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Tag: James Washington

  • Spiritually Intimacy Anyone?

    Spiritually Intimacy Anyone?

    After a while, your conversations and, to some degree, your thoughts about religion and spirituality begin to run together. On this walk, I understand that speed is not an essential quality, but rather, a slower pace proves much more enlightening. Therefore, it is more likely that being still is preferential to being quick. My point is that words like prayer, peace, intimacy, personal, and balance all take on different, although complementary, meanings when it comes to God.  Haven’t you heard many preachers say, suggest, or question whether or not you have a personal relationship with God or Jesus? Most people who profess to be Christian or claim to be saved say yes, of course. I know I have. But when I thought about it, I wondered, do I? This is when being still becomes so important (to me). If you think about it, how do you become personal to, or with, another human being, let alone God? Personal relationships result from a whole set of experiences, events, and challenges shared between people. Once established, like it or not, personal is a permanent state of being between you and that other person.

    I happen to believe the same is true with God. You can’t be intimate with another being until you’ve become personal. That’s just a fact. Look at how many relationships start with what you think or fool yourself into believing is intimacy, only to find out later that when you want to relate personally, you find yourself trying to relate to a total stranger. If that happens in this world, it is understandable that it can easily happen in a world created and controlled by the Lord. To become personal, you must share all the little secrets, indiscretions, flaws, faults, and sins. Like a close personal friend or lover, you must confide in the Lord and, through Jesus, know He’s listening. When I slow down and deliberately still my consciousness, that’s when it makes sense to pray. Prayer is a personal conversation, the kind that you have with someone who knows and cares about you or whom you truly care about. Prayer is a central mechanism that relates to those involved with crises and love, those issues of the body, mind, and, yes, even the soul. Let’s see. Intimacy can only be achieved by establishing a close personal relationship. A close personal relationship can only be established by a conscious, consistent attempt to be transparent to someone else; no games, no hidden agendas. Prayer is the conversation, the vehicle to establish the framework in which personal relationships can provide spiritual intimacy. This seems to be the key to peace and balance, which I mentioned earlier. I’m not by any means saying this is easy. I’m simply saying God has a wonderful way of reminding us to be still. Stop playing. Listen, or better yet, expose yourself to His hugs and kisses. Cry on His shoulder. Ask for his help. Recognize that His counsel, much like that of a best friend, may not be what you want to hear but what you need to hear because it’s grounded in unconditional love for you, and His counsel is based on the truth. Maybe you can deal with this on the fly, but I can’t. If I equate my relationship to the Almighty on the principles of the best relationships I’ve had here on earth, then I’ve got work to do. There are still conversations (prayers) to be had and things to reveal. My vessel is not yet empty, but I’m working on it in an effort to replace my mess with God’s blessings. I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and I’m told by my hopefully good friend Jesus that being still is a good place to start. So my advice to you is also to stop, look and listen.

    May God bless you too.  

    This column is from James Washington’s Spiritually Speaking: Reflections for and from a New Christian. You can purchase this enlightening book on Amazon and start your journey toward spiritual enlightenment.

    James Washington

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  • Not Guilty

    Not Guilty

    They tell me that ignorance of the law is not supposed to be an excuse for breaking the law. So, if you ever find yourself in court, telling the judge you didn’t know, that, by itself, won’t get you off the hook.  Depending on the conviction of the presiding judge, however, might get you a lighter sentence. I believe when it comes to your and my spiritual existence, Jesus represents the kind of forgiveness that only occurs in Family Court. The more I read scripture, the more I understand our wonderful relationship with the Almighty and the extraordinary power of His love for you and me, as demonstrated by my relationship with His only son, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That blood thing is what I’m referring to. If you would allow me to use two examples to illustrate my point, let me give for your review Christ on the cross and Simon Peter’s denial of Jesus as the cock crowed. All of us know that Peter did in fact deny Jesus as predicted. We also know that Peter “wept bitterly” because of it. Now, one very good example of God’s great capacity to love His children is that this same Peter, once afraid and fearful for his own life, came to witness for the Lord with no fear about his new life whatsoever. It was Peter, who, when the day of Pentecost came, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke boldly and without fear of reprisal about the blood-bought forgiveness of sins because Christ’s death made us eternal members of God’s family. You see, Jesus is our access. He is our entrée, court-appointed attorney, and intercessor to our Father, the ultimate Judge. Peter acknowledges this when he says, “Repent, be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” Acts 2:38.

    You see, what the Holy Spirit did for Peter is what the Holy Spirit will do for you. The key is weeping bitterly. Peter had to first accept and acknowledge his shortcomings. He had to empty himself to make room for the Holy Spirit. Those who recognize this and understand the premise know firsthand that they are truly family members, and ignorance is but a poor excuse for the ultimate acceptance of Christ as Lord. In Luke 23:24, Jesus says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” From the Master’s own lips, we know even His captors and persecutors were in line for forgiveness. All anyone has to do is plead ignorance, repent, and turn to the Lord. Ain’t that something? Blood bought forgiveness, and no one, particularly God, expects you to be perfect. The expectation is that you’ll be righteous in your acceptance of Jesus and sincere in your repentance. Remember, your court-appointed attorney has already won your case. But you do have to show up in court, listen, and acknowledge that the changes are true. Your Honor, yes, I denied Him. Yes, I committed the sin. Yes, I was wrong. Guilty as charged will be the verdict. And as Jesus told the adulteress, “Go and sin no more.” He tells us that each and every day. May you and I hear and obey. May you come to understand that the shedding of Christ’s blood made you His blood brother, so to speak, and yes, God is your Father, too. That means the court convenes in the living room. What a blessing! In the meantime, may you never live in ignorance again, and may God bless and keep you always.

