How to Handle Your Haters…
by brothepreacher on Feb.24, 2010, under Blog, Faith
Today, I write to address an epidemic in our society. Haterdom. I might have made that word up, but it describes how I feel right now. You ever wonder why folks be hating on you for no reason at all? You aint done nothing to them at all. In fact, you are trying to do your thing and be a good contributor to society. But, here they come…Haters. What yall know about haters? Ever heard/felt this from another person: “Well, who does he/she think he/she is? He/she aint no better than me.” And you’re thinking…Aint nobody say they was better than you. Where did that come from? I think the worst haters of all are those you think to be your friends, but then find out they take the first opportunity to criticize you to others. Like that homeboy in high school who wanted to get with the same girl, but never let you know and secretly wooed her. Like that girlfriend who gossips to the beautician about you in the shop, but turns around and hits you with a, “Hey girl!!!!!” Ben Franklin is quoted as saying, “to find out a girl’s faults, praise her in front of her girlfriends.” Once the hater spirit gets on them, those girlfriends can tell you all kinds of stuff. Yall aint hearing me right now. You can tell when haterdom is coming too, because the statements starts like this: “Well you know…” Well you know she was abused by her last boyfriend. Well you know that she has three kids from three different men. Haterdom have taken over this nation!!!!! Be careful around those “well you know” folks. There is a Spanish proverb that says, “Anyone who is willing to gossip TO you will gossip ABOUT you.” Think about that the next time you are getting some “juicy” gossip.
This is particularly important to me as a Christian. How do I handle the haters without succumbing to the urge to curse them out? I gotta keep my witness and hold it together. Gotta consider WWJD rather than WWjohnD. I’m trying to stay saved, but if this joker spreads one more rumor about me I’m gonna have to show him/her I aint no punk. We gotta begin with a definition of hater to understand how to handle them. A hater is one who feels extreme enmity toward another. In other words, this person views another person as their enemy. Haters view you as their enemy, either explicitly or on some subliminal level. You are a threat to them. How should you respond? I’m glad you asked. I don’t want you to think of your haters as enemies in the way we understand it today. Rather, let’s look at God’s idea of haterdom. Let me give you three things you need to know about haters in your life and how you can handle them in the meantime: (continue reading…)
Uncovering Wells: Renewing Your Water Flow
by brothepreacher on Feb.21, 2010, under Blog, Faith
I’ve been bamboozled. Hoodwinked. Ran game on. Swindled, if you will. I was watching the news the other day and I found out that my favorite bottled water provider has been tricking me. The report stated that Aquafina really isn’t as “fina” as I thought it was. Specifically it stated that “the label on Aquafina water bottles will soon be changed to spell out that the drink comes from the same source as tap water.” Tap water!?!?!? Tap water? You mean I could have been drinking my water from what the old folks call the spicket? Remember when you used to play outside and take turns drinkin’ water from the water hose?
Nowadays it seems like we all have to have bottled water. Aquafina aint right yall. Yeah, I know bottled water providers have purified it several times over, but the fact remains that the source is the same. Then I realized how spoiled I am. I recently looked at the woman at the well in John 4. These folks used to have to travel miles and miles just to draw water from a well. Walk for some water? Knowing me, I would be one dehydrated joker because I don’t walk anywhere. Y’all pray for me because I drive across the street just to go to the store. I’m working on it though.
But I’ve been looking at some well and water passages in the Bible and God gave me this word, so I’m going to be obedient on this one. As you read this, I want you to get out an imaginary shovel because I got some real dirt. Now I aint talkin’ about Entertainment Tonight or Us Weekly dirt. No, I’m talkin’ about some spiritual dirt that we need to unearth. Let’s hop right in. (continue reading…)
Valentine’s Day Musings….
by brothepreacher on Feb.14, 2010, under Blog, Life
Every husband believes that they have the greatest wife in the world. Well most of us do. And justifiably so. Otherwise, they probably wouldn’t have married that person. I am no exception. I, too, believe that I have married the greatest woman that God has to offer. Admittedly, there is a “touch” of bias in each man’s declaration of this fact. Honestly, there was a day when I didn’t feel like I’d ever find anyone I was comfortable marrying for the rest of my life. I was frustratingly single and I hated it. Every Valentine’s Day I hated when folks would tell me that Jesus was my Valentine. That sounded really super spiritual and all. It focused on the “verticalness” (yes, I made that word up) of our relationship with the One who called us out of darkness into the marvelous light, but God also created us for horizontal relationships with others. As much as we talk about the commercialism of Valentine’s Day, the fact still remains that human relationships are very important. So I’m not going to sit here and tell you that Jesus is your Valentine. I will tell you, however, that there is no need to sell yourself short on this day just because no one has bought you anything or sent you something special. My wife said something very profound this morning while preaching. When she talked about love and relationships she said, “Don’t get so caught up in the icing that you don’t realize that you are eating stale cake.” My, my, my. I wonder how many folks ate some stale cake today. Beautifully adorned flowers, teddy bears, hallmark cards (icing) surround stale cake (no substance in the relationship).
Sheridan and I attended a beautiful wedding yesterday. It served as a reminder of the importance of the covenant of marriage. Despite all the statistics, all the affairs, all the broken relationships, we are determined to prove that there are great marriages out there. We want to give hope to those who think “marriage is for the birds” or “there is no such thing as a good marriage”. The Devil is a liar (and the father of lies). The first thing that the enemy attacked in the Bible was the institution of marriage. It wasn’t the Church, it wasn’t a pastor, and it wasn’t the Word of God. It was a relationship between a man and a woman. The deceit came in the form of a question and ended in a broken relationship (See Genesis 3). Questions arise every day in marriages/relationships. Do I still love this person? Why has he/she changed so much? What happened to him/her? This is precisely the enemy’s plan.
On this Valentine’s Day, I want to encourage everyone out there…both single and married. Don’t allow the enemy to question what God has ordained for your life. Continue to walk in what He has purposed for you. Continue to pursue the vision that God has given you. Married folks, remember your wedding day and the reasons you married that person. People change, but love doesn’t! Even in all of those changes, love is the factor that keeps things in perspective. If God suffered humiliation (and even death) for the sake of love (John 3:16), why can’t we make sacrifices for the ones we love? Divorce is always the easy out. Hands are clean. There’s a chance to start over. But nobody ever said love was easy. Love is work, but it is worth it. I love my wife dearly. I truly believe she is the greatest woman on the earth. Even when we have “heated fellowship”, even when we agree to disagree…the fact remains that our love transcends all those peripheral issues. We celebrate this day just like any other couple. She bought me a few suits to keep me looking good and I got her a nice pregnancy message from spa. But we live every day loving each other with eternity in mind. That means we set aside temporal things/issues and focus on the eternal purpose we are called to: a beautiful, God-centered marriage. I say all this to say that I am a very blessed man. ”Who can find a virtuous woman?” (Proverbs 31:1) ME!!!!!!!! I love you babes. Thank you for being you and loving me in spite of me.
Blessings,
Brother John
