“Preparation”

“In My Father’s house are many mansion; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am there you may be also”.  John 14: 2-3 NKJV

   During the Holiday season we prepare ourselves to visit friends and family, we prepare various foods, gifts, and activities for our loved ones. We clean our homes from top to bottom and decorate them to be pleasing to the sight. We even have competitions to make the outside of our houses look better than those around us.
This reminds me of what Jesus says in John 14:2-3, where He will prepare a place exclusively for us beyond our imagination. Once Jesus has completed preparing this wonderful place He will come again and take us home to live with Him forever.
During this holiday season as we are preparing our homes, let’s not forget to prepare our hearts for the One who truly LOVES us unconditionally. Be safe and blessed this holiday season!!!!!!!!!

Ms. Jones

When we speak of interracial, we mean marriage between members of different groups. The Old Testament law commanded the Israelites not to engage in interracial marriage. “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.” (Deuteronomy 7: 3, 4 NIV Teen Study Bible)

Obviously, the Lord did not want his people to be led astray or be negatively influenced by those who know not God. The New Testament has a similar principle, but at a much different level: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14NIV Teen Study Bible). So, just as the Israelites were commanded not to marry unbelievers, so Christian believers are commanded not to marry unbelievers.

Let’s analyze this further as we answer the question directly. The church does not prohibit interracial marriage. “Red and yellow, black and white all are precious in His sight” (as the song writer puts it). Just make sure true love exists, because you both are going to need it. With the odds against most marriages staying together today with people who are of the same race, it appears risky business on the surface to attempt an interracial “Hook up,” A person should be judged by his or her character, not by skin color. All of us should be careful not to show favoritism to some and prejudice to others. James 2: 1-10 condemns this kind of behavior, but unfortunately, this behavior is prevalent in God’s church as well as in the world. Faith in God, not skin color is the biblical standard for choosing a mate. Interracial marriage is not an issue of right or wrong, it is an issue of much prayer, discernment, wisdom and sacrifice.

The main reason interracial marriage should be considered more carefully is because of the difficulties a mixed-race couple may experience because of adult peer pressure of not accepting them. Consider this: Let a black man show up in church with a white woman as his wife (in some predominately black churches) and the whispers will spread like wild fire! Jealousy may be incited by single black women who are likely say, “Why did he have to “go there” (meaning outside the race) when there are plenty of beautiful black women right here!” (Inside the race). Can’t you feel the daggers! Lord have mercy on that brother! Many interracial couples experience discrimination and ridicule sometimes even from their own families. Some interracial couples experience difficulties when their children have different skin tones and have different shades. Some of them grow up confused not knowing what race they are because they haven’t been properly taught. A certain couple had a small interracial child who spent a long time in the bathtub, when having to shower, rubbing his skin with a brush to see if he could get a lighter colored appearance, like his older brother. Racially mixed teens complained of their uncertain identity, and how sometimes they were shunned by both black and white youth, since they don’t belong purely to either group. Listen, if the truth be told, we are all mixed up. We all have a little bit of “this and that” in us as far as color is concerned. That’s why the issue of race seems so pointless and should not be an issue from a spiritual perspective; but we know that it is an issue because we are but flesh, struggling, praying and hoping to one day receive that new heart that Ezekiel talked about. An interracial couple should take these things into consideration before they decide to marry. Again, the only biblical restriction placed on whom a Christian can marry is whether the person is a member of the body of Christ. So to all the black men who are seeking to marry a Christian white woman, go for it. (But you didn’t hear it from me!)

“God works in mysterious ways!” Of all of the phrases repeated by pastors and church members, this one is the most fascinating to me. For my entire life, I have constantly tried to predict God’s purpose and plans for me. But boy have I been wrong! One event, seeming insignificant to me, leads to another and the next thing I know, God has used me in a way which I would have never imagined!

            Don’t believe me? Then hear my story. It begins in September at Valencia. I was routinely checking my Atlas email, and I came upon an extremely infuriating email message. It read, “We are sorry to inform you that a hold has been placed on your account because of absence of your high school official transcripts.” I quickly went to the Student Services Department only to find out my transcripts were misplaced. The only way that I could get my transcripts was to go back to my high school and get them myself. I graduated from a private school. The transcripts were not located in the County database, like from public high schools, but were at the school itself.

            When I arrived at my school, I received more than just my transcripts. My teacher had just received a call that day that the founder of my scholarship, Michael Benjamin, wanted me to speak at the BAEO (Black Alliance for Educational Options) meeting to speak on behalf of my scholarship. He had heard my graduation speech and knew I would be perfect for the position. I received his phone number and contacted him. He told me I would speak in front of a delegation, and that most of the people attended would be state legislators. My heart skipped a beat—or maybe two—as my thoughts raced. Speaking in front of a congregation of a thousand plus members did not terrify me, than why did this? Perhaps I was intimidated by their status and power.

            November 22, 2008. A date I will never forget. My family and I had finally arrived at the luxurious Shingle Creek Resort and found our designated room after getting lost in a maze. The segment before mine finally finished and it was time for me to speak. I gave a brief prayer before I went up. When I took my seat, I felt more comfortable after I observed that three other students and a moderator joined me on a stage which resembled a set from a late night show.

            It was time for me to speak. I gave my speech and answered questions without panic or tension in my voice. The state legislators were impressed. After our segment, about three legislators came up to me and firmly shook my hand. They gave me their business cards and congratulated me for a job well done. Afterwards, I left the room and encountered a woman crying. She told me that she could not stop crying because she was moved by how God used me. Once again, God used me in a way unimaginable to me.