Dear Readers, I am not getting religious or speaking against anyone’s belief in God. I am trying to speak plain come sense and putting things in perspective. Thank you for watching Conversations with J. R. Floyd. Don’t forget to subscribe to my You Channel.
Dear Readers,
Recently, a few people have started a trend of ” renouncing their faith” meaning, they are revolting against a certain religious ideology that they bought into without having full understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ; or as some people refer to themselves as Christians. The word Faith, derived the Latin fides, meaning confidence or trust in a person, thing or concept. These individuals are doing publicly what others are doing silently. They are walking away from the grips of organizations that represent themselves as the House of God; but behind the scenes there are activities and decisions made that have nothing to do with the works of God. The movement of the mega churches and creation of the praise and worship teams have become far removed from the original purpose of the Gospels or what it means to be a Disciple. The body of people is what makes up the church, the original establishment of Discipleship is to spread the truth through the teachings of the Gospel, and to follow the examples of good values set forth by Jesus. Nowadays, attending a house of worship is about prestige, and worshiping the Pastors, instead of the creator.
People are not walking away from their Faith, because the Bible says, “Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who come to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” So, are people believing in God or are they putting too much FAITH into the leaders of these mega movements? People are turning away from organized religious dominations and what these institutions of mega worship represent. Nowadays, the new messenger of God are motivational speakers, throwing in a few Bible verse to stir up people’s emotions pumping them up making them feel good for a moment. These mega institutions are more fixated on the Pastors who present themselves as a one-man show, camouflaging themselves as the only divine and direct contact between God and the people of the church.
The original mission of the Gospels is to be taught throughout the world, in Matthew 28:16-20, the calling is The Great Commission. The movement is Evangelism. The purpose for all people to gain knowledge of ” the good new” (the written accounts of the life and teaching of Jesus) the Gospels are the principle by which humanity is to live by a code of moral ethics. People don’t attend a house of worship to be condemned about their sinful life, instead they are seeking what the Bible promises love, compassion, guidance, forgiveness, they are looking for someone to listen to them without judgement. People who attend houses of worship are judgmental and they misuse the words from the Bible to justify their meanness. People who commit themselves to a house of worship feel compelled to occupy their entire life with things of the church, and if they fail in this effort they are told that their faith isn’t strong or that there is still sin in their life.
Question, how many Pastors do you know that actual visit sick members, go to jails to pray, or know the people in their congregation? As soon as a takes membership in a mega church they are directed to a team member, instead of being formally introduced to the Pastor and the members of the Ministry staff. While people are busy working and laboring for the continued growth of this mega ministries, I wonder how much of the money goes towards helping the needy members in the congregation?
You might be wondering, is this a person just ranting against the church or an atheist. None of the above. I am a daughter of a former Pastor; my father is no longer with us. I have first-hand knowledge of what goes on in God’s House, and I am here to tell you that sometimes God has nothing to do with what’s going on behind the scenes. Most Preachers have gotten smart over the years and they have built their own Ministries, so that they can’t be voted out by a church board. They are in full control and they are running church organizations like the Den of Thieves.” (Matthew 21:12).
A few years ago, I walked away from a house of worship that I felt wasn’t teaching the Bible in the spiritual manner that it is intended. The lack of leadership, spiritual guidance and the constant begging for money left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I prayed, fasted and enrolled in a reputable Christian College, and for an entire year immersed myself in the study of the Gospels, and Epistles of Paul. I learned a lot about myself and what it is meant to have a relationship with God. I returned to my house of worship with a new prospective. I have since established a nonprofit community outreach program. Once a month, myself and volunteers, prepare food, give out clothing, take down names and numbers of people in need, and on my own time I explore resources to help them. I no longer participate in any services that’s not teaching the Bible or building tides with the needs of the people in the Community that we worship. I am no longer control by what the leaders of the church say, I live and believe in the word of GOD.
So for the people who are walk away from their “Faith” my questions is what did you have Faith in and Why?
What Say You?
Dear Readers. experiencing the hell of an abusive relationships is not something that I would wish on my worst enemy . We know someone in our family, church, at work or even close friends that are trapped in a abusive relationship. This abuse can cover physical, sexual, psychological, and economics. This abuse is real and it is painful. this abuse effect children, men and women, and if the victims are lucky to escape the healing process takes years and some don’t. Please watch my video. leave a comment. the world needs to hear what you have to say.
