Even Animals Don't Abandon Their Own

I ran across a really cool story, talking about the male Emperor Penguin. Shortly after the female penguin lays one egg, she will leave the egg with the male penguin while she goes and search for food. The female penguin could be gone a couple of months, leaving her egg in the care of the male Emperor Penguin (Responsible). The male will KEEP the egg warm and PROTECT it from the elements by balancing the egg(WORKING) on their feet; COVERING the egg with feathered skin known as a brood pouch. During these 2 months of babysitting (BEING PRESENT), the male penguin does not eat anything (SELFLESS SACRIFICE) and is at the mercy of the Antarctic elements.

The female penguin returns to the breeding ground with a belly full of food, that she will regurgitate for the newly hatched chick. Meanwhile, after being relieved of duty, the male penguin will take to the sea, in search of food for himself (PROVIDES FOR HIS FAMILY & THEN HIMSELF)!

I understand that in these times, it is very hard for a man to be a man; so how about this, just be a PENGUIN! 

Keep Your Coins, I Want Change!

I was just sitting at my desk this morning, thinking about the state of our next generation, and these thoughts shot into my mind. They say that the church has the answer but, the little church says the big church don’t preach jesus and that’s why it’s big. The big church says the little church is little because they don’t have a vision. The black church says the white church don’t have the spirit; the white church says the black church don’t have solid teaching. The skinny pastor says the heavy pastor commits the sin of gluttony; the heavy pastor says the skinny pastor commits the sin of vanity. The poor preacher says the rich preacher only cares about money. The rich preacher says the poor preacher is cursed and that’s why he has no money. The catholic priest says the Pentecostal preacher fornicates; the Pentecostal preacher says the catholic priest touches boys. The praise & worship team say, the preacher needs them to bring the anointing; the preacher says the praise & worship is for the little people and he doesn’t worship. The pastor is anointing to preach but he wants to sing; the worship leader is anointed to sing but he wants to preach. The men say that women shouldn’t preach; while the men that should be preaching stay home and watch football. The church say salvation is a free gift but as soon as you get saved, here come the rules. And while all this is going on; I’m lost and headed to hell

That's What A Friend is For

It really used to bother me when people would anoint themselves to be my best critique. I’m lying; it used to piss me off! It never mattered what I did or how I did it, certain individuals always found error with me. Not that I was perfect but I can’t be wrong all the time. What I noticed was while they were criticizing me for trying, they were in the process of doing NOTHING! How else can you appropriately find flaws with everyone else, if you are actively pursuing your goals? For the sake of time, we can call these critics Friends. The reason I’ve learned to call them friend is because they unintentionally make me work harder, write longer, think deeper and blog more passionately. Without these friends, there is a good chance that I would grow complacent with past achievements, and fall in love with the accolades of the masses. If you’re striving after your purpose, there is a good chance that you have a friend of such character. Like me, you’ve debated with them, argued with them, justified, rationalized and became some what defensive towards them. Have you ever wandered why Jesus could call Judas “friend”, but call Peter Satan? Truth be told, Jesus could of fulfilled His purpose without all His disciples except one; Judas was needed. We too, need to understand that we have friends who don’t mean us no earthly good, but unknowingly push us towards our purpose in life. Remember this; If you are a Child of God, no person nor devil can stop what God has for you. God opens doors no man can shut, and He shuts doors that no man can open.

I Got a "F" but on the Curve, it was a "C"

Do you remember back in the day, when everyone in class did poorly on a test? The highest grade on the test was a B and the majority of students received Fs. So the teacher would turn the highest grade, which was a B into an A. What that meant was the majority that failed with Fs, would now have Ds, which would give them passing grades. The scale of grading the test from A to F, was replaced by comparing the best student’s result to the worst student’s result. Let’s just say, “I benefited from the curving scale”.

That same mindset has carried over to our adult life. NO LONGER IS IT WAIT FOR MARRIAGE TO HAVE SEX, But make sure you practice safe sex. NO LONGER IS IT THOU SHALL NOT MURDER; but at what stage of pregnancy do you consider cells human? As for THOU SHALL NOT LIE; well, if it hurts someone feelings, it’s OK. Out the window with THOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; it’s “I’ll be faithful if she's taking care of her business”.  
If you compare yourself to others, you could feel

But compare yourself to the Truth, and you might feel like

There are 2 things that are certain; Death and after that, Judgement. Speculate on who will win the NBA Championship, guess on who will win the next Super Bowl, assume  your team will win the World Series; BUT DON'T GAMBLE WITH YOUR ETERNITY

Romans 6:23- For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord

I Gotta Deal with The Enemy from Within

Now with this post, I could go a route that would have the majority of people, looking upside each-other’s head; pointing out the next person’s weakness. That would be detrimental and a great waste of time; so instead, let’s go another route.

