booty boycott blog

500 HUNDRED COUPLES

2011-12-21T19:26:00.000-08:00

How could we get 500 couples moved into the same neighborhood? 1. All of us devoted to the continuation of God in the home. 2. Upheld roles of manhood and womanhood as relates strong marriages, parenting, brotherhood, sisterhood and loyal friendships. How could we do this?

How can we leave a legacy a culture where the children of these communities not only felt safe, but were groomed to be strong enough to serve the needs of those outside of the community. Can this go beyond dreams?

Ceremonies that promoted the achievments of the members of this community. A place where our money worked for us; and greed, jealousy and vanity was overthrown by good sense, patience and self-discipline. How could 500 couples set aside the misteachings of this world and unearth/rekindle the true principles that make life...whole? That make living stable?

Could our children's children manage such teachings? Such weath? Such responsibility? Could this be? A place where people policed themselves? Imagine the possibilities...Community gardens and livestock, talent shows and etiquette balls for our children. Or, should we just let these current conditions cause us all to feel as if we have no control of our destiny?

Our own stores, movies, dry-cleaners, gyms, restaurants, pharmacies, clubs, parks, churches, schools, museums were loved and not disrespected by the members of the community? Annual parades, scholarships, Barbecues, Fairs? Whaaaat? How Mighty of a people these 500 couples would produce?

A community were women trusted one another; were adored by her man and children and mothers passed on similar to identical teachings to their sons and daughters. A special place where men were taught real manhood by many real men. Where men learned skills like welding, speaking, mathematics, how to pray and how to communicate with their children and their woman. WOW. A place were people believed in keeping this community safe so much that they would not molest a child, would not trade wives, but set aside lust and hatred to bring stability to this community.

Just think...500 couples willing to fight for safety, a piece of mind, CULTURE, and love. Is anyone out there? Someone strong enough to comment? God Bless YOu. All 1000 of you. --brother bartell

WOMEN…THE CHANGE IN US STARTS WITH YOU...DO NOT BE OFFENDED

2011-11-22T19:50:00.000-08:00

WOMEN…THE CHANGE IN US STARTS WITH YOU...DO NOT BE OFFENDED
"Women you have to be able to recognize the red flags that we give off. Diligently we will seek you. Flowers prematurely, introductions to family members before you and I have experienced true conversation with each other.

You allow me to look deep into your eyes and move deep within your heart when I have not taken one loving step or secure glance toward you.
Woman! I am out of shape, BUT you keep enduring the race that I should be running, but I can never repay you because I am not focused. You will become angered as I find another runner, another talented, loving, and kind thoroughbred to run for me.

Woman! I need you! When I want money, you give it. When I want to feel good you give it. When I don’t want to be bothered a few days here and there you wait. When I want go back to her, you wait for that. So do not be offended now when I ask you to truly help me; to really help me…to help me by helping yourself.

Woman! Demand from me character and I will change from my lazy ways and give you security. Demand that I show ambition and I will refuse to drive in the passenger seat of your car for months and years on end. Woman! Discipline yourself and I will become inspired to be the leader that I was designed to be.

Woman! Take time and see what is happening to our families and know that when women unite, our families will suffer no more. Woman! Unite!" As women unite as you have done in the past I will wake up at last. I know many of you will feel as if I need to be talking to the men, so I say... just try to hear me and know that we have a good chance at change if we start from this point.

God Bless Your Journeys. Repost Please

P.S. If you are wondering how this picture applies to the booty boycott, imagine a continuation of family dysfunction. Imagine fathers who never realize how much positivity they can bring to a child. The community starves. When families are broken, mother bury their sons prematurely. There are too many "baby boys" who die before they do any real work at all.

Before We Go Too Far

2011-10-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

I remember that one song by Janet Jackson "Let's Wait A While". It was a pretty awesome song. When It came out I may have been in the third grade,and I probably had no clue what she meant, but the tune was strong! I was reminded of this song as I listened to the radio today. It was the Doug Banks Show, and the topic was surroundng the various lengths that people would go to find out if someone they loved were cheating. One woman actually admitted to riding around with a .38 calibur gun hoping to catch her husband and his mistress in the act becasue she would actually have shot both of them.

She said this with such confidence--I mean, the pride and energy in her voice makes me feel sad for the situation that she was in. She had gone too far. I am further reminded that "The Booty Boycott" is so important right now because it gives people a way out. If that woman feels that she was brought to the point in her marriage to actually ride around with a loaded gun only to make statement, then I feel that she saw no other option to achieve peace.