Dear readers, please read this with an open mind.
I was once asked who called me to Ministry, at that time I could not answer this question. Why, because I am a teacher by vocation, so I don’t consider myself a preacher, Ephesians 4: 11, And he gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, Evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers. For years people have said to me that God has a calling on my life. Now, if the question is what the will of God for my life is, I would answer like Paul, I am a servant of God and that this Ministry I have been called to is to serve the people who Jesus dedicated his short ministry too; the sick, poor, the outcast, the broken in heart and spirit, and those who have given up hope. As believers, some of us have lost sight of the original mission for following the life of Jesus, turning the House of God into a building for fund-raising, “and he said unto them, it is written, my house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves” Matthew 21:13 KJV. What I am observing is that many of the House of Worship rarely distribute money into the community to provide support for the needy. Many others and I have become dissatisfied with Preachers who run from church to church collecting offerings for delivering the word of GOD. The teaching of God’s word should be given freely to whosoever will listen. Jesus took nothing, but he gave much. This world is filled with millions of Houses of Worship, yet the spirits in dark places seem to be winning. Houses of Worships are empty and closing not because people don’t believe, it’s because our spiritual leaders have forsaken their calling because they desire MEGA churches, with a MEGA choir and a MEGA congregation, which in turn will mean MEGA BUCKS.
Some Pastors do not honor the role that they have been chosen to serve, they forsake spending intimate time with their congregation, they don’t reach out to the sick, rarely show up for bible study or Sunday school, charge a fee for performing marriages, baptism and counselling. Some Pastors arrive at service just in time to perform their fifteen minutes of reading their sermons from paper or the lasts technology; while stumbling through the scriptures, quoting lines from songs to embellish and fill in between thinking what to say next. Once they have successfully solicited the correct emotionally responds their performance heightens by stomping and whomping. After is all said and done what have anyone learnt that can be used in their daily struggles of life. What have the congregation been taught? As I mentioned previously, I am a teacher by trade and talent, and as an educator my duty to my students is to impart skills and knowledge to help shape and prepare them to accomplish their dreams and goals.
Lastly, Pastors are referred to as shepherds, Jesus was the example of the good shepherd, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” John 10:11 KJV. A shepherd’s prize possesses is his SHEEP. A good shepherd knows his sheep, he nurtures them, the shepherd understands that his sheep are dependent on him. A good shepherd makes provision for his flock, he walks among his sheep, he talks to them, he connects to them, they are all precious to him; “He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes” Isaiah 40:11 KJV. I am not preaching religion nor is my purpose is to convert my readers. What I have spoken here is what I have observed and here other believers voicing their concerns about the lost sheep crying out in the wilderness and the shepherds who are ignoring their cry.
What Say you?
J. R. Floyd ( Dragthepen)
Dear Readers, A sneak peek into a short story in progress. Happy Reading.
Don’t Say Forever……
I did not hear the urgency in her voice I was excited about our weekly rant session. The first clue that something was wrong we didn’t meet at our usual diner for loaded nachos and Long Island Ice tea, with an extra shot. Instead, we met at a fancy tea-house in China Town. When I sat down Katherine looked at me with a death stare and said,
“I hope you have some spare time, this could take a while.” When I looked into Katherine’s usually big brown, beautiful, shiny, eyes, they were dull and blood-shot.
The atmosphere of the teahouse is solemn and dim. This disturbed me because I was in the mood for the cheerful, bright lights and noise of the diner. Kathrine ordered a pot of Earl Grey tea and a glass of sake. My thoughts were racing I’m confused, we talked two days ago and she was her normal lively self. After the table was set and I made tea Katherine took a long drink from her glass of sake, and initiated the conversation…
“This was supposed to be the greatest adventure of my life. I have waited a decade for my King and soul mate. When Samuel got down on one knee, and placed this ring on my finger and ask me to be his life partner, at that moment I felt as though I’d awaken from a long and terrible nightmare.”
I’ve known Katherine for fifteen years she’s been my rock and road dog. I’ve seen this fearless women battle life struggles like a true warrior Queen. She has slayed some ugly demons and dethroned men, and like a hunger and anger lioness, she pursued her ambition of becoming a tenure English Professor and accomplished that goal. The person sitting in front of me, I don’t know her. Katherine took another drink from her glass of sake and continued.
