Money, Birth Control, Gambling & My Mindset--Countering the Cultures' Influence On My Money

 

Evangelist John T. Edmerson

www.transformingfamilies.blogspot.com

“An INFORMED family is a TRANSFORMED family”

The Pervasive Power of Money

Formerly titled: Financial Desperation, 

“What Will I Do To Get Paid”

Kingdom Economic Series, Sermon #1

Introduction—Flashback—Sermon Series Review

Over the next several weeks, we are returning to a series of messages highlighting the influence and reach of today’s culture in modern Christianity. The Christian is facing the demonic diabolical triple-threat; Sin, Satan & the Culture.  Individually these three enemies of the cross are formidable foes. Together, they have destroyed families, careers, churches, businesses and even countries. These are true spiritual weapons of mass destruction. Nuclear bombs and missiles have nothing on these three!

At the end of 2011, we highlighted the Culture (or world) as the most powerful weapon of the three. I still have not changed my opinion. The culture is the strongest of the three. This Sunday’s message will seek to reiterate that, again.

Money is pervasive and powerful. By pervasive, I mean that money and/or the pursuit or seeking for money is spread out. It’s everywhere.  The OJay’s even had a song that talked about Money. Here are a portion of the lyrics from the OJay’s song, For The Love of Money:

Money money money money, MONEY
Money money money money, MONEY
Money money money money, MONEY
Money money money money, MONEY
Money money money money, MONEY

Money money money money, MONEY

Some people got to have it
Hey, Hey, Hey - some people really need it
Hey, listen to me, y'all do thangs, do thangs, do thangs - bad thangs with it
Well, you wanna do thangs, do thangs, do thangs - good thangs with it - yeah

Un Huh, talkin' bout cash money, money
Talkin' bout cash money - dollar bills y'all - come on, now

Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah

For the love of money
People will steal from their mother

For the love of money
People will rob their own brother

For the love of money
People can't even walk the streets

Because they'll never know who in the world they're gonna beat

For that mean, oh mean, mean green
Almighty Dollar!...

Yes, even the OJay’s understood the pervasive power of money!

In Sunday’s sermon we will explore the carnal mindset that money "can” produce. This mindset is not automatic. It is intentionally inwardly crafted by a person being under the influence of a culture that paints money as being the great god that gives wealth, fame and power. This is an illusion. Yet, this illusion has enticed people to do all kinds of things in the name of  wanting to get paid. Money can make you do things that you would not ordinarily do. Money can make you go places that you would not ordinarily go. Here are two examples:

Example#1

Below, you will read about money and its influence with a younger generation of girls and boys. Girls are to be chided for not being more aware of money and how it affects the giving of their body. Boys need to be chided for using money to unlawfully persuade girls to have sex with them. Money can be a spiritual monster. The love of money is spiritual quicksand that drags people into a way of thinking that destroys their faith.

Example #2

Click here for an article that discusses New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo and how he wants to use gambling proceeds to fund budget woes for the state of New York. In bringing gambling to NY on a broad scale, the research says that Governor Cuomo will morally bankrupt his constituents by doing so. It’s a shame. Governor Cuomo is doing an end around versus making the tough calls that would allow him to balance his budget. Again, the love of money is a monster!

Come on out Sunday as we look at ways that we are influenced to do the same. Ways that we are influenced to use money at the expense of our faith and mission as believers. We’ll also discover some practical solutions to countering this ungodly mindset. Don’t miss this message. Bring your children and yourself!

--jte

Money Seems to Matter for Teen Girls, Condoms

By MIKAELA CONLEY

Teen girls whose primary source of spending money comes from their boyfriends are less likely to use condoms, according to a new study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine obtained data from an HIV prevention study that included 715 African-American teen girls in the Atlanta area.

Almost a quarter of the females (ages 15 to 22) attending family-planning centers said their primary source of spending money was from their boyfriends, rather than from their parents or grandmothers or jobs. The teens were 10 percent more likely not to have used condoms in the previous 60 days.

Few girls reported using other methods of contraception, researchers said, and girls whose boyfriends owned cars were also about 50 percent more likely to not use condoms than those whose boyfriends did not own cars.

