When all else fails, post a Puppy Pic!
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Gin: "So basically, 'nigga technology' is anything that doesn't plug into a printer. Does that [pocket text messenger] plug into a printer?"
Ed: "No."
Gin: "You know why?"
Ed: "Why?"
Gin: ".....Cuz niggas never have anything to print."
- Gin Rummy & Ed Wuncler III, Boondocks
It's official! The Boondocks Complete First Season DVD is due out in June 2006! And yes, it's uncut & uncensored. I finally get to hear the cussin', instead of all those [bleep] [bleep] bleeping sounds! yeah!
....I'm such a heathen......
Ed: "No."
Gin: "You know why?"
Ed: "Why?"
Gin: ".....Cuz niggas never have anything to print."
- Gin Rummy & Ed Wuncler III, Boondocks
It's official! The Boondocks Complete First Season DVD is due out in June 2006! And yes, it's uncut & uncensored. I finally get to hear the cussin', instead of all those [bleep] [bleep] bleeping sounds! yeah!
....I'm such a heathen......
Monday, April 10, 2006
"I think that if I'm going to be a secret agent, I should have a better name. I was thinking, "Toto Annihilation!..." - Lou the puppy in "Cats & Dogs"
We got a new puppy today!
We got a new puppy today!
To everyone out there in blogland, I'd like to introduce you to lil' Kwali!
And for those of you who remember Crunch & Mansa, I assure you that we're committed to this little guy. No plans to give lil' Kwali away.
You can be sure that more pics are on the way!
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
"...By the way, don't worry about any of them reading this letter, remember, THEY DON'T READ!!!..." - Anonymous
An email I received from a friend:
-----Original Message-----
From: XXXXX
Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 7:15 AM
Subject: Fw: A STATEMENT READ ON NY RADIO/Our Spending
>>> STATEMENT ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE>>>
Not to make you all angry so early in the morning but any thoughts about thecomment below? This was apparently read on a New York radiostation.........I tried to look it up to see if there was any validity to itand to see if it was just something to get us riled up but I couldn't findanything......
Signed,
XXXXX
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> Sent: Monday, March 20, 2006 10:40 AM
>>> Subject: Re: FW: A STATEMENT READ ON NY RADIO
http://thebwp.com/wire/DA.cfm?ArticleID=431
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
My response:
From: Ricardo W
Date: Apr 5, 2006 9:20 AM
Subject: Re: Fw: A STATEMENT READ ON NY RADIO/Our Spending]]
I don't think there's really anything to prove here in terms of validity - it's more of an editorial, and yes it's meant to rile folks up, no matter if it was written by a white or black person. Whether or not the statistics are accurate is irrelevant - it's just meant to make you mad.
It's kinda funny, cuz i feel like these are the kind of unconfirmed and haphazard writings that make up the "critical thinking" literature of the part of our community that never reads books. this is the closest they come to reading anything with a little bit of knowledge in it. where would we be without email forwards???
i think back to folks i've seen whose first attempt at activism came when they received the email that Blacks were losing their voting rights in 2007. Or folks who tried to unify the community in order to save the US Postal Black Heritage stamps.
now what is we gon' do?
-Ricardo
An email I received from a friend:
-----Original Message-----
From: XXXXX
Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 7:15 AM
Subject: Fw: A STATEMENT READ ON NY RADIO/Our Spending
>>> STATEMENT ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE>>>
Not to make you all angry so early in the morning but any thoughts about thecomment below? This was apparently read on a New York radiostation.........I tried to look it up to see if there was any validity to itand to see if it was just something to get us riled up but I couldn't findanything......
Signed,
XXXXX
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> Sent: Monday, March 20, 2006 10:40 AM
>>> Subject: Re: FW: A STATEMENT READ ON NY RADIO
http://thebwp.com/wire/DA.cfm?ArticleID=431
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
My response:
From: Ricardo W
Date: Apr 5, 2006 9:20 AM
Subject: Re: Fw: A STATEMENT READ ON NY RADIO/Our Spending]]
I don't think there's really anything to prove here in terms of validity - it's more of an editorial, and yes it's meant to rile folks up, no matter if it was written by a white or black person. Whether or not the statistics are accurate is irrelevant - it's just meant to make you mad.