“It’s my fault, I moved too fast. I should have taken your advice and kept my apartment; my haven; where no one dictated to me. He kept pushing me to move in. I wanted to wait until we were husband and wife.”
Katherine ordered another glass of sake. I reached out across the table grabbing her hand; she squeezed mine with a death grip. Our eyes locked. In hers, I saw grief, regret and something I’ve never seen before defeat.
Kathrine continued, “This relationship is a mistake. Samuel is smothering me and wants to take away my life. He want me to become the relationship.”
I had to say something; I wanted her to stop and breathe. “I’m confused. I thought you said he’s being supportive.”
“Yes, he was while we were under two separate roofs. Samuel says that my goals are for a single person, and since I’m no longer single, I need to think about what’s good for the relationship.”
“What?”
“I rejected an offer to teach for six weeks in Korea because he feels that we haven’t established a solid foundation. He follows me everywhere, he is clingy, needy and he whines. There’s no peace in the house because he talks nonstop, and he interrogates me about everything. The only peace I have is when he isn’t home, when I’m at work and when he doesn’t follow me to church.”
Guilt swept over me. I encouraged Katherine to open her heart and give Samuel a chance. I watched Katherine dry her teary eyes.
“Come stay with me.”
“Oh no, I will remain right where I am for the next two years.”
“What? Why? I don’t understand.”
“I’ve pondered this situation for weeks; I don’t have to think about forever with Samuel.”
“I don’t get it; you’re going to continue to live with a man you say is not the one.”
“Yes, I am in the best possible position to achieve my goals with financial ease. What is our biggest struggle as single women?”
“Rent.”
“Yes, I don’t pay rent, Samuel does. I pay the smaller expenses. I will continue to play the dutiful fiancé while completing my next two novels, my M.F.A. in addition to going back to the New York City DownTown Chours to sing at Carnegie Hall, and Samuel will be standing beside me. In two years, I can retire from teaching. To solidify the deal I will marry him and plan our honeymoon in Aruba.”
“Now I’m truly lost, you’re going to marry him.”
“Yes. Remember the little villa I have in the hills of St. Vincent that no one knows about except you.”
“Yes.”
“While we’re on our blissful honeymoon I will escape and go there. When he reports me missing he’ll become the main suspect.”
“Are you seriously going to do this?”
“Yes. I will be very happy on my little island; while he sits in jail.”
“What make you think Samuel will go to jail?”
“I’ll plant evidence pointing to his guilt.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Oh, no I’m not going to get you involved in this the less you know the better.”
“I won’t let you do this alone. Remember we promised to be friend until the end, no matter what.”
“This is going to be a long two years, but I can’t leave unless I have the funds to support myself. I have a friend who works for a bank in St. Vincent she, will help me transfer my retirement checks there without anyone being able to trace them.”
My best friend will be gone in two years. What am I going to do?”
We continued to meet for our weekly rant sessions. I don’t know how Katherine did it; living each say in such misery. Katherine kept an exhausting schedule, when she needed rest, she stayed at my place; by the end of the first year, she published one novel, half way through the second manuscript, and had completed her M.F.A.
The start of the second year Katherine said it was time to begin to focus the plan. She began to close all of her accounts transferring the money to a bank overseas. She cancelled her credits cards and for the rest of her life she will have to use cash she did not want to create a paper trail. Katherine through of everything she knows a someone who knows a guy who can create fake documents for her to assume a new identity. I begin to panic this was becoming real. I’ve heard of people doing stuff like this, I’ve seen movies of people planning how they would vanish, but this is close to home……stay tune for more of Don’t Say Forever……
In the meantime, Read A Different Flavor of Love, by J. R, Floyd, Available On Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Different-Flavor-Love-J-Floyd
Also, tune into my new YouTube Channel, Conversations from my Couch, and Hosted by me. Here is a sneak peek……. https://youtu.be/qYj5sSJepqE
Dear Readers,
There is a Rap song titled “We came from nothing” and an old church hymn that talks about building a house on a solid foundation. When I think of a solid foundation, I think of family. civilization was created with the idea family being the fabric that holds society together. Family is where children are supposed to learn the values and morals of life. The knowledge passed into children from their grandparents are words of wisdom that is the sum of their life experience and struggles they have conquered.