"After matching the groups on over 75 characteristics, the teens whose primary source of spending money was their boyfriend were still 50 percent more likely not to use condoms, and they were less likely to respond to the HIV prevention intervention," said Janet Rosenbaum, lead author of the study and research faculty at the Maryland Population Research Center in College Park.

Women with less relationship bargaining power -- and hence limited ability to insist on safe sex -- are particularly at risk of condom nonuse, the authors wrote.

In a way, these girls are trading unsafe sex for money, Rosenbaum said, even though most of them reported being in long-term and monogamous relationships."Medical interventions alone will not cure or solve the problem of nonuse of condoms," said Dr. Paula Hillard, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford School of Medicine. "We need societal changes and changes in the messages we provide to adolescent girls. … We need to provide alternative messages about power and self-efficacy that will counter the tendency to succumb to coercive relationships and unsafe sex."

To counter these societal norms, Rosenbaum said clinicians must consider teens' economic circumstances when conducting safe sex interventions. "Teens may act unwisely in order to meet their material needs and wants," Rosenbaum said. "Interventions and clinicians may need to concentrate not just on safe sex behavior but also on helping teens to evaluate their needs versus wants." Plan B, the emergency contraception pill that can be taken up to 72 hours after having unprotected sex to prevent pregnancies, has made headlines as experts debate whether young teens should have access to it. But even with access, experts said, this would only be a drop in the bucket when it comes to preventing teen pregnancies altogether, particularly in the most underserved communities.

One solution would be to increase their trust of contraceptive methods that could not be detected or easily sabotaged by their partners such as intrauterine devices (IUD/IUS) or contraceptive injections to prevent pregnancy, at least, Rosenbaum said. "Increased access to contraception including Plan B is always helpful for disadvantaged populations, but it's not enough," Rosenbaum added.

"The best solution would be economic empowerment for these girls and their families, so that they do not rely on their boyfriends for spending money and use condoms consistently."

Southside Homecoming Fundraising Letter--REQUEST

Southside Church of Christ

916 County Road 610

Rogersville, AL 35652

(256) 247-3104

Freeman Malone, Jr. Minister                                                John Malone, Sr. Associate Minister

1413 12th Street                                                     1709 Hollydale Drive

Athens, AL 35611                                                    Athens, AL 35611

Porter Watkins, Jr.: Treasurer

Dear fellow saints,

We bring you greetings from the Southside Church of Christ in Rogersville, AL where Brother Freeman Malone Jr. is our honorable minister. As you know, our Homecoming 2012 Celebration is rapidly approaching.  And to accommodate the growing number of attendees, this year’s events will be held in Huntsville, AL at the renowned Von Braun Civic Center.   Securing this great venue has been a great undertaking and transition for the Southside church.   We are diligently and prayerfully working to make this year’s Homecoming a great success. However, this year we urgently and earnestly need your benevolent spirit and financial support. So, in order to aid us in this effort, there will be a Benefit Concert held at the Lucas Street Church of Christ in Athens, AL on Saturday April 7, 2012 at 5:00 pm.  This concert will feature BASIC and TFC of Nashville TN, as well as, the groups from Southside.

During this event, we are asking all congregations to bring or send a monetary donation of 500 dollars.  If you’re unable to send $500 dollars, any dollar amount is greatly needed and appreciated. Our goal during this event is $16,000 (dollars).  So again, every donation of love will be greatly appreciated.

·         Please make checks payable to the Southside Church of Christ.

·         Checks may be mailed to: John Malone, Sr. 1709 Hollydale Drive Athens AL 35611

The bible says, “… Ask and it shall be given.” So, we are asking and we know that our brothers and sisters in Christ will come to our rescue. So we thank God for your generosity in advance.

Please mark on your calendars:  Benefit Concert for Southside - April 7^th @ the Lucas St. Church of Christ 5:00 pm.  Your attendance and financial support is greatly appreciated. 

God bless you,

John Malone

John Malone (Associate Minister)

Information on the 68th Annual National Lectureship, Louisville, KY

Skyline of Louisville, KY

68th Annual National Lectureship

The Churches of Christ invite you to be in attendance during the dates of April 3-8, 2012, for the 68th Annual National Lectureship. This great gathering of saints will convene in the city of Louisville, Kentucky, at the luxurious Louisville Hyatt Downtown.