It's kinda funny, cuz i feel like these are the kind of unconfirmed and haphazard writings that make up the "critical thinking" literature of the part of our community that never reads books. this is the closest they come to reading anything with a little bit of knowledge in it. where would we be without email forwards???
i think back to folks i've seen whose first attempt at activism came when they received the email that Blacks were losing their voting rights in 2007. Or folks who tried to unify the community in order to save the US Postal Black Heritage stamps.
now what is we gon' do?
-Ricardo
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
"A poet can read. A poet can write. A poet is African in Africa, or Irish in Ireland, or French on the left bank of Paris, or white in Wisconsin. A poet writes in her own language. A poet writes of her own people, her own history, her own vision, her own room, her own house where she sits at her own table quietly placing one word after another word until she builds a line and a movement and an image and a meaning that somersaults all of these into the singing, the absolutely individual voice of the poet: at liberty. A poet is somebody free. A poet is someone at home. How should there be Black poets in America?..." - June Jordan
Did you know I used to be a bit of a poet back in college? Yeah, I wrote me a verse or two. I happend to come across this one online - I remember it was posted in a newsletter in college. Ahh, the memories:
Black Gold
by Ricardo Wilkins
Copyright 1997
This is a poem
About a woman
That other men wish they could know
And I feel
Life with this Queen couldn’t get any sweeter, like
Canine to master, I’m running to meet her, and
Blind men are weeping, for they cannot see
Her vision of shining black gold.
Sincerely and truly,
This is no joke
Your loveliness
Makes my mind’s mental eye choke
Looked around and found no crowns
On colorless women
So my mind gets flashbacks to black skin
And obsidian dreams
And it seems
That just hearing your name
Makes me take mental journeys
To African plains
And lovely savannas.
A vision so bright
She matches the stars
In an African night.
Black Woman, your beauty
Flows out through your smile
Like the waters that flow
Through the African Nile.
Black Woman, the name,
Yes, I hear it again,
And like violets in bloom I explode from within…
Ka-Boom!
And soon
I come off of my high
But if I couldn’t puff on Black woman I’d die
And no poem by poet
No scripture by scribe
No song dressed in rhythm
Has power to describe
The essence of sensual
Style of a Queen
A fluorescent expression
Of African dreams
Like pearls from an oyster
Like diamonds from coal
I know a true treasure
I call her black gold.
Did you know I used to be a bit of a poet back in college? Yeah, I wrote me a verse or two. I happend to come across this one online - I remember it was posted in a newsletter in college. Ahh, the memories:
Black Gold
by Ricardo Wilkins
Copyright 1997
This is a poem
About a woman
That other men wish they could know
And I feel
Life with this Queen couldn’t get any sweeter, like
Canine to master, I’m running to meet her, and
Blind men are weeping, for they cannot see
Her vision of shining black gold.
Sincerely and truly,
This is no joke
Your loveliness
Makes my mind’s mental eye choke
Looked around and found no crowns
On colorless women
So my mind gets flashbacks to black skin
And obsidian dreams
And it seems
That just hearing your name
Makes me take mental journeys
To African plains
And lovely savannas.
A vision so bright
She matches the stars
In an African night.
Black Woman, your beauty
Flows out through your smile
Like the waters that flow
Through the African Nile.
Black Woman, the name,
Yes, I hear it again,
And like violets in bloom I explode from within…
Ka-Boom!
And soon
I come off of my high
But if I couldn’t puff on Black woman I’d die
And no poem by poet
No scripture by scribe
No song dressed in rhythm
Has power to describe
The essence of sensual
Style of a Queen
A fluorescent expression
Of African dreams
Like pearls from an oyster
Like diamonds from coal
I know a true treasure
I call her black gold.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
"Danny, see your future, be your future. May, make, make it, make it. Make your future Danny...." - Ty Webb talking to Danny Noonan in Caddyshack
We did our weekly mentoring session with our 7th and 8th grade boys today at a local middle school. Talked about peer relationships. At some point we got into talking about all the fights that these boys get into. I brought up how interesting I thought it was that all the kids assumed that they could get into a fight, and always just walk away with just a busted lip or something. "Don't you know of people that come to a fight with knives and guns?," I asked. "Yeah," was their reply. Just matter-of-factly. Do they hear what we're saying?
