Bridges

One of the most important conversations, that I have ever had with my late grandmother, was about the paths or the choices that I may make with my life. I think for every child, young adult, older male or female, that its very important to have someone that can mentor them or guide them in the right direction. We all must realize that each of us crosses bridges everyday and we all must be very careful not to burn them on our way across them. How can we burn our bridges you may ask? Well that's quite simple, by disrespecting people, hurting people along the way or saying something wrong out of anger that can hurt some peoples feelings for a lifetime. That's why we as parents, grandparents, Pastors, Ministers or Priest should be careful when giving advice to those who may need it. Because if we plant the wrong seeds or give the wrong advice, then only bad things can come from it. Without the proper guidance one can become lost and I thank God for my loving late grandmother, because she truly cared for me. My grandmother was very careful to explain to me that any choice I may make in my future will come with a consequence some good, while others bad.

I remember my mother or father telling me to always treat people with respect, especially my elders. My mother would say," Respect those who have come before you or I , for one day you will be just like them. Both of them were very quick to remind me that one day with the grace of God that I myself one day may become old or an elder. My father would always tell me to open doors for young women whenever they were behind me. I remember his words just like it was yesterday when he would say," Charles open up that door for that young lady, because one day some man may open that same door for your sister , daughter or grand daughter in the future". I laugh at it now, but I would tell my father, that he didn't have to worry about me having any children, because I didn't want any and I would do everything in my power not to have any children. Now look at me now a father of four, with  very six beautiful grandchildren three boys' and three girls. Like my late grandmother would say," Stop laughing at people, because one day you might catch what they got". For those who don't understand my grandmothers southern Cajun slang or expressions. What she meant by this," Never laugh at a persons circumstances or failures, because its a good chance that same experience may be your own".

As I think of my life, I have encountered many people of different races or cultures. Some of them respect you for who you are , while others don't, but that is the way of life and that each of us will have to adjust too. Too me( because I was raised that way) color or race doesn't mean a thing , because I know in my heart, that we are all Gods children and he created us all to be different for his own reasons or glory. I just try my best to learn from those who are different, because only God knows why or the reason why our paths have crossed. I always believed that nothing happens in life without a reason or nothing happens by chance. My father used to always tell me to learn as much as I can about different people and to always treasure every friendship. My father would always tell me that we all live in a very small world and you may never know when you might come across the person you just met again. Like he would always say, Sometimes its not what you know, but who you know that may make a difference in your life. What he meant by this is when you are looking for a job or need a special favor, the person that you may have met in your past may be the key too your future. What ever bridge I may cross in the future, I always remember what my late grandmother would always say," Never burn your bridges, because you never know when or why you may need to cross back over them again". Bridges each of us crosses over them through out our lives everyday!

Have a blessed night,

Charles
Psalm 143:8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

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Isaiah 48:17 This is what the LORD says--your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.

Question of today( What Is A Man?)

As a writer or a Man of God, sometimes people can ask you questions that you aren't quite ready or prepared for. Even those of us that study the Bible are sometime unprepared for the unexpected. Being in my position, many will sometime question you to see for themselves if you are the person you say you are.Some may test your character, while others will test your faith and some will even test your knowledge when it comes to the word of God. Being that I consider myself having strong convictions when it comes to my faith, I am never bothered when someone questions me about myself or the word of God. These are some of the questions asked of me. What would you consider your strong points as a Male head of the household? Finance's or Romance? What are your view points on a woman being submissive to her man, husband or should she be according to the word of God? Should a man also submit himself, before expecting a woman to be submissive to him? After failing so often in relationships or marriage should one quit trying to find love?

I took my time before I answered these questions, because I wanted to get this one right. Being that I have been married before, I often wondered what would have happen if both my ex-wife and I lived up to the Bibles principals. The question I had for myself was did I really understand what submitting really meant? Then I read these two verses in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 11:3 I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God Peter 3:1-22, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; As I think about these two verses , many things come to mind. One of the my thoughts about the subject of marriage is have I ever really submitted myself to God or to my marriage? Matthew 19:6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.

"After reading this verse clearly the answer to that question is clearly no. The other question that I asked of myself, did I really understand how God felt about divorce? Malachi 2:16 "I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel, "and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment," says the LORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith. After reading what God thinks about the relationship between a man and a woman, I began to see the mistakes that I have made in my past relationships and marriage. I believe every man should first submit himself to the Lord before committing himself to the woman.