I have this dilemma going on right now. It does not appear to matter how much I try, it seems I’m always coming up short. What I mean is, just when I think I’m doing good in one area of my life, another area comes under attack. Can you relate? If not, let me get more specific;

I’m at church praising God, Hands up and eyes closed; I open my eyes for 2 seconds and BAM! There is this big butt staring at me! So now I’m worshiping and peeking; sneaking quick glares at these blue jean yoga pants.

So I get home and I’m not even thinking about sex, booty or nothing; but sure enough, as I’m lying in the bed, I have a vision but it isn’t a holy vision. I can see those same blue jean yoga pants. It’s like 1080p and crystal clear. Sad to report, you know what happened next. There is an enemy inside of me. This enemy is very cunning and will utilize my natural desires, prodding me in a direction that I had no intention on going. As soon as I satisfy the urge or desire, the prodding stops and the condemnation starts. What a traitor! But what should I’ve expected from an enemy?  Romans 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

A Picture can say 1000 Words

I heard it said that a picture can say a thousand words. What do you see as you look at the picture above? Don’t look at the picture with your eyes, but let your heart be the lens that you use to gaze at the picture; letting  it speak to you as you listen through your spirit. When I look at the image I see the dark silhouette of a woman; who represents the “Real Person”. I also see a light silhouette of a man BUT I can see a dark silhouette of a boy, who represents the “Real Person”. So when I put it all together, I get a woman who believes that she’s going into a covenant with a man; because after all, the man has the ring. What the woman doesn’t know is that she will be making a commitment to the “Boy”. If you look at the boy’s hand, you will notice that he doesn’t have a ring, he’s empty handed. That’s about as far as I can go without spoiling the plot of the book. Get your copy of one of the most candid, transparent, and inspiring books to be written! Out of curiosity, what do you see? 

10 Toes Down

Right before I was able to publish my book; The Secret of Marriage; Do the Opposite of What I Did, I recall a conversation that I had with a family member. As I began to tell my family member how I was trusting God, I could tell I was losing her quickly. So you would think at this point I would back off with the faith stuff and proceed with a more general conversation. Not me, I continued to share with my family member how I felt that God was calling me to write my book. If there was a chance that my family member was feeling me, I lost her for sure, when I informed her that I sold my vehicle to publish the book. My aunt, who was the family member that I was talking to, informed me that she was happy that I was inspired but quickly informed me of how silly it was for me to sale my transportation to work, in order to publish a book. I remember her exact words which were, “Are you a Damn fool? You don’t put all your eggs in one basket!” She proceeded with, “You have more sense than that”; what are you going to do if the book don’t sale; what is your plan B?” At this point, I was feeling some type of way and calmly informed my aunt that, Plan B was to enforce Plan A! I must be honest, after I told my aunt that, I hung up the phone. Ouch!

If you have a vision and it is from God, you will be tempted to lean on what other people think BUT that will be a GREAT MISTAKE! You see, everyone loves to share where they want to be, but very few actually have the resilience, fortitude and persistence to stay on point. DO WHAT YOU CAN AND TRUST GOD TO DO WHAT YOU CANT!

So You're in the Mood for Love; What's Love to You?

I was once asked to explain God’s love, during an interview. I quickly remembered a story I heard about a couple who had grew up together. It appeared that they were madly in love and happy but there was an issue. The young lady had been born blind and never could see her boyfriend. While making small talk, the young man asked her, if she could one day see, would she marry him? She quickly replied with a astounding, “Yes”. As some years passed, the couple caught wind of a doctor in Switzerland who had successfully performed an eye transplant. The couple contacted the facility and arranged for the young lady to be put on the waiting list.

To the couple’s surprise, the facility scheduled the young lady to undergo the eye transplant. They flew to Switzerland, met the doctor and prepared her for the surgery. After the surgery was complete, the young lady had to wear bandages over her eyes for a couple of weeks. The young man was right beside her, every step of the way; and never left her hospital room.

After two weeks, the bandages were removed and the young lady could see! The young woman was excited to be able to see for the first time in her life. The young man was excited also because he remembered what she told him prior to the surgery. So the young man reminded the young lady about marrying him if she could one day see. To his surprise the young lady looked at him and said, “I’m sorry, I don’t want to marry you”.  The young man was stricken with grief as he turned and walked out of the hospital room. Right before he got to the door, the young man turned around to face the young woman and said, “Take care of my eyes”.

