to go out and invite every blind person you know that's not named Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder and take them out to Outback.  I am reminding you however, that we need a constant reshaping on how we treat others.  We are all living this rough path of life together and we all fall down.

So who are you going to help in this next month?

Be blessed ya'll!
--MJA

Watch Your Back

A fact that has been brought to my attention while reading the Word is that Jesus had 12 disciples and he chose these 12 disciples. Some of you might be looking at me incredibly weird right now saying "duh" but think about it.  Jesus had 12 disciples.  He had plenty of followers.  But there were only 12 that he called disciples.  If you're like me, sometimes you forget that he had a host of "friends" following him, but he chose 12 men to be his real friends.

Take a moment for that to sink it.

He had hundreds of followers.  Hundreds of people that "adored" him.  Hundreds of people that tried to watch him perform miracles and wanting to touch the hem of his garment.  And hundreds of people 3 years later shouted at the top of their lungs "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"

Wait...so what you are telling me is that those people that followed him.  That was always around him, supporting him during the good times were essentially the same people that turned their backs on him when times became rough?  Does that sound familiar to your life (well maybe not the hundreds but you get the point)?

Once again Jesus is the perfect model to teach us that we really need to choose our friends carefully.  We need to watch who has our ears.  We have to guard our hearts.  We need people that will uplift us, not bring us down even if they don't fully explain what we are going through (as was the case with the disciples).  I'm not necessarily making the argument that you need exactly 12 friends, but I'm going to blunt with ya'll here: not everyone is your friend. As a matter of fact, not everyone is meant to be your friend.  It's up to you to discern those that are really your friend and those that are just your followers (or as I like to call them, acquaintances).

Lets be honest, out of those 12 friends Jesus chose one of them, Judas Iscariot, ended up stabbing him in the back.  Which, if we were to translate to our lives, we need to realize that those people that seem to have our backs might have some hidden agenda that will eventually come out and hurt us.  We need to be aware that we all have these sinful desires lurking inside of us and every once ina while it comes out.  But don't let your Judas ruin all your friendships forever.

Jesus didn't stop with the 12 disciples.  He narrowed the 12 down to 3. What I would argue were his "best friends," James, John, & Peter.  These were the three he took up with him to the mountain where the infamous "Transfiguration" happened.  None of the other friends saw him at the peak of his glory because quite frankly, they probably couldn't have handled it.

Even his best friends gave up on him for a time.  They weren't very confident when he was he was being crucified   So what does this tell us?  It tells us that people will let us down.  It's not wise to put all of our eggs into the basket.  But when it came down to it, the 12 disciples became the 12 Apostles and the 3 best friends all have major publication in the bible.  Peter's crazy self if found all around Acts as well as 1 & 2 Peter (where Paul sent a letter to him).  John is the author of the Gospel of John (not 1 & 2 John).  You guessed it, James is the author of James.

If you didn't feel like reading this entire thing and just want the bottom line here it is:

• We need to watch who has our ears; we need people around us that will uplift us.
• Not everyone that's around you is your friend.
• Even within your circle of friends, we should develop the inner circle

In essence: we just need to watch our backs and guard our hearts.

--MJA

Real Leadership

Who's the greatest?  Throughout the Gospel of Luke, Jesus' disciples had a quarrel about that question at least twice.  (Obviously Jesus was the greatest, but amongst the disciples was the question) In both situations, what is Jesus' response? "...for the least among all of you is the greatest." (9:48b)  Huh?  That's an interesting paradox.  But it fits into the upside down kingdom that Christ is establishing.  But still, that's a very ominous statement...

The second time this question arises, Jesus, since they didn't understand the first example, gives them a second analogy.  He says, "For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at table?"  This seems like the logical stopping point right? Well not for Jesus, he answers his rhetorical question, "But I am among you as one who serves." (22:27)

Jesus knows that the best way to make a point is to lead by example.  Jesus didn't come onto this earth with a mighty vengeance   No, he came through the lowliest of lowly people, times, and predicament   He didn't have a lot of money.  He never asked for anything from anyone.  He just served.  He just gave.  Gave with his life.

Jesus is the head.  But acted as the tail.  He is above.  But came from beneath.

One thing I'm slowly learning is that the things that this world cherishes, the Lord tells us to stay away from.  Money. Power. Greed. Influence.  That's not what being a disciple of Jesus is all about.

We are all leaders of something whether we recognize it or not.  The best leaders however, are the ones that put their constituents greater interests before their wants.  I urge everyone to reconsider how you lead.  Not only that, but to reconsider the motivation for said leadership.  Do you lead because it makes you feel important?  Or do you lead so that others may be drawn to the love of Christ through your actions.

I've said it before, and I am going to say is again, Jesus is the greatest man I know.  He set the bar extremely high for those of us that strive to be like him.

I like to think that I am a good leader.  But, my motivation isn't always in the right spots.  It's about the welfare of the whole, not the captain.

Another topsy-turvy Jesus example courtesy of the Luke!