Family is where mothers teach daughters how to be domestic divas and at the same time how to be self-sufficient, while preparing to meet their life partners. Family is where fathers educate their sons how to respect women and what their responsibilities are to their future wives and children. Family is where children learn to love, share, communicate and stay close to their siblings.
Our family’s teach the importance of honoring our elders and never forgetting those who passed on. Family is where babies are celebrated and weddings are a serious extended family event, and death is seen as a home going not the end. In a perfect world, this would make sense.
Nowadays, the family structure is broken and seems damaged beyond repair. Divorce has swept through generations if to say the only way to be happy is to remain single. Mothers burdened with the task of raising multiple children by different fathers. Men are running from home to home spreading their seeds without looking back to see them to maturity. Grandparents are now parents to children parents felt that parenthood is too burdensome. Aunts and Uncles have become best friends to their nieces and nephews, instead of being role models of good leadership and guidance to help younger family members to navigate a world of hate and misery.
I remember growing up eating at a long wooden table this was a sacred time for my family. We waited for family members to arrive for the pleasure of sharing a meal. We did not answer the phone or watch TV. We sat, ate, talked, and laughed. As I got older, the family dinner table became the place were serious family matters were discussed and solved. Sunday was family day, a day relatives anticipated these weekly visits. Nowadays, there are no weekly visits or calls just to say,” hi, how are you.” No one sends cards by snail mail anymore, and we texted instead of letting our voices be heard.
We carry senseless grudges until somebody dies and then we live with the guilt of not asking for forgiveness while they were alive. Children thrown out of their homes at 18 because parents feel it is time for them to go. The visits to elderly family members get less and less, we have replaced time spend in person with technology. We have allowed the grind for that next promotion to get the new car or the bigger house, and spend less and less time with family. In addition, parents are over scheduling children in extra after school activities to keep them busy.
Take a second and think. Do you wish for the days when Family was first, and everything else followed.
What say you?
Dear readers,
This is not an attempt to sound preachy nor am I speaking out against people who believe in God. I was raised in a Judo-Christine home. My father the late Rev. Joseph N. Floyd sr. taught his twelve children no matter their lot in life, be respectful, kindness and above all hold onto hope and faith.
I said that to say this….
These days people seen to be angry at God or the Devil.
People in the church seem to think that the devil is blamed for war, famine, and a failed economy. I beg to differ. This is not the work of the devil. The true evil drives from the greed of power-hungry individuals, working collectively to destroy the lives of people who they deem unworthy to live a prosperous life. Yet, these same individuals continuously quote “That all men are created equal.”
There are questions concerning the presence of God. Like, why does God let terrible things happen to good people? Why does God watch people suffer? Why won’t God answer prayers, or give people the things they need? I remember a Judy Blume book I read “Are you their God it’s me Margaret?” A story about a young girl who prayed night after night for bigger breasts and when it didn’t happen …well you can guess the outcome.
People in the religious world blames the SIINERS for creating the SINS that cause people to turn their backs on GOD. The church claims that people in the secular world belief is “In God We Trust.” The individuals in the spiritual world accuse the non-believers in trusting too much in “earthly wealth” instead of earning their place in heaven by doing honorable deeds on earth. The non-believer’s counterargument is that believers are too passive and spend too much time praying, hoping, wishing, and waiting for life to get better, instead of making it better they wait for some invisible God to do it for them.
Mega churches are being built, but who are they helping? Politicians make promise of making life better for the less fortunate during an election year, only to get into office then cut programs for the same people who BELIEVED they would make a difference. PASTORS of these mega churches are preaching a message of better days and a better life and all people must do is believe?
The finger pointing can go on and on between the believers and the non-believers the real question is, how can we come together and make this world a better place regardless of our own personal beliefs?
What say you?
If you know anything about people of color, it’s this: Sunday is church day. No matter who you are, what job you do, and how much money you have or don’t have, in my neighborhood on Sunday people attend church. Anything outside of that is considered sacrilege.
The blocks that make up my community consist of brownstone houses. There are two grocery stores, one fish market owned by Mr. Martin & son, one liquor store and a laundromat. Also, there are Ms. Handy’s candy store and Ms. Shirley’s beauty parlor.
During the week, the streets are busy with the usual activities of the number runners going door to door taking bets for illegal numbers, mothers hustling their children off to school, and men waiting for rides to go to work.