Peace is all people want in this life. Some of them seek relationships in order to acheive a sense of security. I want people to have that peace as well and I want to offer them ideas that will give them genuine peace in the relationships.

Before you go too far, learn how to judge a potential mate. Does this person have genuine goals for their life. Is this person concerned about the welfare of others and have you seen first hand their actions that support this? Determine if you are compatitble by seeing what you have in common, and using that sixth sense (not the one that says we can make it through the hard times, but the one that says this is a good person for me or not)

Befor you go to far, learn yourself. What is your purpose, where is your self-esteem? Are you a good person? Are you someone is abusive and insecure? One way to stop this behavior is by finding joy in your own life. Learn how to spend time alone and understand that you are worthy of

Should Our First Time Be On the Floor? By brother bartell

2011-10-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

Self control is what it is going to take for you to have a successful Booty Boycott. I was reading about the story of Ruth. In chapter 3, I found out that Ruth, who by this time had lost her husband, was encouraged to take on a new husband out of tradition.

The gentleman that Ruth was to be married to was Boaz. Boaz was a businessman who owned land and he also had servants. He was “next-of-kin” to Ruth and because of their tradition; the male “next-of-kin” had the choice to marry the wife of a deceased family member.

Now, Ruth needed to earn a living, so she began working on his land. Upon Ruth’s arrival at his workplace, Boaz made it a point to make sure that she was respected by the male workers and ensured that no harm came to her.
Ruth’s stepmother Naomi was impressed by his gestures and encouraged Ruth to visit him one night. On this night Boaz had had his fill of food and drink and went to bed. When Ruth found his bed, she followed her mother-in-law’s instructions and lay down at his feet. This gesture would signal to Boaz that Ruth was offering her body to him for intercourse.

What Boaz does next is why I know this “Booty Boycott” can work. When Boaz woke up to find Ruth in his bed, he would not have intercourse with her. He did not have intercourse with her because he wanted to go through the proper channels.

Today, this same idea is real. Men can show the same level of self-control that Boaz did. If a woman likes you so much to where she would give her body to you because she feels she owes it to you, you have choice.

Many women feel obligated in some cases to offer sex as a repayment to a man’s niceness—No more! There are women who feel pressure (pressure from themselves) that just because some time has gone by that sex is the next thing that should happen—No more, the next thing that should happen is more communication, laughter, and learning to feel truly secure around each other.

How do you know when it is the right time to have sex? Why not ask the question…When do you know that a person truly has your best interest in mind?

What would you do if a young lady you really liked had one too many drinks, and you know that she is not in her right mind and offers you the opportunity to kiss a little bit, but you know that sex would not normally go down. What do you do when you know that if you keep going she will give you little resistance (but resistance nonetheless)?

By the way…After Boaz told Ruth no, he told her to sleep there until morning; she did this, but got up early before people saw her leaving his home. Boaz did not want Ruth to appear as some loose immoral woman. I bet Ruth felt relieved to not have her first sexual experience with this man on the floor (the threshing floor actually). Today, men have the same power to make sure that our women (no matter how they talk, look, act, or dress) wake up feeling good about themselves.

My position is not so much where you have sex, but why. You could very well be compromising yourself in the bedroom. So, again, why and when you decide to have sex is most important. Some people feel that they are too busy for a real relationship and casual sex is their comfort zone. I do not frown upon that so much, because main concern is if you feel less than good when you are done. You know when it is not the best time when your self-esteem feels lowered...Think about it.

The Booty Boycott asks us to bring back this level of concern between men and women. As you commit to this Booty Boycott please remember that the aim is to override your impulses and remember that No Sex On The Weekends is non-negotiable.

When you take on this level of leadership in your life, other people will benefit, become inspired and make adjustments in their own lives. Go to work on Monday guilt-free! www.bootyboycott.org