In addition, the National Lectureship Regional Singing will take place on Saturday, April 7, 2012, at the Hyatt as well. Register early with the Hyatt in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, to secure your accomodations for the largest annual event hosted by the Churches of Christ. Single and double occupancy room rates are $110.00 per night. 

Hotel Reservations - https://resweb.passkey.com/go/churchofchristnatl

If guests want to call in for reservations, the number they should call is
1-888-421-1442

Hotel main website - www.hyattregencylouisville.com

YOU MUST PERSONALLY CONTACT THE LOUISVILLE HYATT DOWNTOWN FOR ROOM ACCOMODATIONS.

Lectureship registration cost DOES NOT INCLUDE the Ladies Luncheon or vendor space. Retail vendor space is an additional $275.00. Vendor space will be awarded on a "first come first serve" basis only.

4 NEW Articles...The "N" Word, Black Male College Students, African Art in Cincinnati & More!

Traveling African Art Exhibit Visits Gateway

Initiation—Liberia, by Lois Mailou Jones, 1983. Collection of the artist.
by Tom Jenkins, Dallas Museum of Art.

An exhibit showcasing the art of 20th century African American artists is currently on display at the Covington Campus of Gateway Community and Technical College. Gateway arranged for the exhibit as part of its observance of Black History Month.

“Black Art—Ancestral Legacy: The African Impulse in African American Art” is a traveling display based on a major exhibition organized by the Dallas Museum of Art and produced by Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The photographic exhibition addresses the question posed by African American poet Countee Cullen in 1926: “What is Africa to me?” These works draw heavily on African influence, while simultaneously reinterpreting it for a different time and place. The exhibition surveys the work of 45 artists, some trained and some untrained, including unknown Africans and Haitians, through photographs, posters, and concise texts. The result is a lively and vibrant mix of artworks. 

The exhibition will be on display for the public until March 7. Currently located at the Covington Campus at Gateway Community College, 1025 Amsterdam Road, it will move Feb. 24 to the college’s Edgewood Campus at 790 Thomas More Parkway. The show was displayed at the Boone Campus and Urban Center earlier this month. 

For more information contact Kathy Driggers at 859-442-1628 or kathleen.driggers@kctcs.edu. 

Let’s make black male collegians the norm

By The Admin on February 21, 2012

In 2007, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama told supporters at a rally in Harlem that he did not “want to wake up four years from now and discover that we still have more young black men in prison than in college.”

Although university researchers and education reporters cautioned that the statistics Obama was using did not paint the whole picture of this phenomenon, he repeated the numbers to standing-room-only crowds.

Obama was unintentionally reinforcing an enduring negative stereotype: Black males as a group are missing in higher education and failing to graduate because of the pathologies in black culture. And make no mistake, cultural and racial stereotypes, whether true or false or incomplete, assume stubborn lives of their own.

The black male stereotype has done just that. Many people, including many blacks, university presidents, professors, counselors, students, journalists and politicians picture black males as prison inmates before picturing them as college students.

Black males are branded before ever attempting to enroll in a school. Nothing good is in this.

I felt the personal sting of this stereotype in 1963, when I first went to college. Because I am dark-skinned and came from a migrant farming family in Florida, I automatically was placed in remedial English — without being tested. I had been labeled on sight as one doomed to fail.

I never bought into the stereotype, never for a moment thinking I would fail. After two weeks, my English professor agreed and transferred me to a regular English class.

I was sustained by four caring professors, a handful of overachieving classmates, a work-study job in our campus library, my obsession to study and support from my mother and grandparents. Although I graduated in four years as summa cum laude and won a fellowship to the University of Chicago, no one ever asked me how I did it. But a lot of people predicted that I would fail.

During my more than 20 years as a college professor, I have taught many black men who beat the odds, who graduate and lead productive lives. How do they overcome the stereotype?

I currently have a black student, Shaquille Malik, in my writing class at St. Petersburg College, where I am an adjunct professor. Malik is a 40-year-old ex-convict who is beating the odds. He is one of my best students. He sits up front, participates in discussions, volunteers to read his essays aloud and eagerly accepts constructive criticism.