One young man said he didn't regret any of the fights he's been in, cuz he learned from them all. He didn't seem to grasp the fact that they could have ended up with someone dead. Especially in the fights that he gets into.
This kid was 13 years old, and already in a gang. No, I'm not saying that he's just hanging out with a bad group of hooligans. I'm saying he's literally a card-carrying member of a group that people make documentaries about. And he's thirteen.
We explained to him (one of our members knew a lot about the local gang activity in our community) that the next step in his membership process was going to be participation in a drive-by. He casually agreed that such a thing was probable.
Here I am sitting 3 feet away from a little boy who's looking down the very imminent path of starting a life filled with crime & punishment. And I can't even tell if he's hearing the message we're trying to speak. It didn't seem like he was even entertaining the idea of alternatives. Not that he was one of those who refused to listen to advice - he was listening to us. Not that he had violent tendencies - he was a sweet little kid. He just happened to be a 2nd-generation member of a family immersed in the _____ gang - most of his family were in it, and he admitted that most of them were in-and-out of jail.
And he's thirteen.
After the kids left, my colleagues and I just sat there quietly for a few seconds.
Now what is we gon' do?.....
We did our weekly mentoring session with our 7th and 8th grade boys today at a local middle school. Talked about peer relationships. At some point we got into talking about all the fights that these boys get into. I brought up how interesting I thought it was that all the kids assumed that they could get into a fight, and always just walk away with just a busted lip or something. "Don't you know of people that come to a fight with knives and guns?," I asked. "Yeah," was their reply. Just matter-of-factly. Do they hear what we're saying?
One young man said he didn't regret any of the fights he's been in, cuz he learned from them all. He didn't seem to grasp the fact that they could have ended up with someone dead. Especially in the fights that he gets into.
This kid was 13 years old, and already in a gang. No, I'm not saying that he's just hanging out with a bad group of hooligans. I'm saying he's literally a card-carrying member of a group that people make documentaries about. And he's thirteen.
We explained to him (one of our members knew a lot about the local gang activity in our community) that the next step in his membership process was going to be participation in a drive-by. He casually agreed that such a thing was probable.
Here I am sitting 3 feet away from a little boy who's looking down the very imminent path of starting a life filled with crime & punishment. And I can't even tell if he's hearing the message we're trying to speak. It didn't seem like he was even entertaining the idea of alternatives. Not that he was one of those who refused to listen to advice - he was listening to us. Not that he had violent tendencies - he was a sweet little kid. He just happened to be a 2nd-generation member of a family immersed in the _____ gang - most of his family were in it, and he admitted that most of them were in-and-out of jail.
And he's thirteen.
After the kids left, my colleagues and I just sat there quietly for a few seconds.
Now what is we gon' do?.....
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
"But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me...." - II Timothy 3:10-11
In the book of Timothy, Paul is mentoring his apprentice Timothy. I can imagine that Timothy felt very blessed to have someone like Paul as his mentor. I look back on the many mentors in my life, both those that I acquired formally as well as informally, and I can say that they definitely had an impact on my life.
But I found it very interesting when Paul says that Timothy has "fully known" about Paul's life. As if to say, "you know good 'n well about what I been thru", or, "don't act like you don't know a brutha!". :-) But more importantly, BECAUSE Timothy knows about Paul - his life, his walk, his hardships - it's for that very reason that Paul's testimony and teaching in Timothy's life is so real! Paul brings up the fact that Timothy knows about his life in order to punctuate why Timothy should heed his words of advice.
What do people know about me? Is my testimony as effective as it could be if those that I talk to don't know about me, and where I've been, and what God's brought me thru?
But, I don't like folks in my biz-nazz, tho. :-) Nevertheless, when I read this I thought, perhaps it's a good idea to be more conscious of opportunities to "tell my story". Certainly, we should all be able to receive a word from someone about our situation, even if they haven't experienced it themselves. But how much more do we listen to someone when we know they've gone thru the same thing we're going thru!
Maybe I'll try to share a little more of my biz-nazz... not too much, just a little. Cuz they ain't ready for the WHOLE story!... ;-)
In the book of Timothy, Paul is mentoring his apprentice Timothy. I can imagine that Timothy felt very blessed to have someone like Paul as his mentor. I look back on the many mentors in my life, both those that I acquired formally as well as informally, and I can say that they definitely had an impact on my life.