Courtship, Articulating Slavery, Purpose for youth

2009-05-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

In my experience I found that many youth are comfortable with talking about courtship. This has led me to want to use dating as a method to help them bridge the gaps between their often dysfunctional dating environment and their likely inability ability to conceptualize the gory details of institutional slavery. I take this approach in hopes that they will develop an emotional, mental, scholastic, and community-based consciousness regarding their roles as contributors to the progress of African people. I have observed that many of them know that something is wrong (i.e. inside, at home, throughout the black world). In a nutshell, I want to grab their attention via the topic of the problems that are associated with modern dating, and help them to see that these problems have roots that reach into generations of chattel slavery. As this stage is established I would strive to help them to see how slavery not only affects their dating behavior, but the other area of dysfunction within the African-American community. The anticipated result will be youth who now want to make the needed contributions to the African community because they know what is making them-us sick and what will make them-us healthy.
My young people are so powerful. I want you to know that in life, when you act dim then it causes other people to act dim. Young men, when you wrestle with young ladies on the bus stop, holding their necks with both hands in laughter, you are sending a message. Young ladies, when you stand at the bus stop with your back facing traffic in order to show that you have an attractive figure, you are also sending a message.
For six years I volunteered as mentor for a program at my church called the “Youth Sexualities Project” (YSP). The focus of this project was to inform youth that they had the right to seek instruction on sexuality from trusted adults in hopes that they would receive structured advice from them rather than from some of the effete advice that often comes with seeking life-skills information from peers or scorned adults. The research behind this program found that there is a connection between the choices that youth make regarding sex and the source of their influence. Many youth are found to have their primary source of sexual education to come from members of their peer groups including significant others and portrayals of sexuality in the media, rather than seeking education from the experience of parents, family members, or other trusted adult figures.
Trust is a key characteristic when we decide to guide youth especially in the area of sexuality. A trusted individual has the experience of addressing issues of sexuality and mature enough to facilitate the needs of youth from various backgrounds.
My mission was to insure that the youth made informed decisions regarding sexuality and sources that they sought to gain knowledge from. We conducted skits, wrote poems, and even conducted interviews. The number of people in each class was between 15-20 students. I had expected to only mentor for one year, but the opportunity returned and I found myself re-enlisting again and again. Each year I would have a combination of a new crop as well as inspired youth who wanted to return again after the previous year. Each of them had their own gifts and they all had their own unique pressures stemming from sexuality. I treated this program as a matter of life and death because based on my experience, mis-information about sex and an unhealthy outlook on sexuality can kill you physically and spiritually.
Year after year I witnessed young people explain their perspectives on marriage, love, intercourse, and dating. Once they found that none of their stories would leave the room, which basically meant that I could be trusted, I proceeded to listen for anything that sounded healthy as well as unhealthy. I would encourage them to face every issue that they brought to the table. The weekly dialogues allowed them to hear themselves speak. They were able to witness their own ability to share and value ideas within a group. The floodgates opened up, I was privileged to calm tears, inspire curiosity, encourage laughter, maintained an environment to release some pains, address fears, and raise voices. From a contemporary and church-culture perspective, YSP was innovative. Common Christian practices have caused conversation concerning sex and sexuality to be regarded as taboo. At YSP, young people had a place where they could be heard and not be judged.
There are a number of reasons that I have to why I took on mentorship at this capacity. I have always shown an interest in the dynamics of dating. It was initially at a personal level. As I matured I recognized pathologies in male and female interaction and theorized that there is a likely connection between unhealthy sexuality and a jaded sense of purpose I life. I also knew that peer pressure was powerful. I knew that one out of three sexually active individuals will have acquired a sexually transmitted disease by the age of 25. I knew that young people place a great deal of energy into their sexuality. I knew that irresponsible sexual activity led to a breakdown in parental involvement once a child was conceived and because of this reality, statistics revealed that seventy-two percent of adolescent murderers grew up without a father or consistent father figure. I wanted to serve my community. The hand that I have been dealt in life allows me to use my mistakes as teachable tools for survival and be useful in the lives of others.
My experience was further reinforced once I began employment with the Chicago Urban League. I now service estranged fathers ages 18-40 who need assistance with enhancing their lifestyles so that they may be useful in the lives of their children and families. These men are often very hard on themselves because they have made various mistakes in life. I observed that self esteem made the problems that they have communicating with the mother of their children increase from severe to life threatening. I eventually became frustrated because the help that I wanted to offer could not be passed on through a simple resume’ workshop.
I am now a father of two daughters, and I am grateful that I am aware of my role as a father to them. The experience that I have gained from being a mentor has influenced my views on parenthood. I know that my treatment of them and their observation of how I interact with them and their mother (my wife) will influence their expectations of the men they bring into their lives. I have always taken to the idea that I am their first boyfriend.
I want my daughters to embrace who they are as African people. Since they are African and female, my hope is that they will be prepared to embrace the stages of being a woman-daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother. I further would expect that their frame of reference be based on their consciousness of their African heritage. My daughters are going to be confronted with sexual pressures. This pressure does not just come from the men that they encounter but their peers. I don’t have a problem with what I cannot control. I do have a problem if my children (birthed and surrogate) are not prepared. Finally, I know that my presence will have an impact on the decisions that they make with men.
These three experiences have allowed me to be open to the idea of exploring the history of courtship and sexuality in ancient African tradition in hopes to discover tools that will lead youth into healthier awareness of self, dating, and purpose, and parenting. I attribute much of my ability to navigate through life’s trials and triumphs to the choice I made to embrace my African ancestry. Part of my self-awareness is rooted in the values upheld by African people who have lived before me. Therefore, my frame of reference for settling conflict, strengthening relationships with members of my extended family, rules for monitoring my work ethic, and worshiping God is grounded in an African-centered point of view.
I mention African-centered thinking as the foundation for my inspiration because it supports my desire to explore traditional African ideals regarding courtship and sexuality. I hope to find out if scholars have provided research on providing African-American youth with instruction on the traditional practices that were implemented to ensure that interactions between male and female upheld socially acceptable conduct. I want to make a contribution by conducting research that will enhance the lifestyles of African people so that they may be more productive and prepared to do their part in the world.
I espouse to the belief that slavery is the cause of current situation. I know that this position turns off a large number of African-Americans as well as those outside of this ethnic background. However, if I am giving the opportunity to explain then the depth of this statement will be revealed. The reason that slavery is the cause of the situation that African-Americans are placed in is because so many are unable to articulate it. African-American children exhibit little to no value regarding life, thought, future, or self; because they are not able to conceive the magnitude of destruction that befell their ancestors and thus affecting them each and everyday.
I want to our youth to be concerned with ideas of what it means to be scholarly and how their choices impact their community we have to provide them with keen insight to their plight. For some, we will even have to introduce to them that they are in a problematic environment/mentality in the first place. Jewish people around the world are able to articulate their Holocaust and it allows for them to be prepared in the event that such a destructive force attempts to be erected again. The staggering percentages of African-Americans entering the penile system, self-hatred, low marriage, and lack of concern for education are the result of an inability to articulate the details of the institution of slavery.
My role in affecting change among African-American youth is to first narrow my focus on what I want to discover. I am seeking works that guides young men to learn the power behind using “words” to express their interest in a young lady. I am seeking works done by scholars that guide young women to understand the responsibility to display allure, poise, and standards of quality when seeking relationships with men. In my research and I am seeking to find works by individuals and/or organizations who aim to inform youth about healthy dating-relationships, bi also the affects of slavery that cause it to be unhealthy.
In this literature review I am seeking to analyze the work of long-time professionals whose discoveries about youth development relate to my topic of interest. It is by looking closely to their positions that I will have a clearer sense of the need for me conduct my own research. I seek material to support a need for African-American Youth to be able to articulate the process of slavery and gain a knowledge-base of the courting process to the extent that they are capable of identifying the destructive elements that are presented in their present environment in hopes that they will gain significant consciousness and contribute to their community’s uplift.
XXX