The 411 with Marvin James: It's Sorta Like Being "Kinda Pregnant"

The 411 with Marvin James: It's Sorta Like Being "Kinda Pregnant": I remember the first time that I committed a robbery; my heart was beating out of my chest. My stomach was twisted in knots and a ...

The 411 with Marvin James: Stay In Your Lane!!

The 411 with Marvin James: Stay In Your Lane!!:   How many times have you been driving and some body decides to share the same lane as you? I go from singing praises to “Jesus, forgiv...

The 411 with Marvin James: Do the Shoulder Roll

The 411 with Marvin James: Do the Shoulder Roll: Do you remember the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya? What a fight! That fight was almost 8 years ago and a lot ...

The 411 with Marvin James: Making sure nothing is Wasted

The 411 with Marvin James: Making sure nothing is Wasted: Throughout my life, I've had my share of failures. I failed at track, I failed at Football I failed at basketball I failed a...

Making sure nothing is Wasted

Throughout my life, I've had my share of failures.

I failed at track,

I failed at Football

I failed at basketball

I failed at boxing

I failed at cross country

I failed at being a Marine

I failed classes

I failed at being a father

I failed at being a husband

I failed at employment

I failed at being a blue jean designer 

I failed at owning a shuttle service

I failed at being a director

I failed at being a supervisor

I said all that because it reminded me of my grandmother. My brother and me would pour a big bowl of cereal and after we ate all the cereal, we would attempt to pour out the milk that was remaining in the bowl. My grandmother would make us drink the milk instead of pouring it out; her reasoning behind it was, she didn't want us to be wasteful.

So what do all those failures tell you about me? Let me share with you what they scream at me, "Here is a man who refuses to take 1 oz of potential to the grave with him!" The question is; How much are you going to take with you?

Gettin Your Humble On

A young minister landed a position at a thriving church, as the Associate Pastor. For three years, the young minister never once was given an opportunity to preach. Well the Senior Pastor was not feeling well after the morning service, so he informed the young associate pastor that he would need to preach for the evening service. The young minister was excited as ever and didn't mind that he was given short notice. The only thought that ran through that young minister’s mind was, “Wait until I get behind that pulpit and bring the word”. “Them alters are going to be full!”

As the evening service began, the Senior Pastor welcomed the young minister to the pulpit and he would have 45 minutes in which to work. The young minister had his head up high as he walked to the pulpit. He had a mean swagger going for him. Around 8 minutes into the sermon, the young minister could not gather his thoughts together because he couldn’t read his own notes. Everyone knew something was wrong, so the Senior Pastor signaled for the young minister to come down from the pulpit and sit next to him. As he approached the Senior Pastor, his head was down and all of his swag was gone. The Senior Pastor told the young minister this, “Son, if you would have walked up there like you came down; you would have come down, like you walked up there”. Stay Humble

Do the Shoulder Roll

Do you remember the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya? What a fight! That fight was almost 8 years ago and a lot has changed since then; but one thing that hasn’t changed is Floyd Mayweather, being undefeated. Whether you love Mayweather, or hate him because of his cockiness; inside of the ring, he’s a BEAST. What makes Floyd one of the most dominate boxers to lace up a pair of gloves is not his power, nor his speed, but his defense. Floyd has a defensive tactic known as the Shoulder Roll. This tactic allows Floyd the privilege of not absorbing a lot of punches and the ability to quickly move to the offensive. After paying close attention to Floyd’s fight, you can actually see the opponent’s punches roll off Floyd’s shoulders.

Sometimes our life can feel like a fight, and no one likes to be hit by punches. But it is amazing how punches seem to hit us on a daily basis; and what makes it worse, is the same punches connect every time. We could stand to learn from Floyd how to let some things roll off of our shoulders. Your spouse forgot to pay a bill, shoulder roll. Your Co workers are spreading gossip about you; shoulder roll. Your stepdaughter doesn’t like you; shoulder roll. Your baby’s daddy is with a hood rat; shoulder roll. Your baby’s mama is rude; shoulder roll. You didn’t get the support that you planned on; shoulder roll.

I think Floyd might of got this tactic from the Apostle Paul who said, “That is how I run, not being in any doubt as to my goal. I am a boxer who does not inflict blows on the air. 1Corinthians 9:26

Have a Wonderful Weekend but make sure you roll them shoulders

Stay In Your Lane!!