But I found it very interesting when Paul says that Timothy has "fully known" about Paul's life. As if to say, "you know good 'n well about what I been thru", or, "don't act like you don't know a brutha!". :-) But more importantly, BECAUSE Timothy knows about Paul - his life, his walk, his hardships - it's for that very reason that Paul's testimony and teaching in Timothy's life is so real! Paul brings up the fact that Timothy knows about his life in order to punctuate why Timothy should heed his words of advice.
What do people know about me? Is my testimony as effective as it could be if those that I talk to don't know about me, and where I've been, and what God's brought me thru?
But, I don't like folks in my biz-nazz, tho. :-) Nevertheless, when I read this I thought, perhaps it's a good idea to be more conscious of opportunities to "tell my story". Certainly, we should all be able to receive a word from someone about our situation, even if they haven't experienced it themselves. But how much more do we listen to someone when we know they've gone thru the same thing we're going thru!
Maybe I'll try to share a little more of my biz-nazz... not too much, just a little. Cuz they ain't ready for the WHOLE story!... ;-)
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
"No Malcolm X in my history text
Why is that?
Cuz he tried to educate and liberate all Blacks
Why is Martin Luther King in my book each week?
He told Blacks if they get smacked
Turn the other cheek..."
- Tupac Shakur, "Words of Wisdom"
I saw Michael Eric Dyson on TV speaking at a bookstore for his new book. As I waded thru his machine gun barrage of big & complicated school words, I heard him speak on how the media did not correctly report on the Katrina aftermath. He talked about how the numbers reported of death & violence were not as bad as was thought, how they said white folks were "finding" food and Blacks folks were stealing it, and he even suggested that the "thugs" that the media claimed were shooting at helicopters were doing so not so much cuz they're some crazy nigras, but because they were trying to say "Hey! We're down here, too! Come get us too!"
I'm one of the last people who you'd have to remind to be skeptical of the media, but I must admit I had to check myself and remind myself of how irresponsible the media can be as it relates to our Folk. I can remember letting the media coverage at that time paint for me a picture of the Katrina situation, but instead I should have been constantly suspicious of everything they reported. Shame on me. I have to remember that the media has an agenda also, and someone is telling the story that they want to be told - writing history as THEY see it. And this Somebody is usually not someone interested in MY best interests.
Not that Dyson is necessarily telling the truth, either. But the point is, question everything.
Why is that?
Cuz he tried to educate and liberate all Blacks
Why is Martin Luther King in my book each week?
He told Blacks if they get smacked
Turn the other cheek..."
- Tupac Shakur, "Words of Wisdom"
I saw Michael Eric Dyson on TV speaking at a bookstore for his new book. As I waded thru his machine gun barrage of big & complicated school words, I heard him speak on how the media did not correctly report on the Katrina aftermath. He talked about how the numbers reported of death & violence were not as bad as was thought, how they said white folks were "finding" food and Blacks folks were stealing it, and he even suggested that the "thugs" that the media claimed were shooting at helicopters were doing so not so much cuz they're some crazy nigras, but because they were trying to say "Hey! We're down here, too! Come get us too!"
I'm one of the last people who you'd have to remind to be skeptical of the media, but I must admit I had to check myself and remind myself of how irresponsible the media can be as it relates to our Folk. I can remember letting the media coverage at that time paint for me a picture of the Katrina situation, but instead I should have been constantly suspicious of everything they reported. Shame on me. I have to remember that the media has an agenda also, and someone is telling the story that they want to be told - writing history as THEY see it. And this Somebody is usually not someone interested in MY best interests.
Not that Dyson is necessarily telling the truth, either. But the point is, question everything.
Friday, March 17, 2006
"It's been a long time...We shouldn't have left you
Without a little beat to step to...." - Timbaland
"The Fat Boys are back [back, back..]...
And you know they can never be wack..." - The Fat Boys
[Chuck D sample] "...Once again back is the incredible..."
"It's the return of the Wild Style fashionist
Smashin hits, make it hard to adapt to this
Put pizazz and jazz in this, and cash in this
Mastered this, flash this and make em clap to this..." - Rakim, "Guess Who's Back"
Whoooooaaaaaaaaa!!!!! It's been like 3 months since I posted on this mickey-fickey! Daaannngg!