A Historic Perspective

2005-07-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

It has been nine years since Minister Louis Farrakhan hosted the largest demonstration ever in Washington, D.C., asking one million Black men to take charge of their own fate. Now, Minister Farrakhan has called for the Million Man March, part II, on the 10-year anniversary of the historic event.

The timing couldn’t be better. The condition of many Black men in America is still dire, and the re-election of President George Bush has left many Blacks realizing that we must depend on ourselves, not the government, to better our condition.

Since that first march on Oct. 16, 1995, there have been Million Woman, Youth and Family marches, in addition to many other offshoots tapping into the popular name, like the Million Mom March and the recent Million Worker March.

We came to Washington on that fateful day, not to petition government for a civil rights bill or a handout, but to take responsibility for ourselves. The spirit of that day was like nothing I had ever experienced, or have experienced since. I marched down to the National Mall from my college campus with 5,000 other students. When I reached the stage area on the steps of the Capitol and looked out into a sea of Black men, many who stood for at least 10 hours, I held back tears. I knew this day would forever cause a change, if not in the world, certainly in me.

At the conclusion of the march, the throngs of men repeated a pledge given by Minister Farrakhan, to be responsible and active in improving ourselves and our community. After the march, I wrote an article explaining my commitment to take the pledge seriously. Since the march, I got married and have remained so. I have two daughters, and I direct a nonprofit that serves youth coming out of the juvenile justice system, nearly all of them young Black men.

Many of my friends were similarly moved by the Million Man March to come back home and make a change. One, a former pilot for United Airlines, came home and decided to start his own internet company—he currently runs one of the largest Black-owned internet service providers in the country. Another friend, a former classmate at Howard University, also decided to start his own firm, so he could spend more time with his family. He was an engineer for a Washington, D.C., energy company. Now, his own computer consulting business is thriving, along with his family.