Stay Blessed Everyone & Thanks For Reading!
--MJA

For Colored Girls

There is a reason that at the moment in my life that I'm reading a book to become a better man (Kingdom Man by Tony Evans), at a time where I'm struggling to find out who I am in relation to woman, I just happen to fall across a movie that places me into a vortex of thoughts and emotions.

That movie is For Colored Girls which is directed by Tyler Perry featuring an all African American cast.  The movie centers around nine separatred but yet intertwined black woman who all share their own struggles (albeit some worse than others).  I can't as a black man directly relate to their experiences per se, but I can feel it.  I can feel the hurt.  I can feel the shame.  I can feel the pain.  I can feel the disappointment.  I can feel the...the emotions.

What the heck is going on men? That's a question that is continuously echoing in my head.  I know we aren't perfect, but seriously bros.  We can do better.

Yes, there was a silver lining in the movie: aka 1 good black man in the ENTIRE movie (which I don't believe to be completely true).  However the point still stands.  Why are all the Adam's out there leaving the Eve's on their own.  Why are we constantly hurting them?  Is there something about our DNA.  I really don't know.

Fatherless homes?  Babies making babies? Abuse? Neglect? Sin?

In Kingdom Man, Dr. Tony Evans made a statement that I couldn't register until now.  He basically said that if you don't love being a man, then there is something wrong with you.  And after watching this movie, and all the hell my counterparts go through, I absolutely know that God knew what he was doing in making me a man. A Man of Color.  Because Lord knows, what I would end up doing if I was in the position that some of my sisters were in.

I do understand that this is a movie and al ot of it is dramatized, but the principle sticks in.  Black Women have it rough.  You have the media telling you to straighten your hair, you have the magazines telling you that being dark is out, you have your dads telling you that ain't good enough (if they are even in the picture).  You have your hearts continuously being stomped on and trashed and for what?  So a dude like me can have you for a moment and when he gets tired of you he just goes on to something better.

No, that just isn't right!

I know I've said this before, but now I feel it with much much more conviction: Women Are A Gift From God.  We need to start treating you like it.  Until I feel mature enough to handle my insecurities, whom I am, I don't deserve as a man, as an aspiring Kingdom Man to be part of this continual rinse cycle that's degraded, dehumanizing, and just debilitating these Black Queens.

I'm only speaking for myself here.  Me, Michael Adams, young African American Man.  You have the absolute right to hold me to these words; they aren't going anywhere.  I pray that Jesus continues to transform my heart so that I can be like David (a man after God's Heart--Acts 13:22).

This is just ridiculous.

--MJA

The Challenge of Being Still

On my iTunes account I have a specific playlist of which I affectionately called: Spirit Worship.  This playlist is the array of songs I elect to go to when I'm down in the dumps (because we already know about the Sacrifice of Worship) but also, I use it when I in the need to be still.

I know that it has been a while since I've blogged (as a matter of fact this is probably the longest I've gone without blogging...yikes!), but the lack of blogging is because I'm at this phase, this crossroad in my life where I am desperately trying to discover myself.  Now I know the overarching principle that I am a child of the Most High God, but who is the blogger/man Michael Adams is a struggle for me sometimes especially in this busy busy American Life.

As a result, a focus of mine has been this phase of Being Still.  There is an ever popular and overused phrase in the Bible that says in Psalm 46:10: "be still, and know that I am God."  Yes, that's a great theoretical concept, but do we actually follow that concept?

I am under the firm belief that we learn more about ourselves, about God, about our environment when we are consciously practicing the art of Being Still.  Being Still is you telling the world, telling your mind that you've had enough of the multitasking; that you are going to focus on one thing and one thing only.  This is a practice that our ancestors were much more proficient at it than we, but it's not a lost cause.

My aforementioned Spirit Playlist consists of 30 songs which is composed of different genres: Gospel, Contemporary Christian, Christian Hip Hop, & yes, even Christian Rock.  At fact value these songs seemingly have very little in common, but for me, they all have that ability to give me goosebumps no matter how many times I listen to them.

With that being said, I'm going to open you up to two of my songs.  One will be Gospel and the other will be Contemporary.  Here's a free peak into my head, don't take this too lightly!

There is one thing I ask however.  That right now, you become still.  That at this time you will Be Still. You can listen to one song, both songs, or even choose your own song (I won't be offended).  But when you do, stop what you are doing, and listen/watch the videos.  I would even suggest putting your best pair of headphones in and embracing the moment.

After the moment, if you are inclined, comment below on how you feel, what your experience is.  If it's a private feeling write it down & talk it over with a loved one and/or God.  Don't take this challenge lightly.  You'd be surprised what you hear when you are intentionally still.

The Gospel song I chose is: My Life, My Love, My All by Kirk Franklin.  This songs literally plays with my emotions every time!  You'll see what I mean.

The Contemporary song I chose is: Still by Hillsong United.  Once the peak of this song hits, I am GONE!