But The Ric' is back, and now the only question is..... do I have anything to say?
Of course I do! I mean, Life gets so busy some times, it be like Life is telling me to shut the ___ up. .....I be quiet.... but when it's not so busy..... I be talking again... :-)
Yo, but where does a brother begin??? Shoot, lemme just do an M3™ on you (Mental Medley Moment, patent pending):
Without a little beat to step to...." - Timbaland
"The Fat Boys are back [back, back..]...
And you know they can never be wack..." - The Fat Boys
[Chuck D sample] "...Once again back is the incredible..."
"It's the return of the Wild Style fashionist
Smashin hits, make it hard to adapt to this
Put pizazz and jazz in this, and cash in this
Mastered this, flash this and make em clap to this..." - Rakim, "Guess Who's Back"
Whoooooaaaaaaaaa!!!!! It's been like 3 months since I posted on this mickey-fickey! Daaannngg!
But The Ric' is back, and now the only question is..... do I have anything to say?
Of course I do! I mean, Life gets so busy some times, it be like Life is telling me to shut the ___ up. .....I be quiet.... but when it's not so busy..... I be talking again... :-)
Yo, but where does a brother begin??? Shoot, lemme just do an M3™ on you (Mental Medley Moment, patent pending):
- "Boondocks" continues to be one of my favorite shows. So glad that a Season 2 is in the works! And big ups to Asheru (who spits the verse in the intro). Check out his other music - nice.
- The new Sergio Mendes CD ("Timeless") is off the hook! - includes John Legend, Jill Scott, Will-I-Am, Black Thought, India Arie, Stevie Wonder (my all-time favorite), Pharoah Monche, Mr. Vegas (Heads High!), Erykah Badu, Jurassic Five, and Q-Tip! So far, the best album of '06!
- Yo - wutchall think about this Covenant book? Does Tavis and dem be caring about Black folks, or is this another way for them to pay the rent? Is it practical and profound? Or political froo-froo?
- In a couple of weeks, me and the brothers from the 100 Black Men will be doing our book club on the book "Warrior Method - Raising Black Boys". No, Angie and I are not expecting, but still - I need to be prepared, right!
Lemme stop there. I'mma talk about all this stuff in due time. But for now, it's back to the grind... As the young urban youth like to say - "I'll holla!"
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
"...Stepped out the house, stopped short, "Oh, No!"
I went back in, I forgot my Kangol.." - Slick Rick, "Lodi Dodi"
Am I the only one that is now forever unsure about the lyrics to 'Lodi Dodi', ever since Snoop re-versed it? I sit there thinking, "did Slick Rick say:",
"For all my dogs keepin' y'all in health..."
Or was that just Snoop's rendition?
And why is it that, in my time I've seen people close their eyes, tilt their head back and sing like they're in the church choir when it gets to the part:
"It's all because of you,
I'm feeling sad and blue..."
And am I the only one that remembers where he was the day that Snoop's "Doggystyle" album dropped? Was I the only one who had friends that waited in line outside the store before it opened to purchase it?
Hmmm...I'll just ask the questions...
I went back in, I forgot my Kangol.." - Slick Rick, "Lodi Dodi"
Am I the only one that is now forever unsure about the lyrics to 'Lodi Dodi', ever since Snoop re-versed it? I sit there thinking, "did Slick Rick say:",
"For all my dogs keepin' y'all in health..."
Or was that just Snoop's rendition?
And why is it that, in my time I've seen people close their eyes, tilt their head back and sing like they're in the church choir when it gets to the part:
"It's all because of you,
I'm feeling sad and blue..."
And am I the only one that remembers where he was the day that Snoop's "Doggystyle" album dropped? Was I the only one who had friends that waited in line outside the store before it opened to purchase it?
Hmmm...I'll just ask the questions...
Monday, December 05, 2005
Elaine: "Ohh, no! The city shuts down 5th Avenue; they never let anyone thru! We're never getting home."
Kramer: "Alright, I'm gonna check it out. ...Aieee! ...mucho trafico."
- Jerry, George, Elaine & Kramer stuck in traffic during the Puerto Rican Day parade, Seinfeld
On Saturday my wife and I went to Dayton to see the fam. We left to head down I-70 East towards home at about 9:45pm. Icy rain had begun to fall about an hour prior to that.