Many others across the country took the pledge given that day seriously. The men were asked to register to vote, join an organization, adopt a Black child. After the march, a reported 1.7 million Black males were added to the voter registration rolls. Organizational memberships skyrocketed—the NAACP, churches and mosques reported huge increases after the march. The adoption of Black children increased significantly.

Others criticized the march: There wasn’t a specific demand on government; there wasn’t enough follow-up; Minister Farrakhan shouldn’t have traveled abroad afterward. But the purpose wasn’t political. The purpose was for Black men to take responsibility for their own actions and to help develop their own communities, and to atone for our lack of responsibility.

Forty-two percent of all Black boys have failed at least one grade, according to the Twenty-First Century Foundation, a Black philanthropic organization in New York that has launched an initiative to serve Black boys. The foundation also found that “in 2002, one in four African American males were idle (unemployed) all year long.”

In California, it is seven times more likely for a Black man to be in a state penitentiary than in a state university. The 2000 census revealed that one in 17 Black men in California was incarcerated, compared with one out of 114 White men.

Add that to a myriad of social issues, including alarmingly disproportionate AIDS rates and prostate cancer in Blacks.

In an op-ed on the quality of life for Black people, New York Times columnist Bob Herbert recently concluded that “it’s just wrong to allow many (Black) Americans to remain in a state of social and economic degradation without attempting to alter the conditions responsible for their suffering.”

This is why I will be back in Washington for the Million Man March II on Oct. 16, 2005. The time is right, the need is great and the opportunity is ripe for change.

First Nations

2005-07-08T23:54:00.000-07:00

written by the brother bartell -- world wide exposure campaign

Did you know that the Indians of Canada are called “First Nations”? That is the politically correct term for the original people of Canada which is equal to the term “Native American” as we refer to the original (aboriginal) people of the United States.

Here is some more food for you. Canada passed the “Indian Act” of 1857. The British Parliament (Colonizers) were interested in the “Gradual Civilization of Canada” which entailed the relinquishing of all Indian land, language, and culture in exchange for British Citizenship. This law said that if an Indian man learned to read and signed pledge to “live as a white”; he was allowed to vote, own property, and serve on a jury.

In order to further control these First Nations, The British commissioned an “Indian-Agent” among each reserve. This de-facto ruler had no true legal or official clout within the government law books, but was aided by the British to keep “Indians” in line.

Under the “Indian Act” Indians had to have written permission leave their reservations. Britain in the 1950’s sought ways to impose apartheid. This systematic form of control was so attractive to them that “pass laws” were based on Canada’s’ “Indian Act”.

First Nations

2005-07-08T23:51:00.000-07:00

Ocean's 12 on my list of B..S.. "budget" FILMS

2005-06-04T00:20:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you what a bullcrap strategy to make freakin' money Ocean's 12 is. I saw this big freakin' budget. All I grab is the follwing:

Multi-million dollar budget
Gives spin-off to what was a cool film
A joke of a sequel aimed to raise hard earned money out of people's pockets
And nobody seems to freakin' catch on to it.

I AM TELLING YOU OCEAN'S TWELVE WAS A FREAKIN' HOAX! Who and the hell ballets through a security system by himself, a forty-year-old at that! Steals a relic that is worth over 190 million dollars and makes it believable. No one! This is what I got from Oceans twelve.

These guys needed to stick to Casinos and get money hungry. It was no thing for them to write out Don Chedele and Burnie Mac this time around. Burnie stayed in jail the whole half of the film and didn't get out until the caper was over.

Okay Let me beging to make some sense. You got to this movie right. YOu come feeling in your head this is going to be great because Oceans 11 was written so well. Well the Movie runs it's time and I all I can say is that yeah they tilted a house, but where did they get the resources from, they cracked this really tough code...fine, whatever!

But what pair of security gaurds who know that they have to take multi-million dollar merchandise on a train and have a kid as the front man, acutally fall for thee old switch-a-roo when it comes to letting two American guys in $8,000 suits and baseball caps squabble all over their coffee table conviently enough to let the merchandise get taken from them.

Hell I i'll be back. Oh and the bit about Julia Roberts and her act with Bruce Willis, what was that for; anothr joke. Katherine Zeta-Jones and her pursuit for her long lost dad who she was searcing for for the longest while mentioning his name ten times over in the movie as if he was some other guy.

