What To Do With Our People, Especially the Youth

The Talented Tenth
W. E. B. Du Bois
September 1903

The Negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men.

The problem of education, then, among Negroes must first of all deal with the Talented Tenth; it is the problem of developing the Best of this race that they may guide the Mass away from the contamination and death of the Worst, in their own and other races.

Now the training of men is a difficult and intricate task. Its technique is a matter for educational experts, but its object is for the vision of seers.

 If we make money the object of man-training, we shall develop money-makers but not necessarily men;

if we make technical skill the object of education, we may possess artisans but not, in nature, men.

Men we shall have only as we make manhood the object of the work of the schools — intelligence, broad sympathy, knowledge of the world that was and is,

and of the relation of men to it — this is the curriculum of that Higher Education which must underlie true life.

On this foundation we may build bread winning, skill of hand and quickness of brain, with never a fear lest the child and man mistake the means of living for the object of life.

This I have pondered on today after dealing with so many of our youth who are not interested in getting an education at school. I know for a fact that they probably wont pass the ISAT that we have been preparing them for. They are not interested in anything remotely related to reading, writing and math. This is a large number of students. The goal is to now concentrate on the upper percentile. The top ten. The top twenty even.  Those that want to learn and will learn. They can still help those that don't.

This is so serious.No ne really understands what's going on in these schools unless you are there. The miseducation of our youth is greatly due to their refusal to value education on the  whole. We have our top ten, then we have the rest.

Even with all of this doom and gloom, God is still in charge. God is still the final word on this situation. God is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. It aint over til God says its over and He is still working on this. It will take a long time. It will not be done in my life time but I know that my peg is placed. I continue to try to do my part and know that there is always more to be done. Little by little. /stay focused and keep our Eye on the Prize.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing to someone Special.

Good Morning

Good Morning and God Bless

Today is reveal day!!!!

You have had a busy week.

I hope everything goes well

My Trinity

Letting Go of Bitterness

Father God help me to let go of bitterness. Help me to find justice in situations that seem unjust. Allow me to not distort situations and help me to see the right thing that needs to be done in any situation. Let me not be walk around with unresolved anger due to hurt and betrayal. Let me heal. Let me escape. Let me trust. Let me obey. Help me to understand that rejection is not more than I can bear. Help me to let go of bitterness and resentment.  Give me the grace to stand firm and to the ability to know that the process is not over with me. Give me strength to be compassionate and kind to others no matter what the situation. Allow me to forgive. Make every effort in my life to show me how to walk in peace. Do not allow the root of bitterness to grow within me. Show me how to love. Lord search my heart, you know my feelings and my struggles.

Happy Thursday

Father God I ask for forgiveness. Today I will continue to ask for forgiveness.

I forgive those who have wronged me and ask for healing of my anger and unresolved hurts.

I realize that I am responsible for my own behavior, I am accountable to you for my thoughts, words, and actions.

Thank you for the Holy Spirit who leads me into reality and the truth. The truth shall set me free. Lord help me to discern the truth. Help me to understand that wisdom is a gift.

Anything that I am angry about, let me be free of that anger. Let me not hold grudges against anyone. I hold nothing in contempt in my heart. Any unresolved hurts I want to resolve and move forward. I know its easier said than done to forgive and forget, but Lord I want to do just that. Free my mind of anything that is not like you. I desire to be well balanced. Cautious of the devil who continuously roams the earth trying to kill, steal and destroy me. In the name of Jesus I stand firm, determined and strong. Rooted and established in Jesus  the Christ.

I draw my strength from You Lord. Your strength causes me to be steadfast and trustworthy. I can continue knowing that I have a mighty God with me. I dwell in the secret place of the Most High, I have the key to the private quarters, I am in the inner inner circle of the Most High God.

 I am loved and cherished. I walk in love toward my family and friends. I remove any resentment or hurt feelings that I may have had. I am able to resist any hypersensitivity, irritability and touchiness that I may have felt or had towards anyone in my daily walk with God. I am free of that burden. I stand firm in my faith that those things are removed from my life. I seek daily to walk in the path of the Lord. 

Thank You Lord for you are with me. I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony.

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. "John 13:34-35 (NIV)

Good Night

I pray for you and your family. I know so little about your family and I pray that the people in your life are able to get better.

Tonight was a very good session. Speak the truth. Let God use you to help heal and educate your faith communtiy.

Thank you for making the choice to come to 79th street.

I pray that we will find a friendship within this relationship. There is depth to be had.

Be blessed and be a blessing, Good Night.

Good Night

How was your day today?

How did the radio talk go? Were you pleased with the results?

You know that no matter what, you are a winner. You did good babe.

I listened to the bible study cd today. Sowing and Reaping. What an interesting series.

I'm impressed with you this week. I have a desire to please you. Please God.