About 10:05p, we noticed that traffic coming in the opposite direction (70 West) was very light. Within a few minutes, it was more than light - there was not a single car going West on I-70. This wouldn't have been so strange except that we had been driving about 25 minutes and still not 1 car. That was kinda creepy. Obviously there must have been a big accident.
Nevertheless, we were still riding smooth down 70 East..... I spoke to soon. About 10:30pm, we hit a dead stop 30 miles outside of Columbus.
We didn't move again until 6:00am Sunday morning.
Yes, we spent the entire night sitting in the car on the highway in 25 degree rainy weather. I'll spare you all the details (or maybe I'll talk about them in another blog, after I recover from the trauma. At least that's what my therapist recommends.)
We later learned it had something to do with two semi's jack-knifing, and maybe a 20-car pileup. But don't bother looking for the details on any news media websites. Apparently if stuff don't happen conveniently enough for it to make the 11pm news, reporters say "screw it". What the...??!!!
Well, at least my story can be told here for the world to see. Remember me, and my struggles... :-)
Kramer: "Alright, I'm gonna check it out. ...Aieee! ...mucho trafico."
- Jerry, George, Elaine & Kramer stuck in traffic during the Puerto Rican Day parade, Seinfeld
On Saturday my wife and I went to Dayton to see the fam. We left to head down I-70 East towards home at about 9:45pm. Icy rain had begun to fall about an hour prior to that.
About 10:05p, we noticed that traffic coming in the opposite direction (70 West) was very light. Within a few minutes, it was more than light - there was not a single car going West on I-70. This wouldn't have been so strange except that we had been driving about 25 minutes and still not 1 car. That was kinda creepy. Obviously there must have been a big accident.
Nevertheless, we were still riding smooth down 70 East..... I spoke to soon. About 10:30pm, we hit a dead stop 30 miles outside of Columbus.
We didn't move again until 6:00am Sunday morning.
Yes, we spent the entire night sitting in the car on the highway in 25 degree rainy weather. I'll spare you all the details (or maybe I'll talk about them in another blog, after I recover from the trauma. At least that's what my therapist recommends.)
We later learned it had something to do with two semi's jack-knifing, and maybe a 20-car pileup. But don't bother looking for the details on any news media websites. Apparently if stuff don't happen conveniently enough for it to make the 11pm news, reporters say "screw it". What the...??!!!
Well, at least my story can be told here for the world to see. Remember me, and my struggles... :-)
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Thursday, November 17, 2005
"When I see [pee] coming, I move! When SHE saw [pee] coming, she stayed!..." - 8-year old Riley Freeman in defense of R. Kelly in "Boondocks: The Trial of R Kelly"
Another new show that I like - Boondocks on Cartoon Network. Maybe we truly have come a long way in terms of race and culture in America - we must have, if a show like this is allowed to come on. :-) You'll have to see it to know what I mean, but imagine a scene where Cornell West is kung-fu fighting a group of protesters, and another where a self-hating Black man sings "Don't Trust Dem New Niggas Over There" to a group of white folks at a garden party.
Classic.
Another new show that I like - Boondocks on Cartoon Network. Maybe we truly have come a long way in terms of race and culture in America - we must have, if a show like this is allowed to come on. :-) You'll have to see it to know what I mean, but imagine a scene where Cornell West is kung-fu fighting a group of protesters, and another where a self-hating Black man sings "Don't Trust Dem New Niggas Over There" to a group of white folks at a garden party.Classic.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Hans: "Do you really think you have a chance against us, Mister Cowboy?"
John: "Yippee-ki-yay....."
- Detective John McClane responding to the villainous Hans Gruber in "Die Hard"
Last night in my men's small group bible study, we read Joshua chapter 1 verses 1 thru 9. I came across a great verse:
"...No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you..." - verse 5
Actually, this is not the first time I've read this verse. For one, as I talked about a few days ago, I've finished reading thru the whole Bible, cover to cover (Praise the Lord!). So even tho I might not remember a verse, I know I've seen it before!
But, when I read this in my old King James Bible that I've had since I was 13 years old, I had that verse highlighted, and I could tell from the paleness of the yellow coloring, and the nearby hand-written notes on that same page, that it was a long time ago when I highlighted that verse. Problably still in my teens.