I say this movie has cool scenes, but the storyline was horribly-lazily scripted. I hate when the movie industry pulls punches like this. "Well we know that with the names that we bring to the table we will get the crowds money," who cares if they are not happy, we aren't going to make a part three. Better yet let's make an even crappier ending than stupid movien Mel Gibson played in where he was supposed to be bad guy.

Mindful if want to make it happen

2005-03-22T19:47:00.000-08:00

Good evening heros!!!! I am happy to be able to at least reach out to you, a blessing added on to that would be if you reached back. I just want to say look at us. We are in our third month of 2005. I know that there are a number of us who a keeping it steady. Acutally let us together define keeping it steady:

1. Steady as you are keeping focused
2. When you are under a spiritual attack,
yet you refuse to give in to the enemy
3. Those of you who keep steady give your-
time to breath and asses a hectic situ-
ation and then relize that you were in
more control than you thought.
4. A person who has kept it steady since
January 1, is someone who was mindful in
their worship enough to praise God for
putting them in a situation that would
only strengthen my armor.

YEAH THAT'S STEADY MY HUMANS. We should take the stress off of ourselves and begin to know that we have an obligation to WORK TOWARD ETERNITY. Does it hurt hear my friends? Do you feel uneasy sometimes my male and female soldiers? You feel alien because you are not at home, this is a temporary situation here. You use this opportunity to prais the Lord because he put you in the "GAME" that is what you do here.

AAA IT MUST BE TRUE. It has been given to me to blog staight to. And I don't get off giving wrong information to you.

Taking the Edge off Going Haywire: Snacking

2005-03-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

Good evening to all those curious souls who seek to take in advice from a godly standpoint. I want to keep it simple in this three-part-series on "Taking the edge off Going Haywire."

We know that self-discipline is one of our major struggles, especially as believers in our twenties who are coming into our own in purpose, worship, and action. I ask the Lord what it is I can do to basically give sound advice within the 17 minutes that I have before I have to head home.

In my head I am going "Discipline, umm stength, routine, patience" Believe it or not, you know what I have come up with? SNACKING. Well think about it. Food is a wonderful invention. We want all of the time, and no matter what we will always need some form of it.

To my men and women who are congruent with me in the fact that eating is at the top of my list just under my obedience to the Lord I will begin.

Whether you are a student, a professional, or just waiting for "it" happen (keep praying) it is important that you watch your health. Many of us associate health with watching our weight.

The next time we decide to snack on some Oreos, or Snickers, or Ruffles, or ice-cream and burgers, Let's think first. WE KNOW THAT WE STILL HAVE DINNER TO COME, OR LUNCH, SO LET'S NOT WASTE OUR APPETITE. But I am so hungry, you say?

TRY Cheezits or mini muffins, try baby carrots and pretzels. This method will keep you not only from over eating, but eating all of your snacks up in one setting long before you day is done.

IT IS ALL ABOUT DISCIPLINE In II Peter 2:1-10 the word of God tells us about discipline. We need to go through the process of maintaining self-discipline so that we may have a productive relationship with the Lord.

YOU SHOULD NOT TRY THIS ALONE As I have mentioned before for you need someone else who believes in what you are doing so much that they are willing to participate so that you can hold each other accountable. ECCLESIASTES 4:9-12 Gives us instruction on how not to do things alone and how bad is for a person to stuble with no one else around them to help. Your friend is out there for you, your partner in prayer and worship and deed.

GOODNIGHT Thank you for listening.

AAA IT MUST BE TRUE GOD gave it to me, it works and I am giving it to you. Take your time to see your prayers through.

When life needs you to be a little more than stupid!

2005-02-26T22:08:00.000-08:00

When you have journeyed so far and overcome so many hurdles, is it fair to your walking shoes or your guiderails to never let go of all of the road that you left behind?

Does it make sense to always fall back into the place where you have worked so hard to come out of? I mean come on do you actually think that you are doing this on your own. Selfishness is the forerunner of making people not see that there are other people and other people's lives that they are resposible for.

Growing up means growing as an organism that bears fruit. When you are constantly placing yourslef in position to fall back, to keep reaching back and bringing the "old road" with your you your growth is at risk of being stunted, you are never fully able to bear the fruit that you are designed to provide to nurture so many people are just waiting, needing, DYING, to eat from the gift that YOU are carelessly making a mockery of.

You're growing, your leaves are all green and pretty, and when the wind passes through them it makes thee most peaceful sound "afect", for whatever reason you do not yeild what has been so expected, so needed, so righteous of you. You bear only what takes little to no effort to spout.