    This column is from James Washington’s Spiritually Speaking: Reflections for and from a New Christian. You can purchase this enlightening book on Amazon and start your journey toward spiritual enlightenment.

    James Washington

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  • Time Is Worth Way More Than Money

    Time Is Worth Way More Than Money

    Have you ever thought about the concept of time? I mean, really, what is time, and what are the consequences of experiencing time? First, let me submit that time for human beings, at its simplest, is the reality experienced between birth and death. One’s consciousness is the sum total of time spent in the body you currently inhabit. You do not control when you are born or when you die (unless you commit suicide). But you can to a great degree control your time and how you spend it.

    I know for a fact that the older anyone gets the more value they place on time. Spending it wisely becomes more than a trite phrase. 

    Quality time, in the great scheme of things, begins to take on monumental proportions when considered against the backdrop of realizing it’s the most important commodity any of us has. Scripture teaches us that God is the progenitor of time. Revelation 1:8 says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Isn’t it fascinating that Jesus Christ, the human embodiment of God, is the focal point of how we measure human existence…time…B.C. versus A.D.? Scripture also tells us that the best use of our time is spent in searching for, finding and then honoring the Almighty by mirroring the life of His son Jesus.

    If any of this has merit, then wasting time must be viewed as one very big unacceptable sin. The mystery of life is easily solved by using and spending life’s most precious and fleeting commodity wisely.

    That’s probably why unconditional love is so rare. To recognize it is to spend time with it forever. I mean, what are your most valuable memories? Aren’t there those where you are appreciative of the time spent in the presence of a lost loved one, a partner of extraordinary sensitivity, a child with unlimited potential, or a parent not with us anymore?

    I guess what it boils down to is that those who recognize the value of time should put it into its proper perspective…God, family, and everything else. Time is not money. It is the essence of life. Time, like money, however, must not be squandered. The result of a bankrupt soul is much more severe than a bankrupt pocketbook.

    May God Bless and keep you always.

    This column is from “Spiritually Speaking: Reflections for and from a New Christian” by James Washington. You can purchase this enlightening book on Amazon and start your journey towards spiritual enlightenment.

    James Washington

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  • Know Your Game Plan

    Know Your Game Plan

    I have often found myself wrestling with the concepts and realities of good and evil. It stands to reason that if you believe in God And His goodness, power and the righteousness of Jesus Christ, then you must also believe in the existence of Satan and his earth bound inherent ‘evilness.’ So that I don’t become too esoteric, allow me to explain. It is the height of hypocrisy or wanton ignorance that we as human beings follow a course of action consistent with one belief and act,at the same time, totally contrary to that same belief.We concede to the reality that evil exists. Our laws and subsequent penalties are there to protect us against criminal, abhorrent and even demonic behavior.

    The recognition, the counterbalance then should be a professed belief that confirms the existence of God. It’s  supposed  to  be  the  good  stuff.

    There are also laws put in place to protect us on that front too.Unfortunately, it seems that evil demands actions while goodness gets a whole lot of lip service. I believe this is true because we humans, with all of our own flaws and faults (or should I say sinfulness), have gotten used to functioning in a world that Satan does have power in. Thanks to him many of us have become somewhat numb to his brand of life. Fortunately when we come to Christ, we are able to see the contrast between good and evil/sin in our own lives.That’s when we finally get it. By putting ourselves in relationship with the righteousness of Christ, it becomes clear to us where we fit in this struggle between good and evil. We then recognize, we are the prize in this game. To the victor we go. Again, fortunately for us, we have some say in the clubhouse celebration. Once you accept the concept of good and evil in the context of God and the devil, the rules of engagement become clear. In this game the ball has a say in who actually participates in the game. We are that ball in this high stakes game for our very own souls. Imagine that.Wecan stack the deck. But it can’t be by happenstance. It must be deliberate and we must be constant in making sure the ball takes favorable bounces throughout the game.

    James Washington

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  • Remembering Our Purpose – A Tribute to James Alfred Washington

    Remembering Our Purpose – A Tribute to James Alfred Washington

    While in Dallas to memorialize our dear friend, James Washington, my visit routinely found me engaged in stimulating conversations as I saw old friends and met new ones.

    The common thread in all these conversations was the future or the plight of America’s Black Press. While I said the common “thread”; it would be more appropriate to label it the common “lament.” 

    EVERYBODY I spoke to agreed that the “old liberating voice” of the Black Press is needed now – more than ever! For too long others believe they can speak for us.

    Bobby R. Henry, Sr.

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  • Deception Made Easy

    Deception Made Easy

    They say that the single biggest trick of the devil is to get you to believe that he doesn’t exist. Out of sight…out of mind…doesn’t exist…PARTY!!! The reality of this should be more and more obvious as we try to navigate the nuances of life’s little ups and downs. The daily challenge of accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is tough enough without the temptations of sin and the challenges of virtue.

    I mean, Eating is good, but according to the bible I read, gluttony is a sin. We talk about everything in moderation, nothing in excess. Marital sex is blessed. All else is considered adultery. Gossip is a perversion of healthy conversation that will eventually destroy the gossiper as well as the gospel. We live in a world of contradictions, or do we?

    If you choose to intellectualize God’s Word, then you can rationalize anything, any act or deed. I guarantee you the last thing you factor in your decision-making is whether or not Satan had a hand in it. That fact only surfaces as you are forced to suffer the consequences of your actions when you have to answer the question, ‘Why did I do that?’ The consideration of God, however, usually gets sidestepped as one conveniently rationalizes the conditions of what is right versus what is wrong for that particular moment in time. The call of the world is truly as powerful or more powerful than any drug, thanks to that trick again of the devil.

    James Washington

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