So I'm betting it spoke to me as loudly then as it does now. God promised Joshua that most people would not be able to stand up against him. (Insert sound of tires screeching to a halt) No, no, no - it actually says NO ONE will be able to stand up against him! I believe God is promising that to us today also! It reminds me of another verse that I've loved since childhood:
"The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?" - Psalm 118:6 (KJV)
God assures the believer a victorious life. But why do I find it so hard to remember these promises? I tell ya like I told my group last nite, the Ricardo that remembers and believes that NO ONE can stand up against him when he's doing God's will is a different Ricardo than the one who doesn't keep that promise in mind. The former Ricardo is much more spiritually bold and confident - willing to take more risks for God. Willing to walk over into the land of giants and say, "Yes, there are giants over there, but we can still win!"
I'm going to try to start my morning Bible reading with these verses, every morning for a few weeks. Try to get it to sink in. :-)
Speaking of my small group (Men of Joy), I'm glad to finally be back meeting with them again. We took a 40-day break to participate in a church-wide ministry. That was a loooooong 40 days! I gots to have my Men of Joy fill-up every week! Big ups to the MOJ!
John: "Yippee-ki-yay....."
- Detective John McClane responding to the villainous Hans Gruber in "Die Hard"
Last night in my men's small group bible study, we read Joshua chapter 1 verses 1 thru 9. I came across a great verse:
"...No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you..." - verse 5
Actually, this is not the first time I've read this verse. For one, as I talked about a few days ago, I've finished reading thru the whole Bible, cover to cover (Praise the Lord!). So even tho I might not remember a verse, I know I've seen it before!
But, when I read this in my old King James Bible that I've had since I was 13 years old, I had that verse highlighted, and I could tell from the paleness of the yellow coloring, and the nearby hand-written notes on that same page, that it was a long time ago when I highlighted that verse. Problably still in my teens.
So I'm betting it spoke to me as loudly then as it does now. God promised Joshua that most people would not be able to stand up against him. (Insert sound of tires screeching to a halt) No, no, no - it actually says NO ONE will be able to stand up against him! I believe God is promising that to us today also! It reminds me of another verse that I've loved since childhood:
"The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?" - Psalm 118:6 (KJV)
God assures the believer a victorious life. But why do I find it so hard to remember these promises? I tell ya like I told my group last nite, the Ricardo that remembers and believes that NO ONE can stand up against him when he's doing God's will is a different Ricardo than the one who doesn't keep that promise in mind. The former Ricardo is much more spiritually bold and confident - willing to take more risks for God. Willing to walk over into the land of giants and say, "Yes, there are giants over there, but we can still win!"
I'm going to try to start my morning Bible reading with these verses, every morning for a few weeks. Try to get it to sink in. :-)
Speaking of my small group (Men of Joy), I'm glad to finally be back meeting with them again. We took a 40-day break to participate in a church-wide ministry. That was a loooooong 40 days! I gots to have my Men of Joy fill-up every week! Big ups to the MOJ!
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Inigo: "Who are you?"
Westley: "No one of consequence."
Inigo: "I must know."
Westley: "Get used to disappointment."
Inigo: ".....okay"
- Inigo & Westley during their sword-fighting scene in "Princess Bride"
I just met a new, random brutha last week. Turns out, we have all kind of people in common that we know.
I'm going to a party this weekend / Yeah, I'll be there, too, cuz I know so-and-so.
I've got a friend that does what you do / Yeah, I know him too, we were hanging out last weekend.
What are the odds? I guess it really is a small world. Be careful what you say with folks you don't know - you might know them more than you thought you would. And they might know you, too. :-)
Westley: "No one of consequence."
Inigo: "I must know."
Westley: "Get used to disappointment."
Inigo: ".....okay"
- Inigo & Westley during their sword-fighting scene in "Princess Bride"
I just met a new, random brutha last week. Turns out, we have all kind of people in common that we know.
I'm going to a party this weekend / Yeah, I'll be there, too, cuz I know so-and-so.
I've got a friend that does what you do / Yeah, I know him too, we were hanging out last weekend.
What are the odds? I guess it really is a small world. Be careful what you say with folks you don't know - you might know them more than you thought you would. And they might know you, too. :-)
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