Have a good night. Don't spend too much time thinking how I should just please God and not be a people pleaser. When you love someone, you want to do something to make them happy, let that just be my motive.  Let me want to do something to make you happy and not make a big deal out of it, OK,OK. Good Night.

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Good Morning

Father God I know that you will speak healing and health into our lives today. Know that we cherish you and reverence and worship you.

Today our man of God goes out to debate with those that continue to destroy your world. Lord keep his mind sharp and clear. Let him say your principles and know your will. No evil shall befall him and no plague shall come near. Anoint him for eternity. Love him, love him, love him. Place the whole armor of God onto him and protect him, protect him, protect him.

Lord I pray that you will give him good things. Nothing but good things. Let the conversations begin.

Hello Darling

 There is nothing that can separate me from the love of Christ. You are concerned with the smallest detail of my life.

My love for you helps create a harmonious relationship. I am submissive and agreeable. I am ready for what ever the Lord has for me today.

I  love you.

Good Morning Lord

Lord let me focus on your word today. I will meditate on your word both day and night.

Thy will be done in my life.

Today I will have a lot of traveling to do. Pick up baby from the sitter. Bring my brother his car, the get a ride to pick up the truck, then get on my way to this evenings event. Its a little hectic but I will be there.

Have a blessed day today. Know that you are loved.

Prayers, Prayers, Prayers

Why are these young men so troubled?

What has the educational system done to them to cause them to act out in this manner?

Why, Why, Why?

Happy Valentine's Day

God is at work in every aspect of our lives. The protection of the Father's strong arms is always around us.

Father God I thank you for all of the unseen acts that have kept me safe and secure as I walk through life.

Glory to your name Father God. Glory to your name.

Happy Valentine's Day My Love, My Darling, My Sweetheart.

Today you are loved and missed.

I Love You.

Healing Emotions

Praise the Lord. Thank you for healing my damaged emotions. Father God I come to you with a feeling of shame and emotional hurt. Lord I know my journey requires me to continually unfold the past until all is told. I want to find the past in my life and move to my future. Lord you are powerful in my life. I am feeling better, I know that sometimes when you begin to heal yourself , go to doctors and professionals, you have to be ready to hurt. You have to know that there will be some pain accompanying your growth, I know Lord that you accompany me in every step of my journey. You are my hiding place and you preserve me from trouble. You keep me safe. You surround me with song and with love and with patience. I am living a chosen life. You know me since my mother's womb and I am wonderfully made. I am your handiwork, you have delivered Be Blessed and know that you are loved very much. Good Night.

Ephesians 2:10 (New International Reader's Version)

 10 God made us. He created us to belong to Christ Jesus. Now we can do good things. Long ago God prepared them for us to do.

 

Tuesday

Thank You Lord for today.even with all the struggles it has been a good day. My cold will leave me eventually, I will be well, in Jesus name. the Lord is my Rock and my Counselor. My true salvation.

I hate that I couldn't be there tonight but the weather conditions were not good and I would have been very distracting with all the coughing that I have been doing. I want to hear the cd. I look forward to Friday. I have my ticket already so I know I will be there.Time is so precious, we have so very little of it to spend in the same space, I try to make sure I am at those moments all the time. Its important to me to be where you are.

Obama is doing really well. I hope/pray the momentum continues.

Be blessed tonight and be a blessing to someone. Good Night.

 

Monday

The Lord is My Shepard, I shall not want.

I am battling with my health right now and its a struggle. This respiratory infection is in my chest and the coughing is just crazy. Once I started to get healthy, go to the doctor, see an allergy specialist, then I get sick. I think I would have gotten sick anyway. I always seem to get sinus infections but the new meds he gave me have cleared up the head really well but the chest is just horrible. I'M hoping the antibiotics will clear it up. The coughing is just horrible. I say that to pray that you take pity on me and understand how difficult it has been for me and that the fact that I have missed a few days here and there with the daily note keeping of the journal is in no way reflective of any problem or mean feeling that I have towards you. I think of you daily and I am not ignoring you in anyway. I'm just trying to get well. A healthy body and a healthy mind.

Be Blessed and be a blessing. I love you and pray for you daily. Stay strong and supportive.

Certain Things

Certain Things make you feel different than other things.

Of course you want everything to work wonderfully when you are there.

I am so pleased and happy to hear that TV One is going to fix McMahon Hall. I pray that the women's bathroom is on that agenda. We need to have something more suitable for women with small children and toddlers. I think anything that you do will be greatly appreciated; I have been at this church for almost fifteen years and I would love to see a change. Congratulations to your church for winning the opportunity to have "Divine Restoration" visit your church.

I'm watching African American Lives 2 and it is both interesting and hurting. Its great to have black history month and the fact that we have such wonderful recognition. But as Gates says "who wants to remember all that pain?"

We all have people who have experienced such horrible hardship in their lives.  The horrible truth about the injustices of the past will not be forgotten. We believe that a new day is here.\

I pray that we can find solace for certain hurts in the past.