The ice truck arrives every morning just before Mr. Martin receives the fish for his market. Everyone else is busy opening their shops getting ready for a day of business. The rule in the neighborhood is that the liquor store doesn’t open until noon, a strict code of conduct that is respected because folks around here don’t believe it is right for anyone to start drinking before lunch time.
Ms. Handy opens her candy shop just in time to greet the mothers coming back from school after picking up their children. On some days when the mothers have time, they hang around the counter drinking soda pop and running their mouths, while the children sit outside eating whatever treat they are allowed to have before supper.
The older men who don’t work linger around the liquor store passing around a bottle of Thunder Bird, each taking a sip, telling dirty jokes and repeating the same war stories. In this area nobody looks down on these men because most of them served this country by volunteering to go to war. This is a community where everybody knows everybody and people help those in need and don’t look kindly on strangers or, as the elders would say “Those who don’t fit in”. Mostly, they are talking about people outside the colored race.
Friday is payday: this means that the men come home early and women put on their best dresses, because payday means grocery shopping and a visit to the White Castle on the other side of town. For the families who don’t own a car, it is up to the men to do a head count and double everybody up. These weekly outings mean a break from cooking for the women, quality time for the men, and the children consider eating at White Castle fine dining.
Sometimes on a Friday Mr. Martin will host a fish fry at his house that also doubles as a card game. Each family takes turns going by the house buying fish dinners, and Mr. Martin gives free ice cream to the children. When it starts to get late, women take the children home and most of the men stay behind to play poker. Another special part of each Friday is that is one night that the older children are allowed to stay up an hour past their normal school night bedtime.
There is a different rhythm to the activities on Saturday. The men get up early to wash their cars, while children watch cartoons and eat bowls of sweet cereal, allowing time for mother’s to clean the house and prepare for Sunday. After the house chores are done, most of the mothers leave their children with the fathers or at grandma’s house so that they can keep their appointments at Ms. Shirley’s beauty parlor.
No matter how busy Saturday is the golden rule is Saturday is the day before the Lord’s day. People take this seriously. They believe that it is the Lord who blessed them to have jobs, a roof over their heads, and food to eat, so it is only right to give Him one day.
Preparing for Sunday means that the men shine their Sunday shoes the old-fashioned way, gather their male children to inspect their suits, and teach them how to tie a tie. Women young and old scrutinize their closet for their best dresses and hats. Mothers instruct the oldest daughter in the house to choose outfits for the younger children to be pressed, which has to be done on Saturday night because church going folk don’t Iron clothes on the Lord’s day.
Before the sunset on Saturday, the liquor store is the first to close early and the other stores follow. The last wash at the laundromat is 3pm, and no bets can be taken after closing time because numbers don’t come in on a Sunday. The noise in most homes starts to fade around eight o’clock PM. Children are put to bed no later than nine o’clock PM. Over the course of the night, both parents help with the food preparation for Sunday’s meal.
When the sun rises Sunday morning, the first thing that one notices is that the streets are quiet; there are no number runners and the grocery stores don’t sell beer on Sunday. The smell of Sunday dinner cooking and gospel music can be heard throughout the area. Right after breakfast the men will leave the house to go and put gas in their cars. The mothers bathe and dress the children and sit them down in the living room to wait.
Even if you don’t go to church, everyone respects the Lord’s day. No one considers himself to be what some people would refer to as a “holy roller,” because people believe that what they are doing is being obedient to the will of God. The majority of the people around here are members of the same church, Bring it on Baptist, and the Pastor is Reverend Getright. On Sunday full names turns into church title such as sister, brother, mother, deacon, and trustee.
The church day begins with Sunday school. Pastor Getright says “Sunday school sets the tone for Sunday Service”. Sunday school is taught by the elders, meaning the church mothers and deacons. Pastor says that “it’s good to keep the elders, involved in the church activity.” He says, “Its’ cause they have life experience.”
Most, if not all, of the children and young adults attend Sunday school. These classes are where most of the children learn The Bible Basic, and as you get older you move from junior class, to young adult, and finally to adult class, and someday become a Sunday school teacher. For me the best part of Sunday school is the snacks after classes are over.
One thing about church ladies it’s this, they can bake. I’m not taking about pouring the cake mix out of the box, adding water, and then baking. No, these sisters bake from scratch; they use real lard, lots of butter, and make their own icing. I heard some of the older sisters say that the recipes they use have been in their family for generations.