--MJA

"Telephone" Gone Wrong

If you have ever played telephone with 10 people or more (or even 5), we can pass down a message from one person to the other with the hope that the last person in line repeated what the first person wanted to say. During this process, we think we might have heard something so we pass on the message to the next person who then thinks they heard what you said and starts to paraphrase or even completely mess up with you wanted to convey. You get "I actually do not own a pair of toms" to "I am not an astronaut that eats Tums" (Okay, maybe that was a horrible example...give me credit.)

We in a sense tell God that he can write the story of our life. The moment God is ready to press His pen onto paper, we in a way push his hand out of the way and assure God something like "I was actually kidding, did you actually think I could live with someone dictating my life without editing the final version? You, instead, can narrate my story." How does this differ?

I'm in the sciences and what we look for mostly consists of cold hard facts on paper, not what someone said. For instance, we would rather believe in Newton and his physics principles that has been written on paper instead of what your local mailman can tell you about when it comes to science.  If you didn't know of their credentials, how on Earth is hearing facts from people reliable? Scientific facts does not become official unless there is research on paper with fancy numbers and data.

What am I getting at? Without asking for discernment, we would rather let God "narrate" our story so that way we could easily switch His words to things we think  He might have said. I'm not saying God is unable to speak to us, but I am saying that it would be best if we just let God write our story. We don't know what's best so why do we try to twist God's plan? I'd rather bank on having a cold, hard truth written by God instead of how I feel a certain day and how I plan to twist on God's word intentionally or by mistake.

- Moises -

Lets Raise Up A Standard!

I'm going to open this up by saying this simple statement: There aren't too many things worse than a half-hearted christian.  A christian that knows Jesus, a christian that believes in Jesus, but for some reason or another doesn't want to follow Jesus.  This christian is forgetting about the '-ian' which literally means "follower."  So if you are a Christ-ian you literally are making the commitment to follow Christ.  Denotations aside, differences aside, the Holy Spirit is Jesus interacting with us.  And when a Christ-follower purposely decides not to continually listen to the Spirit, then there is a huge problem.

The great thing about God's grace is that he is indeed a God of a second, third, fourth, fifth...infinite chances.  That's one of the reasons I'm completely in love with God.  But with those chances do come consequences because the Bible reminds us that the wages of sin is death.  So every time we miss the mark, we are literally killing ourselves even if we don't know it.

Now, if an unbeliever continuously misses the mark, that's one thing because they don't really believe in the mark to begin with.  However, when a professed believer "misses the mark" DESPITE the warning signs that the Holy Ghost gives us, that...that's a WHOLE 'nother issue.

It is clear in the Bible that God treats ignorance and complete disobedience on two separate levels.  On the one hand those that are ignorant of God will indeed suffer his wrath if they never confess Jesus Christ as Lord.  BUT, those that know what they know and DESPITE that still disobey, that's a huge issue.

An example from the Bible is taken from Jeremiah 3:11 where God speaking through the prohpet Jeremiah says: "Faithless Israel has shown herself less guilty than false Judah." (emphasis mine)  Now lets give a little background information.  Israel and Judah used to be one nation (God's chosen people).  However, Israel continuously disobeyed God thus propelling God to weed out his "true" peeps = Judah. So, from that point on Judah was considered God's chosen people.

One of the reasons that God allowed Israel to drift apart (because God could've kept Israel around because..well, he's God) was to show Judah what he was capable of.  God used Israel as an example in hopes that Judah would not falter and if they did, repent.  So time elapsed and Judah started to follow her sister, Israel, down the same path.  By the time this verse in Jeremiah comes along, God is pretty much disgusted with both nations.

But let's point out that God emphasizes that the now ignorant Israel is held to a lower standard than the kept Judah!  What does that tells us, that those who have the Gospel, those who know the Gospel are held to much more esteem.  And with that esteem comes a responsibility   And when that responsibility to taken advantage of, consequences will happen.

I'm here to challenge those of us who profess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Will we rise up and set a standard that says that we will not be moved!  Sure, we will fail every once in a while because we are humans, but in the long run, we need to be committed to following Christ's teaching to the best of our abilities.  Lets raise up a standard!

We don't have too much wiggle room because the world already looks at us with suspicious.  Like hungry hyenas, waiting for us to stumble so they can pounce on our mistakes and boast at our failures.  I say, we like the Apostle Paul boast at out own failures.  Acknowledge that we have all screwed up but it's only by the grace of God we are now becoming a new creation!  If we take our standard, our calling seriously, the devil, the prince of the air, will have no way to criticize us.  The Bible reminds us that Satan will flee from us if we attack him with the Full Armor of God!

There aren't too many worse things that a "christian" that is only half in.  When it comes down to it, if you aren't for Jesus; you are against him (Matt 12:30).  When will we take our burden, our responsibility serious enough and go out and be the salt & the light to the world (Matt 5:13-16)

Lets Raise Up & Follow Our Standard!

-MJA