 Men should live their life the way that God intended, then and only then should he allow himself to be subjected to a relationship or marriage. I was told a few times in my past, that a man or woman should always learn from their mistakes. My grandmother would often say, "Use your past as your guide".What she meant by this is if you have made mistakes in your past learn from them. Do not punish yourself for making them, because we all make mistakes and we all have failed in some way. To my friend who asked me these very deep questions, I offer this to you. In Gods eyes man should be head of the house. That's not my opinion, its in Gods word. God has an order that he wants man and woman to follow. Many have tried living life their way and if they would be honest with themselves, they would realize that is why they failed. If man and woman want to have the union that God is pleased with, then we would have to live our life the way he intended with this simple verse, Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. This is my opion on what God expects out of the men he created. What is a man? Gods greatest creation formed by God! To anyone who is blessed to read this and have questions about marriage or love, ask God and he will guide you into the perfect direction.

Be blessed,
Charles
2 Kings 17:35 When the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: "Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them.

Leave It Better

As I think back on the job, my parents did raising six children, I must say (now that I am an adult ) that I am impressed that they both were able to turn six children into productive adults. That in itself is a blessing. Back in those days it was a common thing to have or raise a large family. Try raising a large family in this economy, would be hard and would drive any of today's parents insane. I know now that my parents, grandparents and great grandparents were made of different stuff. There were stronger than the parents of today, because they had to over come so much. When I would hear my father or mother talk about the good old days, they would often brag to me and my siblings. They would tell stories, about how they had to walk to school bare feet and how my father or mother had to pick cotton after school. I remember my father saying, "Son back when I grew up you could by a pickle for a nickel, a moon pie for a dime and a coke for a quarter. But now in today's time a dollar can't get you a thing". He went on to say, Your mother and I made good grades in school, worked hard to achieve our dreams or desires. Son do you know why? I answered him by saying no. He answered me by saying,"Well son because we wanted to leave it better for your brothers or sisters when you guys venture out in the outside world". Back when we grew up times were hard and we were judged not by our intellect, but by our skin color. Back then when we grew up there were black only and white only bathrooms. He went on to say ," Son back in our day we had too have faith and too believe that God would leave it better for future generations to come". Today most of the worlds governments take Gods blessings for granted and don't want to give him credit for anything. There are even some that don't believe he exist. But your mother and I know without God, no one would be able to enjoy the freedoms, that they now enjoy today.

My father was the type of man that enjoyed talking about politics and government. Being that he was a retired Vietnam veteran, he always talked to be about what he went through while our nation was at war. My father kept explaining to me that, the government is trying to take God out of our schools, off of money and now out of our national anthem, not realizing that this country was built on biblical standards. You see son, our ancestors or fore fathers had it right and they knew without Gods blessings , there would be no way that any of them could leave it better for future generations to come. That's why your mother and I are so hard on you guys, because we want you to be able to leave it better for your future generations. When we ask you to clean up your rooms, study hard in school, go to church with us on Sundays and to respect your elders, we are only planting seeds in your mind that will latter grow. What makes me sad son is when I see people trashing the environment, disrespecting authority and some are even turning their backs on God. That why we are so hard on you, your brothers or sisters, because we want you guys to lead the way and to not let our hard work go in vain.

Now that I am raising a son of my own, I try to instill the same practices that were taught to me as a youth. I know without my parents, grandparents or our past leaders today none of us would be able to enjoy our freedoms or reap the benefits' of past generations sacrifices. But like my father I often get sad when I see trash in our forest, streets or oceans. It seems like the world doesn't care or doesn't realize what harm they are doing to our environment. I also get sad when I notice that a lot of parents, are not embracing their responsibilities' as role models and most really don't want to become leaders. Some of our children are now lost because some parent, didn't give their children the necessary tools or guidance to make it in the world today. If we want our children to leave it better for their children, then we have to become better parents. Like my mother would always tell me before I went to school, Son please clean your room and leave it better than you did before.

Have a great day,

Charles
James 4:12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you--who are you to judge your neighbor?

Man Verses Woman?