Well, I don’t know about generation of recipes, all I know is that the cakes are good!
While the Sunday school crowd is having their snacks, it is the duty of the ushers and deacons to prepare the sanctuary for morning worship. Beside the Sunday meal, the morning service is considered the highlight of the day.
During the preparations, we can hear the organist playing hymns, warming up the organ, the drummer resetting his drums, and the choir gathering in the back room, putting on their robes and praying, asking God to help them to sing for His glory. Although this is a Baptist church, it’s modern by today’s standards. As I was told the Baptist people from down south didn’t start out with musical instruments; they sung a capella clapping their hands to keep the beat.
Well, I’d better move this story along, because Sunday dinner is waiting and there is nothing better than Sunday supper, followed by homemade cake; and if we are lucky we get to go see some of our friends in the neighborhood, which means another piece of cake.
On Sundays people behave differently. There is a lot more laugher, the men sit at the dinner table longer, and the women aren’t in a hurry to clean after dinner. When the day starts to come to an end, families slowly make their way back to their homes. The scene is something out of a movie; the men put sleeping children in the cars, while the women say their goodbyes. The quietness of the evening is kept while each house is preparing for the start of another busy week.
In their rooms children whisper about how much fun they had, and wives and husbands talk over the things that need to be done during the week. One by one the lights go out; the activity of the day will remain in their minds until the next Lord’s Day.
Short Story,
If you know anything about people of color, it’s this: Sunday is church day. No matter who you are, what job you do, and how much money you have or don’t have, in my neighborhood on Sunday people attend church. Anything outside of that is considered sacrilege.
The blocks that make up my community consist of brownstone houses. There are two grocery stores, one fish market owned by Mr. Martin & son, one liquor store and a laundromat. Also, there are Ms. Handy’s candy store and Ms. Shirley’s beauty parlor.
During the week, the streets are busy with the usual activities of the number runners going door to door taking bets for illegal numbers, mothers hustling their children off to school, and men waiting for rides to go to work.
The ice truck arrives every morning just before Mr. Martin receives the fish for his market. Everyone else is busy opening their shops getting ready for a day of business. The rule in the neighborhood is that the liquor store doesn’t open until noon, a strict code of conduct that is respected because folks around here don’t believe it is right for anyone to start drinking before lunch time.
Ms. Handy opens her candy shop just in time to greet the mothers coming back from school after picking up their children. On some days when the mothers have time, they hang around the counter drinking soda pop and running their mouths, while the children sit outside eating whatever treat they are allowed to have before supper.
The older men who don’t work linger around the liquor store passing around a bottle of Thunder Bird, each taking a sip, telling dirty jokes and repeating the same war stories. In this area nobody looks down on these men because most of them served this country by volunteering to go to war. This is a community where everybody knows everybody and people help those in need and don’t look kindly on strangers or, as the elders would say “Those who don’t fit in”. Mostly, they are talking about people outside the colored race.
Friday is payday: this means that the men come home early and women put on their best dresses, because payday means grocery shopping and a visit to the White Castle on the other side of town. For the families who don’t own a car, it is up to the men to do a head count and double everybody up. These weekly outings mean a break from cooking for the women, quality time for the men, and the children consider eating at White Castle fine dining.
Sometimes on a Friday Mr. Martin will host a fish fry at his house that also doubles as a card game. Each family takes turns going by the house buying fish dinners, and Mr. Martin gives free ice cream to the children. When it starts to get late, women take the children home and most of the men stay behind to play poker. Another special part of each Friday is that is one night that the older children are allowed to stay up an hour past their normal school night bedtime.
There is a different rhythm to the activities on Saturday. The men get up early to wash their cars, while children watch cartoons and eat bowls of sweet cereal, allowing time for mother’s to clean the house and prepare for Sunday. After the house chores are done, most of the mothers leave their children with the fathers or at grandma’s house so that they can keep their appointments at Ms. Shirley’s beauty parlor.
No matter how busy Saturday is the golden rule is Saturday is the day before the Lord’s day. People take this seriously. They believe that it is the Lord who blessed them to have jobs, a roof over their heads, and food to eat, so it is only right to give Him one day.