You know what happens? People will take what they can get, even thought they shouldn't, even though the see that something that they should be getting is not there, but guess what? They do realize that the fruit you are bearing is only giving them so much nutrients until their body (spirit) overides them and they leave and go get what they deserve, and that is what you don't want to do.

Grow my trees so that yu can be proud to give only the sweetest to someone else's life. Do what you now that they deserve. You are designed to provide so much more that what you are providing right now. It is a brand new season, GIVE IT UP! GIVE IT ALL UP!!!!

IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU, IT IS ABOUT GOD WHO MADE YOU!

AAA IT MUST BE TRUE, its truly been lived by me and all I can do is share my testimony with you.

Simply This...

2005-02-23T06:21:00.000-08:00

For so many of us seem to cause so much frustration. We flip quarters we ask five or ten, maybe even fifteen people for advice (unless you are me in that case you would have reaced the sixty plus marker).

What do you do when you have to make these decisions and it seems that you fail to come up with answers... you choose one! My friends you just simply have to choose and have the faith in the Lord that you will be well taken care of. You have to choose.

AAA IT MUST BE TRUE I am making choices every day, whether or not I think it is what I want, God continues to make a way to show me through.

The Nutritional Value in Stumbling

2005-02-19T05:38:00.000-08:00

I appreciate the opportunity I have to share what I have with you on this morning which is ever so finely revealing it's self to me. I am truly honored to be a part of your daily thoughts and evolution. I see you being stronger because you search for a truth that you deserve. May you give glory to what is greater in you than that which is in the world.

STUMBLING is viewed as failure, or disaster, a relationsip that has had to come to an end, or perhaps a fall that has made all things that follow much worse. To me a stumble was at one point a reason to sit all the way down. Stumbles for some of us become fumbles and someone else seems to have obtained victory from the lack of focus or coverage that you displayed.
For so many stumbling can be a mark of dissapointment, sinfulness, inadequecy, a breech of contract. IT IS NONE OF THE ABOVE.

WHEN you take on a trip that requires you to commit to a particular goal you are often intructed before during and after you have achieved that goal. For so very many young people getting saved, and seeking to walk as Jesus walked this prepares them for an eternity in God's kingdom.

WHAT happens when you are on your journey and you become faced with temptations, and fear, what happens when you come into faithlessness and laziness, you find yourself alone, and reminded of how you used to be. In fact you reminice over how good it felt during time when you weren't saved. DID YOU THINK THAT THINGS WERE GOING TO BE PERFECT BECAUSE YOU ACCEPTED CHRIST INTO YOUR LIFE? Well if that is the case don't feel bad, you are not sadly mistaken, you are merely in need for some guidence. Notice that I saidmerely in need for some guidance, this is because it is God promises to keep you and will not let you go becuase you are a believer.

WHO of us is perfect? Not one. Allow me to use a short example to assist you with rest of this blog. When person who is in forward motion of walking and an obstacle that she/he was not able to go around causes him to sway and loose balance, this in fact is a stumble. As his brain reminds him of what his body must do to keep walking he straigtens up and may even look back at what he stumbled over so that he may be prepared for next time. This person also has enough balance and lower body strength to ensure that this minor stumble does not become a complete fall. That is awesome!

HOW could there be a beauty in stumbling how can you appreciate that you just stumbled and made a complete fool of yourself? I immediately think of how many Swedish marathon runners stumble to the finishline and find themselves winner. Then I think of how I have stumbled in my life and knew only one thing and that was that "I did not have the option of sitting down and staying down even if I was hurt. Neither do you, but you do have the right to stumble.

DID YOU KNOW that for you to walk on a road and stumble as you are on your way home is a good thing, that means that you first had the desire to begin a journey, and when you stumbled you had the strength and memory to not fall, and knew that even in stumbling you were still moving forward? You are still moving forward. When someone stumbles their mind and their memory goes into overdrive and it does whatever it possibly can to make sure that this person does not completel fall down.

I WANT you to see that I am not trying to get you to be satisfied with your performance and not work hard anymore. I want you to know that there is a differnce with those who merely stumble,and those who fall and lay flat on their faces. The stumbler's mind remains on the goal; they keep on walking just as the winner the first set out to be. That practice alone separates people who stumble from those who fall. The fallen don't realize that they do have to just live in their mistackes. Those who pridefully stumble keep telling themselves to keep it together and know that it is not over.

AAA IT MUST BE TRUE because God gave it to me so I give it right to you, and this to walk in love your whole life through. I am tired out my mind so this blog might cause for a redo.