Just a week ago, on Christmas day , after church I heard this couple arguing. What was so disturbing about them arguing was the fact that they started to fight in front of their children. I looked out of my window and noticed that one of them started hitting the other while their children screamed. So I went outside to confront the couple, because I heard their children crying and screaming. Before I could get close to the couple, the man said to me, "Man don't come over here or there will be trouble ! Then I said to him," Look man , I don't want to get into your business, but you guys look kind of stupid fussing and fight in front of your children on Christmas day". Then he looked down and said, Man you are right we shouldn't be doing this today and I am sorry for disturbing you with our problems. The woman looked relieved that I stop the fighting, because her man was so much bigger than herself and he had really beat her up badly. She said to me, "Thank you mister for coming to my aid". I said to her," No problem, but you guy shouldn't be doing this in front of your children". Then she said to me, Well the reason why we were fighting is because he is stupid, doesn't work, I pay all the bills and he is a sad case of a man. That is why I put his ass out on Christmas day! Then I said to her, Wait a minute and stop please. Your children are out here and you are still doing something that you shouldn't be doing in front of your children. Take your children into your house and after you are done, I would like for you and your husband to come talk to me. They both agreed, then later came over to my house to plead their case.
After both of them got through telling me how bad each them were and what they hated or didn't like about each other. I asked them both a couple of simple questions that seem to stun them both. I said to them, You guys are married right? Then they said yes. Married for how long? Then they said, For ten years? Then I said, "And you guys were acting like that in front of your children? Who are really the children, you or them? I continued to tell them that airing out you problems in front of the world isn't very wise and especially in front of the kids. Because children have memories like elephants and they will never forget what you guys did today. After all you are suppose to be man and woman, not man verses woman. If you call your man or woman stupid, dumb, sad or other hurtful words, it doesn't really make the person you are criticizing look bad. It instead makes you both look sad as a couple and give the outside world something to talk about. Then the woman began to cry and say "Chucky, you just don't understand. I work hard, pay all the bills and care for the children with no help from my man". Then before I could say anything he said to her, "Baby, I am trying to find a job and I don't want you to do this by yourself." But before I can do anything you tear me down in front of the children and our family or friends".

Both of them had tears in their eyes and I could tell that they both have been through many storms together. So I smiled and said," I think both of you guys are forgetting something very important". Then they looked and me and said, What? Then I said to them, Well you both have been married ten year, have four beautiful children, you two despite your problems seem to love each other very much and you have weathered many storms together. I said to them, You have made it , both of you are blessed and don't even know it. Then they looked at me with a surprised look in their eyes and said," Man with our problems and you say we are blessed? Then I said , Yes! Because through all the storms, trails or tribulations you guys have weathered , one simple fact remains , you are still together. You guys just forgot one simple formula that every couple needs to survive. Which is when times are hard you should never tear down your man or woman, you should instead build them up. After all, then I looked at them and said, This is your husband. This is your wife. It is suppose to be you guys against the world not against each other. The I said, Now don't both of you look kind of silly, man in one corner and woman in the other? Husband Verses wife or man verses woman? You guys are suppose to be a pair, unstoppable and a force to be dealt with. Always make God the head of your life and the rest shall follow. So stop fighting each other and start loving each other. Its very obvious to me, that if you can make it ten years together, then you are defiantly capable of making it ten more. Then her husband looked into his wife's eyes and said I am sorry baby, I will try and do better. Then they both smile, thank me and left. To those who are blessed enough to read this, never tear down you man or woman in private or in public, but instead support them and build them up. After all that is what love is really about loving each other not fighting each other. A man or a woman is suppose to love each other and should never  match wits with each other. Love or marriage is never suppose to be man verses woman, but instead man and woman loving each other for as long as they live.

Have a great day and be blessed,

Charles

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

God Is Good All The Time

In a perfect world we  all would enjoy a world without, fear, stress, pain, suffering, trials or tribulations. Each and everyone of us would be very happy all the time knowing that ,all of our bills will be paid, that our children and our spouses would do everything right or what's expected of them. We all would enjoy living in a world where no one dies or gets sick.( That only exist in Heaven) But if we really look at life or the world we live in then all would have to face a simple fact that nothing in life is perfect and there will always be ups or downs.

My father used to always say," Life is what you make out of it or he would say," If you make your bed hard then you will have to lay in it". What he meant by those statements is if you worked hard and tried to live your life right, then its a very good chance that you will become a success. But if you keep on living your life the wrong way and chose not to follow or break rules then there will be some serious consequences . It doesn't matter where you live or where you come from, there will always be a set of rules each of us to follow. Even if we do not like the rules all have to be respectful and follow them. If we decide that the rules or regulations are to hard to follow, then each of us have only two choices. One is to break the rules and the other is to follow them , but everyone must decide for themselves.In the end each of us will be responsible for our actions and as you may know there are consequences for every action.