Preparing for Sunday means that the men shine their Sunday shoes the old-fashioned way, gather their male children to inspect their suits, and teach them how to tie a tie. Women young and old scrutinize their closet for their best dresses and hats. Mothers instruct the oldest daughter in the house to choose outfits for the younger children to be pressed, which has to be done on Saturday night because church going folk don’t Iron clothes on the Lord’s day.
Before the sunset on Saturday, the liquor store is the first to close early and the other stores follow. The last wash at the laundromat is 3pm, and no bets can be taken after closing time because numbers don’t come in on a Sunday. The noise in most homes starts to fade around eight o’clock PM. Children are put to bed no later than nine o’clock PM. Over the course of the night, both parents help with the food preparation for Sunday’s meal.
When the sun rises Sunday morning, the first thing that one notices is that the streets are quiet; there are no number runners and the grocery stores don’t sell beer on Sunday. The smell of Sunday dinner cooking and gospel music can be heard throughout the area. Right after breakfast the men will leave the house to go and put gas in their cars. The mothers bathe and dress the children and sit them down in the living room to wait.
Even if you don’t go to church, everyone respects the Lord’s day. No one considers himself to be what some people would refer to as a “holy roller,” because people believe that what they are doing is being obedient to the will of God. The majority of the people around here are members of the same church, Bring it on Baptist, and the Pastor is Reverend Getright. On Sunday full names turns into church title such as sister, brother, mother, deacon, and trustee.
The church day begins with Sunday school. Pastor Getright says “Sunday school sets the tone for Sunday Service”. Sunday school is taught by the elders, meaning the church mothers and deacons. Pastor says that “it’s good to keep the elders, involved in the church activity.” He says, “Its’ cause they have life experience.”
Most, if not all, of the children and young adults attend Sunday school. These classes are where most of the children learn The Bible Basic, and as you get older you move from junior class, to young adult, and finally to adult class, and someday become a Sunday school teacher. For me the best part of Sunday school is the snacks after classes are over.
One thing about church ladies it’s this, they can bake. I’m not taking about pouring the cake mix out of the box, adding water, and then baking. No, these sisters bake from scratch; they use real lard, lots of butter, and make their own icing. I heard some of the older sisters say that the recipes they use have been in their family for generations.
Well, I don’t know about generation of recipes, all I know is that the cakes are good!
While the Sunday school crowd is having their snacks, it is the duty of the ushers and deacons to prepare the sanctuary for morning worship. Beside the Sunday meal, the morning service is considered the highlight of the day.
During the preparations, we can hear the organist playing hymns, warming up the organ, the drummer resetting his drums, and the choir gathering in the back room, putting on their robes and praying, asking God to help them to sing for His glory. Although this is a Baptist church, it’s modern by today’s standards. As I was told the Baptist people from down south didn’t start out with musical instruments; they sung a capella clapping their hands to keep the beat.
Well, I’d better move this story along, because Sunday dinner is waiting and there is nothing better than Sunday supper, followed by homemade cake; and if we are lucky we get to go see some of our friends in the neighborhood, which means another piece of cake.
On Sundays people behave differently. There is a lot more laugher, the men sit at the dinner table longer, and the women aren’t in a hurry to clean after dinner. When the day starts to come to an end, families slowly make their way back to their homes. The scene is something out of a movie; the men put sleeping children in the cars, while the women say their goodbyes. The quietness of the evening is kept while each house is preparing for the start of another busy week.
In their rooms children whisper about how much fun they had, and wives and husbands talk over the things that need to be done during the week. One by one the lights go out; the activity of the day will remain in their minds until the next Lord’s Day.
Dear readers,
This message was posted on facebook by a close friend PKTMaxwell, it’s a response to the negative reaction by people who fear the LGBT community. The following is not a religious speech.
As said by PKTMaxwell: My space is safe at work and needs to be just as safe in the community and especially at church. I know there are many people who view homosexuality as abominable and taboo. Not only are we taught this it is sinful but we can’t seem to separate hating that sin from hating the sinner. We unknowingly give people the idea that it is okay to belittle, harass and even murder gays and lesbians because it is “God punishment.”
What a sad commentary.
There are so many young people ( in your church) and even older people who need a Safe Space. Safe Space is a term originating in the LBGT community. As a Therapist, I have counseled with several people who have been on the brink of suicide, not because of who they are but because of how they are treated. Christians have to stop the hatred and demonstrate the love of Christ.
What Say You?
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