A father of three, he told me he is determined to graduate with at least a bachelor's degree. I am certain he will succeed and become a role model. I will monitor his progress and do all I can to assist him. I am already telling other students about him, how he is exploding the stereotype.

Having Malik as a student prompted me to read a new report by Shaun R. Harper, associate professor and director of the Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education at the University of Pennsylvania, focused on 219 black male students who have succeeded. The professor studied students at 42 colleges and universities in 20 states.

Disregarding the old stereotype, Harper wanted to know what distinguishes these achievers. He found a mix of external factors that seemed to give the students a sense that they not only could but must attend college.

Among those factors: committed parents who expected a lot from them; at least one teacher in K-12 who wanted them to succeed academically; and money to pay for college. Another significant factor was a transition to college that included high expectations from administrators and faculty and from successful black male juniors and seniors on campus who motivated them.

"The most surprising finding was also the most disappointing finding," Harper said. "Nearly every student we interviewed said it was the first time that someone had sat him down and asked how he had successfully navigated his way to and through higher education, what compelled him to be engaged and what he learned that could help improve achievement and engagement among black male collegians."

Although the report is complex, Harper has a simple and reachable goal. He wants college and university leaders to commit themselves to finding black men on their campuses like those in the report and learn how they achieved.

Harper wants black male student success to become institutionalized. He wants to erase the ugly stereotype of failure that hurts black males and society at large.

© 2012 San Angelo Standard Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 

Old barriers gone, new ones rising?

By GINA SMITH
gnsmith@thestate.com

Sen. John Matthews has been a member of the South Carolina Legislature longer than any other African American, starting his political career in the SC House in 1975.

- Gerry Melendez /gmelendez@thestate.com

• 
  Sen. John Matthews Jr.
  The state senator from District 39, which includes parts of Bamberg, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton and Orangeburg counties
  Age: 71
  Career: Retired former elementary school principal and cable company executive
  Hometown: Bowman
  Education: Graduate, South Carolina State
  
  

When state Sen. John Matthews first became a member of the S.C. House of Representatives in 1975, segregation still was rampant.

“Back then, it was racism in your face,” said Matthews, D-Orangeburg. “But there was a willingness to deal with legislation that could help African-Americans and the poor in this state.

“People wanted to change things.”

Thirty-seven years later, Matthews — the longest-serving African-American lawmaker in the state — says that willingness to change is eroding.

“Most statutory impediments that hurt African-Americans are gone,” said Matthews, a retired school principal. “But you find that, in the past four or five years, Republicans have begun to introduce new impediments to limit people.”

A GOP-backed law to require voters to present a photo ID at the polls is weighing heavy on the minds of black lawmakers this month, which is Black History Month.

That law is being challenged in court. But another Republican-backed bill — to require groups that conduct voter-registration drives to register with the state Elections Commission — is working its way through the State House now.

Backers say the measures will protect the state’s voting process from fraud, citing a claim, disputed by election officials, that more than 950 dead people cast votes in recent elections.

Matthews and others, however, see the measures as unnecessary overkill.

Voter fraud is a non-issue in South Carolina, says state Sen. John Land, the Clarendon Democrat and Senate minority leader who, like Matthews, was elected to the House in 1975. “It is simply a wedge issue that the national Republicans created.”

But, Matthews says, the Republican legislative majority has no reason to care about what most of the state’s African-American voters think.

Redistricting — the redrawing of legislative districts that happens every 10 years — increasingly has resulted in majority-black districts, controlled by Democrats, and majority-white districts, controlled by Republicans, who control the S.C. House and Senate without ever winning any black votes, Matthews says. “We have insulated white Republicans from any black political influence so they’re not paying black South Carolina any attention because there is no consequence.”

Republican disagree, pointing to U.S. Rep. Tim Scott, an African-American Republican from Charleston, and Gov. Nikki Haley, the state’s first non-white governor, as proof the GOP is increasingly diverse. They also say their legislative priorities — lowering taxes and bringing jobs to South Carolina — help all residents, regardless of color.