I love my late grandmother so much because she cared so much about me that she passed on her valuable knowledge. I remember her always saying," Its so easy, for people to sin or to do the wrong thing.Do you know why baby? I would say no, then she would say because everyone is doing it. She would say I know there are some that may say,"It feels good when I cheat or they may say ,what my man or woman doesn't know will not hurt them". But those are the type of statements, are the ones that can come back and hunt you. I would ask my grandmother why then she would say to me ,"Cause Gods looks both high and low . She would go on to say ,"What's in the dark shall come to the light and there is nothing God does not see, hear or know, God is everywhere". My grandmother would say to me, "Baby what most people do not realize is that you can fool man some of the time, but you can never fool God none of a time . She would say it doesn't matter how well or how bad you are doing in life there always will be good days and bad days. God is just testing us to see who will follow him and serve God in his army . For those who chose too follow the Devil and live in sin ,will be doom to hell for eternity. Living for God or doing the right thing is not easy, but its the right thing too do.

We all need to realize if we are not happy, we should first should seek God and his son Jesus Christ for guidance. Its just too easy to just get a divorce, quit our jobs, stop being around our friends or family. A question many of us should ask is why is it so easy to do the wrong thing and why is most of the world doing evil? The easy answer to those questions is because the Devil is out to seek, destroy, to confuse and to divide the people of God. But if you follow the true Saints or those who love God, then you will realize that God is faithful. Then you will know that as long as you live there will be good and bad days ahead. But if you trust God and his son Jesus Christ, then you will always be blessed .God will give you the tools , wisdom or courage you may need to appreciate the good days and the wisdom to handle the bad days. He will open your eyes then prepare you for the bad days that are ahead. After you have concurred your trails or your tribulations, then you will have the wisdom to know that God only allows you to suffer, so that when you claim victory, then God our Father in Heaven will get all the glory. God is good when there are good days and he stays that way even when things are bad. God Is Good All The Time!
Have a blessed day!
Charles

John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

A Prayer Warrior

When I first became saved I never understood when I heard the term or statement Prayer Warrior. When I used to hear this term it was always in church and it was said by the elders, deacon or deaconess of the church. I fondly remember my Pastor saying or expressing to me that prayer changes things . It wasn't until I was down on my luck, needing the Lord for myself, that I truly believed and realized latter that prayer does change things or circumstances. It also has the ability to change circumstances in each of our lives.I remember going through a divorce, raising a son on my own, in a bad economy without the help of family or friends. During that time I happened to have lost a good paying job and was drawing unemployment. It seemed at that time that the whole world was against me and I had no where to turn for help or comfort. I remember hearing my Pastor preach one Sunday and the subject of his sermon was, "In your time of need turn to Jesus, for only he has the power to answer your prayers". My pastor would shout ," If you don't believe that God is the answer, try him and prove him worthy". That's when I got on my knees and began to pray. I asked God to help me, because I knew in my heart that he was the only one who could. Every where I could I began to pray, then very soon after God began to answer some of my prayers. I remember getting a job after two months of searching hard, it was a relief, but it was in another state. So now I have a job that I had to drive two hour too, raise my son while he was in school and I had to make sure I got home safe, because I had a son that counted on me.

So I would pray in the morning , I would pray on my way to work during my drive and I would pray in public restaurants. Every trial or tribulation I faced along the way, God answered my prayers with blessing and I became a man that prayed daily, sometimes four or five times a day. I never let the outside world know what I was going through and always kept a smile on my face. I cried in private , shed my tears in front of the Lord and not in front of man. Why? Well because I didn't want pity all I wanted was to be loved and respected. Its sad to say when you are going through some hard times in your life, some of your friends or family abandon you. Even the woman that I was involved with at that time didn't support me and doubted that I could over come my troubles. She attacked me, said mean and terrible things, that hurt me. I decided to keep my troubles or feelings to myself and to give it all too the Lord. After all I couldn't let my son , know how bad I was hurting or the terrible shape I was in financially. I knew I had to get myself together or I could loose it all. My son meant the world to me and I had to be strong not only for myself , but also for him. I was determined not to fail, so I prayed like a warrior, never giving the devil or the world an inch to hurt me. Each day, I would have set backs and other days I would have little victories or blessings. I praised God for both, because each taught me valuable lesions that will be with me for a lifetime.What lessons you may ask? Its simple, it taught me what not to do when I failed and what to do when I succeeded. Each day I grew stronger or more determined with every failure and wise with every success or blessing. I learned more about myself while going through those hard times , then I every could have been successful. Going through the hard times, having the world turn against me in my time of need taught me a very valuable lesson. When man says no ,its impossible or you are no longer needed, God our Father in Heaven says yes, its possible and I will always be here in your time of need. I learned from my trails, tribulations, troubles and pain that God never forgets about those who love him. From that day forward I became a Prayer Warrior, a man that trust, love and has faith in the Lord. I know through my struggles or pain that prayer does in fact change things and can change a person circumstances.