 

How many times have you been driving and some body decides to share the same lane as you? I go from singing praises to “Jesus, forgive me, I’m sorry for saying that.” What gets to me is that the person who tries to share my lane is usually looking at their phone. I recall my last accident; I ran into the back of a vehicle due to me watching an accident on the other side of the street. It was crazy because I had to share my information with someone that I probably would have never met. Not to mention the inconvenience of not having a car for a few days.

Proverbs 4:25  Says, Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions.  In life there are all types of sideshow distractions that come our way.  In order to tell if you’re being distracted, you will need to know where you’re going. Anything that disturbs your sleep, time, money, emotions and energy away from your “Main Thing”, is a distraction. It is very unlikely that you will keep your Main Thing the Main Thing, if you’re looking in someone else’s lane; wondering how they got, did it or do it. Your lane is uniquely designed for your attitude, custom made to your talents, and tailor fitted to your personality; but if you’re rubber necking in the next man’s lane, you could miss your exit. Stay in your lane, no RUBBER NECKING

 



It's Sorta Like Being "Kinda Pregnant"

I remember the first time that I committed a robbery; my heart was beating out of my chest. My stomach was twisted in knots and a feeling of nausea came over me. The hair on my arms stood straight, as I waited for the drop. I knew what I was doing was wrong, so I had to reinforce my action with a “Me against the World” mentality. Well I committed the robbery and didn’t get caught. {Because God does not punish sinners instantly, people feel it is safe to do wrong}. Ecclesiastes 8:11

So from one robbery to the next, I began to feel less nervous, and more untouchable; because after all, I get away clean every time. What I didn’t know was that with each criminal activity, I was on a course that would lead me to a 150,000 dollar bond and looking at 20 years to life, for committing a felony while I was out on bond for another felony.

In my case, God did display patience, allowing me ample opportunities to STOP, CONFESS and REPENT but I chose to continue; believing that I would get away with a criminal lifestyle with no consequences. In this life, we all have two choices; follow our own way or God’s way. We will either abuse God’s goodness and forbearance; by choosing to believe that we will not face A God of Righteousness; OR we will allow God’s goodness and forbearance to break through our hearts of stone, and Convict Us, Forgive Us, Save Us and Keep Us.

{Don’t you realize how patient he is being with you? Or don’t you care? Can’t you see that he has been waiting all this time without punishing you, to give you time to turn from your sin? His kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.} Romans 2:4

Which way will you choose?  

Who are you in Bed With?

There was a time when I would really seriously doubt if an individual had a relationship with God. One of the persons that I doubted having a relationship with God was me. I wrestled with being saved, sinning; asking for forgiveness and sinning again. It was like a cycle; I got so good at it, I could almost predict when I would sin. I couldn’t find consistency, especially when I was juggling the question, “Do I have a relationship with God or not?”  I was certain on one hand that I had a relationship with God because, I went to church, read my bible, prayed and even tithed; but on the other hand, I would smoke cigarettes, cuss, drink and tell an occasional lie to save my pride or hide.

The question, “Do I have a relationship with God?” was a rhetorical question because I did have a relationship with God; the type of relationship that I wanted with Him, but do I have the type of relationship that God wants with me? Let’s take a look at a few types of relationships:

The Booty Call Relationship: This type of relationship has no level of commitment; we might get together every once in a while, to gratify a physical need and it does not require real intimacy. We could go for weeks without seeing each other. Example: The only time you’re interested in God is when there’s trouble and you have a very important need. You’ve tried everything and everybody, last resort is God

The Play House Relationship: Now this relationship looks legit because both parties live together but make no mistake about it; if things go south, I’m OUT. I want the benefits of marriage but don’t want the commitment that comes with marriage. Example: I want prosperity, blessings, peace, love and joy; but I don’t want to sacrifice the things I like, that are displeasing to God.

The Work Relationship: This type of relationship is tricky because, since you spend more time at work that you do at home, you begin to think what you do is who you are. Example: Since you attend church regularly, quote a different scripture each week, and help out with cleaning the church; you believe that because of what you do, you’re in good standing with God. Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian anymore than going thru the drive thru at McDonalds make you a cheeseburger.

The Marriage Relationship: This type of relationship is far from perfect but you are in it for the long haul. You aim to please your spouse, you want to go home to your spouse; not because you have to go home but you want to go home. You’re not behaving to not get divorced, but you don’t want to break your spouse’s heart.

WHAT TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP DO YOU HAVE?