Matthews is unconvinced. But he says he’ll keep fighting.

He plans to roll out a bill that would give school districts more flexibility to experiment with different models, including extended hours for students and year-round schools.

He also is looking for a way to pass a bill, vetoed by Haley last year, to encourage economic development in the impoverished counties along the Interstate 95 corridor.

“The governor said it was growing government,” Matthew said. “To me, either that or grow poverty.”

Reach Smith at (803) 771-8658.

White Teacher Sues for All-Important 

Right to Use Racial Slur

A white teacher in Chicago was suspended for using the n-word in class. Now he's suing, claiming he was teaching an important lesson. But the school's principal has a different memory of what went on.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that teacher Lincoln Brown used the word after he saw it on a note the student was passing. Here's how he describes the incident in legal documents:

[A]t the beginning of a grammar exercise in his sixth grade class, Lincoln Brown saw that his students were unsettled and arguing about the passage of a note which contained lyrics of a rap song. Lincoln Brown then conducted a discussion about how upsetting such language can be, attempted to give his own denunciation of the use of such language, and discussed how even such books as "Huckleberry Finn" were being criticized for the use of the "N-word."

Brown says he was having an important discussion on the problems of racism, that students were "engaged" and "excited" and that "if we can't discuss these issues, we'll never be able to resolve them." He added that he would "never, ever use such a hurtful word" except as a way to help students think about and combat racism. However, principal Gregory Mason, who walked in during the discussion, remembers things differently. He says Brown asked, "can anyone explain to me why blacks can call each other a n*****, and not get mad, but when whites do it, blacks get angry?" He also describes a bizarre-sounding conversation in which Brown asked "have you ever thought about why blacks are killed in movies first?" Then he allegedly "began to explain ‘how I've seen many movies where whites were killed first'" and "continued by stating that, ‘if you believe in this you are no better than the media's portrayal of blacks.'"

It's hard to tell what Brown's point was with the above, but it certainly doesn't sound good. Mason responded by suspending him for five days for "using verbally abusive language to or in front of students" and "cruel, immoral, negligent or criminal conduct or communication to a student, that causes psychological or physical harm." Now Brown is suing the Chicago Board of Education in federal court (somewhat ironically, his case is called Brown v. Board of Education). His legal complaint states,

The actions of defendants have unjustly and illegally punished the plaintiff for speaking on a matter of public concern, i.e, race relations and appropriate words. Not only was plaintiff speaking on a matter of public concern, he was attempting to teach his class of students an important lesson in vocabulary, civility, and race relations.

He's seeking compensatory and punitive damages, and says, "This cannot be a part of who I am. My character has been assassinated." This seems like an exaggeration. Even if that part about being "no better than the media's portrayal of blacks" was a misquote, Brown overstepped — he didn't need to use the n-word repeatedly in order to teach his students about racism. Hearing that word from a white authority figure is always going to be hurtful to some kids, even if he didn't mean it as an abusive way. And there are plenty of ways to discuss issues of race without actually using racial slurs. A five-day suspension seems like an eminently reasonable way to drive this point home, and is far from a character assassination. Frank Shuftan, spokesperson for the Chicago Public Schools, said in a statement, "The teacher has received sufficient due process. In our opinion, his federal lawsuit is without merit."

2 BOOK READING CHALLENGE

Evangelist John T. Edmerson

www.transformingfamilies.blogspot.com

“An INFORMED family is a TRANSFORMED family”

2012 Recommended Reading Book List

2 Book Reading Challenge!

Compiled by Ron Thigpen,  John T. Edmerson & John W. Edmerson

Reading and learning are cousins that anyone would want in their family. The following books are recommended to bring about greater emotional and spiritual health. At all times, everyone should be in learning and self-developing mode! Choose TWO BOOKS from the 20 listed and let’s blog about what we are learning in 2012. On this blog, we will post book reviews, book insights, growth stories and a listing of everyone that is taking on this challenge in 2012. Just reply to this blog with your book reviews, progress, growth stories and when appropriate, we will update our viewing audience. Grab a partner and let’s do the 2 Book Reading Challenge together. (FYI...In RED are the books that I have chosen to read in 2012. I will share my progress in this blog!)