To those who are blessed enough to read this I want to explain the benefits' of being a Prayer Warrior or one that puts on the armor of Christ. Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, said the LORD. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me. Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. If you remember these verses in the Bible then you will be able to over come any obstacle or anything that may come your way. Become a man or woman that prays, become a prayer warrior, for the benefits for out weigh the blessings. Always remember this Jesus is only a prayer away.

Have a blessed night,

Charles

Luke 11-4

1And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

2And he said unto them, When you pray, say, Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.

3Give us day by day our daily bread.

4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

When The Looks Fades Only The Heart Remains

One of my must favorite moments while growing up was listening too my grandparents. They used to say some of the craziest things that would make the average person laugh, especially a person that didn't understand my grandparents words or expressions. My grandparents were part black, part creole, part white, part indian and both of them had a way with their words. They were very likable people and they loved to talk about people.They didn't mean any harm, but if you listen to them long enough then you would realize that their words had a lot of wisdom in them. I would hear my grandmother say this every time she would see someone getting married for the first time. Everything that looks good isn't always good or what shines on the outside is sometimes very ugly on the inside. When I would question my grandmother about her statements she would explain, that most people fall in love with an image. When I gave her a confused look on my face, then she continued to explain. That both men or women fall in love or become infatuated with a person because of their outer appearance. She would say that some people fall in love because of beauty or brawn and others fall in love because of what a person posses. But what most people don't realize is that its not what a person looks like or what they posses that makes them a man or woman. Instead the true character of a man or woman resides in the heart. My grandmother would say , Baby don't fall for her beauty, her figure or her material things, because you still got to go home with her and lay down with her. What if she is mean or evil what do you have then? I tell you what you have, my grandmother explain a beautiful woman with a black heart. Wow! As I have grown older I realize that my grandparents were very wise people and I am thankful to God that he blessed me to be in their company, so that now I too can share their wisdom with the rest of the world. Now that I am older, I know now why there are so many single men or women in their forties or fifties. Why? Well maybe they thought their beauty,brawn or material things would have helped them keep their man or woman. One thing that I have learned is, it doesn't matter how many degrees you have or how educated you may be, that won't help you keep your spouse or mate. If you are a mean or evil person then you will always be alone and searching for answers, wondering why you are alone without a spouse or mate.
 

Even though my grandmother gave me very wise words to pay attention to , I didn't apply them to my life as an adult. When I was younger, I often look at a woman's appearance or figure to gage what type of women I fell in love with. Not realizing that the very same women I was interested in were doing the very same thing, but in a different way. What you way you may ask? Well some of the women I dated only dated me because of the car I drove or the job title I had. Others dated me because of my looks, even though I wasn't the best looking guy in the world.(smile) What made me know this to be true, was one of the conversations I had with one of my ex girlfriends. The conversation went something like this. I asked her what attracted her to me" Then she went on to explain that she had been checking me out for a while , noticed that I had a good job, dressed well and drove a nice car. To some of the women that are reading this I know some of you may think this is a normal behavior. This may be true for men or women, but what was unique was what said after I asked her what attracted her to me. She said that a man that dresses well, drives a nice car and has a great job, has too be a good man or a good person. Then I said to her," You were only interested in me because I looked good, drove a nice car and made good money?" Then she said Yes, because I don't want to date any losers or men that don't make any money. Then I said to her that not all men who are not good looking or not employed are bad people. It could be their circumstances that have them in that position. Besides I know a lot of good men that don't have jobs, they are just having their share of bad luck. Then she said to me , well if a man can't do anything for me or provide for my needs then I don't need him. Then I said to her then you are only after what you can get right? Then she said to me, well you men think the same way, all you guys want is what is between a woman's legs. Then I said to her, yes there are some men or women who are only after sex or material things, but true men or women want a person with a good heart. From that moment on I knew that wasn't the woman for me. It reminds me of something my late grandmother would always say, "When the looks fade only the heart remains".

Have a blessed night,

Charles
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Proverbs 31:30 Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that fears the LORD, she shall be praised.