The Son's Rising of Friendship

2005-02-18T06:08:00.000-08:00

Morning everyone, It is an honor to serve each and every one of you here on this day by providing you with truth that has come to my life. I want to write to you, humbly write to you on my evolution in friendship.

Ernst (urnst) is my good friend we started off as prayer partners around the beginning of last year '04. We have asked the Lord to enter our brotherhood and help us to hold each other accountable for our commitments to Him.

It is important that I mention my experience with friendship because we (especially young men) live an enourmous untruth when it comes to how men should act. All of this what is "manly" over what is "gay". In this blog I will give each one of you details so that you my recognize for your own self the characteristics of a healthy male relationship.

LOVE for God and for each other is the key to a lasting bond in brotherhood. Ernst and I both seek to glorify God in all that we do. When we first began our initial relationships as prayer partners we weren't sure of what should happen. We were both at a mature understanding in God to where the idea made sense, but our consistency had to develop with fine-tuning. We would pray one day, and a whole month would go by before we prayed again. We would start up again and go on spiritual leave all over again. We eventually got the hang of it and one day Ernst said to me "brother, I've been thinking that if we gone roll with the Lord then we gotta' do like our life depended on it; it cain't be no other way", he professed. "We need to look at our prayer life as something we need every day and if we don't we might die!".

HONESTY in our actions. In the word of God we are instructed to confess or sins to our bretheren (sisters who read this you too!) We are both abstaining from sexual activity and there were time in our journey that we had become weak and strayed from our path. Almost simultaneously we both recognized the importance of letting the other friend know when you have made a mistake or stumbled. This is essential because he/she is there to help you and desperately needs your help and your love. Be honest because your friend may have done something he is not proud of and doesn't know that it is alright to confess to you for fear of judgement or breech of contract, but God does not work that way God is a forgiving master and like him your friend should be there for your. (THAT IS WHY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE TWO OF YOU TO ENGAGE IN PRAYER DAILY)

FREEDOM FROM ALL INHIBITIONS cement a life long bond in your friendship. I told Ernst this morning as we were returning from Ballys that " I used to ask God what my boy would be like, man that is man like me, and we could relate to each other in life." I told Ernst this I told him that I am proud to know him and that we are going to let brother know what type of relationship they deserve to grow healthily in their own lives. I laugh with this brother all the time, I worship with this brother all of the time, I go before God for him as you should for your "boy" or your "girl"! If we want life to be grand for each of us we must change how we understand what is greatness what is "Hype" and not smilin' because you are "too hard" for all that an inability to express love because you are "too grimey" that is WEAKNESS. You will always have issues in your life not only your relationship with your friends but in with your father, other people in your family, your spouse, and don't forget God! You will limit your relationship with the Lord because you will not release.

GUIDANCE will be something that the two of you naturally provide for each other. Ernst and I hold each other accountable. "Ernst, what did you eat today Ernst?" I will ask to make sure he sticks to his diet. "brother bartell, what is your prayer life looking like brother? Have you been reading your Bible?" How are your classes, are you coming to Worship Service on Sunday, it's 4:40 am you know that we will be meeting at Ballys by five-thirty. As a friend you must be a stronghold, if no other person can keep a secret or tell you the truth about yourself a godly friendship with display this characteristic.

SUPPORT is important and is a great resopnsibility. People get jealous so easily, I pray for God's goodness to be all over Ernst. I pray that he will be open to his purpose in life. I always want to lift him up and never tear him down. Throughout are young lives we are jealous in our friendships these days, when one friend receives a blessing somehow it get translated in to some type of threat to the other. Or when one friend begins to live a better life that is pleasing God, the other friend want to remind the friend who has grown of how much dirt he or she used to do. We will ask ourselves "what am I doing wrong?", or "when am I gonna get all that he/she is getting?" This is a sin and, we have to get that junk our of your system or else are friendships with surely fail. Every single time.

WHY is this so important? Why are you being opinionated? I have not intention to point a finger at anyone, I want you to know what you deserve from life what your options are. When it comes to anything that you keep close to you in life, it will be better for you if it is clean, and does not harm you are tear you down. Your friends should make inspire you to seek more in life, you should inspire them to want to live better, for something greater than themselves.

AAA IT MUST BE TRUE because it was given from God to me to share with you, and I will not give you any trash only words to make your life true. Amen

However I can help! The beggining of guidance

2005-02-17T18:31:00.000-08:00

I was once asleep, deathly asleep, and as I can help it, if there is anyone at risk of being asleep as I was, I am doing all I can to make sure that they do not have to be in that situation. This is my first blog, and I am so excited of what is to come. So I say trust your "brother"!