—John T. Edmerson

February 11, 2012

1.       The Trauma Zone --- Trusting God for Emotional Healing --- R. Dandridge Collins, Ph.D*

2.       Regret-Free Living Hope for Past Mistakes and Freedom from Unhealthy Patterns –- Stephen Arterburn

3.       Changes the Heal --- How to Understand Your Past to Ensure a Healthier Future –- Dr. Henry Cloud

4.       Why You Do the Things You Do.. The Secret to Healthy Relationships --- Dr. Tim Clinton/Dr. Gary Sibcy

5.       Why Did This Happen to Me? Bouncing Back When Life Knocks You Down --- H. Norman Wright

6.       How To Get What You Want.. and Want What You Get!.. 12 Steps to Christian Living at Its Best --- Willard Tate

7.       The Disciplined Life---Studies in the fine art of Christian Discipleship --- Richard S. Taylor

8.       Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth --- Richard J. Foster

9.       The Five Signs of a Functional Family --- Gary Chapman

10.    The Search for Significance --- Seeing Your True Worth Through God’s Eyes --- Robert S. McGee

11.    Black Pain… (A Look at Depression in African Americans) --- Terrie M. Williams*

12.    The Art of Forgiving --- When You Need to Forgive and Don’t Know How --- Lewis B. Smedes

13.    Creating Success From the Inside Out --- Ephren w. Taylor*

14.    The Lies We Believe ( A look at what beliefs we are taught and adopt that create havoc in life) --- Dr. Chris Thurman

15.    Success Is a God Idea --- John Marshall*

16.    Total Money Make Over --- Dave Ramsey

17.    Nonviolent Communication, A Language of Life --- Dr. Marshall B. Rosenberg

18.    The Intelligent Investor --- Benjamin Graham

19.    Self Improvement 101 --- John C. Maxwell

20.    Win Friends and Influence People --- Dale Carnegie

*African American Authors --- 1, 11, 13, 15

Southside Homecoming, April 20-22, 2012

Evangelist John T. Edmerson

www.transformingfamilies.blogspot.com

“An informed family is a transformed family”

Von Braun Convention Center--Huntsville, Alabama

In April, all roads lead to Huntsville, AL for the annual Southside Church of Christ Homecoming. This year the event has been moved away from Athens/Rogersville to Huntsville. This represents a major move for Senior Minister Freeman Malone and the Southside Church of Christ. For those of us who have attended over the years, we are excited to see the congregation move in faith to first rate accommodations. The Homecoming is not just for former members of Southside. It is better described as an annual gathering of men, women and families who (1) love the Lord, (2) good singing, (3) great food and (4) awesome fellowship. It is a pep rally for the Church of Christ and our witness in the Southeastern part of the United States. Next to the Crusade for Christ, the Homecoming is the largest gathering of African-American members of the churches of Christ in the United States. Over the weekend about 2000+ people participate in some way or another.

The focus of the weekend is good singing. In a usual year, top talent from the Churches of Christ perform to God's glory and honor. In year's past, international recording artist's Acappella, Paul Williams and Straight Company have performed. And, in each year, other lesser known, but, still quality artists and groups sing. Friday evening is usually the time where anyone can sing. New artists debut at Homecoming and Youth choirs too. It is encouraging to see the power of a cappella music as it is inspires multiple generations. One of the many treats is to hear the many groups from the Southside Church of Christ in Rogersville. Committed, the Southside Singers, C3 and the incomparable Jerome and Tiffany Malone are but a few of the groups and artists that come from the congregation. We LOVE seeing the Malone's do their thing in song. Bryant Malone is a standout vocalist as well as songwriter. John Malone, Jr has a strong dynamic versatile voice and is the primary songwriter in the congregation (though several people at Southside write music). Some of my most favorite songs of all time come from the work of the Malone family. The Homecoming is indeed a very inspirational gathering.

For more information, log on to the wesbite, www.southsidehomecoming.org and/or contact Quality Planning of Cincinnati, LLC by clicking here. (Quality Planning is the company handling the Hotel arrangements for the 2012 Southside Homecoming.) I hope to see you in Alabama!

--John T. Edmerson
February 10, 2012