This is black history month and we are going to hear more and more painful truths about black families.

Good Morning

 

Lord I pray that no weapon formed against me or you shall prosper.Any tongue that rises against me or you in judgment shall be shown to be wrong. This peace,security and and tranquility is my inheritance and possession as a child of God. Father God you will contend with those who contend with me. I dwell in the secret place of the Most High , this secret place hides me from the strife of tongues and gossip. I am not anxious and I know that I speak the truth. God is with me in all of my court and business endeavors. I thank you Father God that Satan and all of his menacing figures are not victorious with me. I am strong with you Lord and I am powerful with your shield of faith. You hide me in the secret place. Thank You for loving me. Thank You.

17 haughty eyes,
       a lying tongue,
       hands that shed innocent blood,

 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
       feet that are quick to rush into evil,

 19 a false witness who pours out lies
       and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

Good Morning

Good Morning. Oh how I've missed you. Where did the time go, why did we stay away for so long? I'm back and I'm ready to write. 

Lord, Lord, Lord.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

You are everything to me.

Hope for tomorrow.

Master. Savior.

I am so blessed to have you in my life. To be able to just sit here and know that you will connect with me today. That you are looking forward to connecting with me today.

I know and believe in my heart that no weapon formed against us will prosper and that any tongue that rises against us in judgment will be proven wrong.

Lord I pray for your continual abundance; spiritually, physically and financially. As long as I am here for another day I have been blessed and highly favored.

Lord we are going to work on the contacts. Today is my allergy test. I know the contacts can work because the felt just fine, I just have to handle them better. When I get my next pair, I will make sure they are in the containers when I take them out of my eyes so that they don't dry out. I will not open it while I am driving and think I can put them on at a traffic light and last but not least I will respect the fragile nature of the lens. I do love the contacts, once I get my new set, or really just a new left one. I will be very mindful of the delicate nature of the lens.

Be blessed today and be a blessing to someone special.

Patience

I have tried to listen to the entire bible study in one sitting but I have not been able to listen. I do know that patience is important.

I  remember patience from the first one.

PATIENCE is important.

 

You will be proud of me. I have finally gotten contacts. I'm proud of myself.

Change is good.

I ask God what I need to do and its clear I need to take care of myself.

I'm going to take them out for today, but so far so good.

Love Struck

 

Cornel West's at Saint Sabina.

We are not color blind, we are love struck.

We want to see color. We want to include our differences.

We are standing on the verge. You and I have to fight for our relationship.

I am working on the inside and outside of me. I want to be more for God. In all areas of my life. I have lots of appointments for this year now. I have dentist, dermatologist, allergist, psychologist,optometrist, gynecologist and internist physicians on my list for appointment.

A change is coming for me.

I will have contacts.

I am ready for a change in my life. a drastic change. I will go to the professionals for help with everything in my life.

My heart, my mind and my soul are in need of repair. I need to love my self by taking care of my self. Taking care of my inner most being as well as my outer shell. My essence is at stake. My heart has hardened to my existence. I stopped caring for me while I cared for others. Now I have begun to care for me and know that I don't have to ignore me while still caring for others. I love myself more each day. My calling is to be loved and to show love. I am lovable. I love me. I have to love me to know that God loves me and that's a beautiful thing.  I'm blessed and highly favored. Be blessed tonight, be a blessing to someone.

 

My Alabaster Jar

What taks has God been calling me to do? I will spend some serious prayer time trying to discern that task and seriously try to do what God wants me to do. I so desperately want to please God. I want to break my alabastar jar. I want to do something for God.

Mark 14:3-9 (The Message)

 3-5Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper. While he was eating dinner, a woman came up carrying a bottle of very expensive perfume. Opening the bottle, she poured it on his head. Some of the guests became furious among themselves. "That's criminal! A sheer waste! This perfume could have been sold for well over a year's wages and handed out to the poor." They swelled up in anger, nearly bursting with indignation over her.

 6-9But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why are you giving her a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. You will have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives. Whenever you feel like it, you can do something for them. Not so with me. She did what she could when she could—she pre-anointed my body for burial. And you can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she just did is going to be talked about admiringly."

 

Good Morning

Praise the Lord and thank you Jesus.

I had all the best intentions of going in to work today.

Got on the ramp, just after going through the toll and started to spin, almost hit a car on the shoulder then began to spin into the lanes. Went over two lanes and managed to not hit anything. Got control of the car and quickly thanked God as I continually just called Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Father God, Lordy, Lordy and any other words I could say to get God's attention. After God saved me from hitting anything I made up my mind I could not go in to the city today. It was already an hour and forty five minutes on the Stevenson. Then it took me a half hour just to get back home which would normally take five or ten minutes.  Thank You God for saving me today. Today you saved me, as you do even when I don't know you are saving me. This is an ugly storm and if you don't have to be out in it then don't go out.

Be blessed today and be a blessing to someone. I love you and I thank God I am here to say that.