The Diary of a Mad Black Man

How disheartened it is to turn on the television, view Facebook statuses, and even watch the most popular movies to see how black men have been emasculated and degraded to near nothings. From Tyler Perry escapades to Terry McMillan novels, our black men have been lifted up as the serpent upon the staff carried by feminist and males jockeying for female viewership. I personally have had enough.

The black man was created to be the foundation of the earth to which everything was built upon him. He is the foundation of the household. In fact, the word husband comes from a old Norse word which means householder. He is the backbone that holds the entire family together. Man was meant to be the foundation of the community, business, politics, and the center of which everything is evolved. Greatness is interwoven in the very fabric of his existence. He was created like God to carry the authority on earth like God.

Yes, somewhere along history, the attacks on the man have weakened his pedigree resulting in the reproduction of men that do not reflect God’s original creation. From the biblical onset, men have been targeted for mass genocide. When wicked kings sought to destroy a generation, they went after men, not women, to kill any potential for future generations. During slavery, the black men were used as trophy whores to impregnate multiple mammies throughout the plantations as if they were some thoroughbred horse.

Even today, men are feeling the pinch of societal pressure. According to a recent report, “A Call to Change,” in the second quarter of 2010, the unemployment rate for Black males ages 20 and over was twice as high as the unemployment rate for White males of the same age. Black males had a double-digit unemployment rate (17.3 percent), while the unemployment rate for White males was in the single digits (8.6 percent) and below the national average (9.6 percent). Black males age 18 and over were more likely to have a lower income than White males with similar educational backgrounds. Generations of devaluing and perpetuated public degradation, the man has been through hell to hold up his head to say, “I am black man.”

Yes, there have been and are some who rob, steal, kill, and rape. They are the aberration from the norm. There are strong black men who love their wives. There are strong black men who take care their kids. There are strong black men who operate in integrity. There are strong black men who partake in civic engagement. There are strong black men who good for more than laying pipe, but can lay the foundation of business entities.

Contrary to popular belief, there are some good men out there. As you ruminate and contemplate on the transparent truths in this blog, some of you ladies are too trifling for strong black men in your lives. So before you become the hand that knocks a man from his God-given position, be the hand to help pick him up from decades of degradation. Be the hand that helps the young man, whose father may be incarcerated. Be the hand that helps some single mothers rear their child in the admonition and fear of the Lord. Until you open your hand to become a positive solution to the problem, you don’t have a right to open your man-mutilating mouth.

Peace and blessings!

Pastor Rich

The Diary of a Mad Black Man!

I've had enough!

1 Kings 19:4 "while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors" (NIV)

In 1 Kings 19, the Prophet Elijah experienced one of the greatest attacks in his entire life. This attack came on the eve of some of his greatest successes. He had just raised someone from the dead. He called fire from heaven and killed over 700 people. He was miraculously feed by a raven. He had just outran a chariot to name a few. Understand that your greatest accomplishments many times are followed by your greatest tests!

All of a sudden Jazabel, a wicked woman, launched an all out attack against him. Some of the greatest challenges a man can face are those that come from a scorned woman! The scriptures says he ran for his life. No matter how great you are superman, superwoman, there is some kryptonite with your name on it. There is something that we all know, will have us running for our lives.

In verse 4, the man of God was sitting under a broom tree. After looking deeply into the story, I realized that Elijah had enough. It wasn't a spiritual problem. The man was just tired. He had just outran some horses! The man was tired in his physical body. Many times we can become like him. People look at the types of jobs we have. They look at the types cars we drive, the houses we live in, and they want what we have. Yet, they do not know what we had to go through to get what we have. Many of us who prosper publicly, struggle privately. Elijah was tired of being Elijah!

Have you every been tired of being YOU? People look at your lives and want to be you, but have not a clue of the type of attacks you have to sustain and overcome. The type of scrutiny you are under. A guy said to me the other day, "I admire you. I want to be like you." I told him quickly, you better be careful what you ask for!

There are couple of things that that you need to do when you are tired.

1. Be careful what you speak out of your mouth. He told the Lord, "take my life." He didn't mean it. Sometimes we say things to our loved ones that we really don't mean when we are tired. We have go back later and apologize, but the damage has been done! Be careful of being trapped by the words of your mouth!

2. Access the attacks on our lives. This man had just killed 700 prophets of the grove and baal and one woman had him speaking suicide! When you are tired, you can be defeated by things that you can easily conquer. Temptations to do things become greater to fight off. When you assess the situation, you will realize that the problem ain't that deep.

3. You need to be ministered to. Angels had to come down and tend to his needs. Sometimes when you are tired and seemly have had enough in life, you just need to sit your butt down somewhere! Even Jesus rested. Fellas, if you are overcome by sexual temptation. Tell your wife. I guarantee that she will fix it! Ladies, if you are not receiving enough affirmation, take him to see "Why did I get married too." Go on a vacation! GET MINISTERED TO!

4. Don't compare yourself to those around you. He said that he was no better than his ancestors. Never measure yourself by another man's yardstick. You will always fall short! This unhealthy comparison gave him a shallow image of himself and a faulty tool for measuring his progress. You are the best you! No one can be better at being you!

Love you!

Pastor Rich

WHEN THE SEX STOPS (BOOK COMING SOON!)

Greater Scope

It is hard to ignore the increasing sexual innuendo in the American culture. From Burger King to Trojan commercials, our culture is inculcated with images, sounds, suggestions, and acts. Sex is not wrong, immoral, or bad in its proper context because God created us to be sexual beings. Like any other effective advertisements, this exposure of sexual content has had an overwhelming impact on the psyche of people young and old. Commercials that originally sparked individual’s appetites for food now ignite the monstrous appetite to quench the sexual urge.

In a Drought?

A drought is when an ecological system or an area goes without precipitation for a prolonged or short period. No matter how long the drought last, it can have a significant impact on the land, farmers, animals, and plants. Results of drought can leave the soil without nutrients to reproduce healthy seeds. Regions experiencing droughts can become a breading ground for unwanted pest such as snakes. Aquatic life can be severely affected and some regions never recover.

All around the world, marriages are experiencing sexual droughts. These droughts leave relationships paralyzed and incapable of producing the fruit marriage was intended to produce. Unwanted pest such as side lovers, perverted behaviors, and pornographic affairs bombard the marriage, until it is vulnerable enough to dry the ink on the divorce papers. It impacts the kids, the pets, relatives, and ultimately the couple’s relationship with the Father. Many marriages never recover from these droughts.

I’m Hungry

When people see advertisements for the “Big Mac” or the “Whopper” they have free course to leave their premises and retrieve that sandwich to quench their thirsty urge. The satiety of the first bite deflates the appeal and brings comfort through food like a hunter claiming its kill. The same principle can reluctantly be applied sexually. Many people young and old, male and female grab their black book or rummage through their mobile phones looking for their next meal. Their list become like menus in their favorite restaurant looking for the next person to satisfy their beastly “God-given” urge.

Trapped by Contract

Fast food seekers have the ability to go and claim the kill of the day. They are tied to nothing but their budgets that may restrict them from their favorite meals. What happens when you are hungry and can’t fulfill that thirst? Like having a lock on the refrigerator, married men are caught between having food in the house but cannot access it at their sexual leisure and not having the liberty to leave the house search for their next meal. Many married men have experienced this contractual conflict. They become hungry, but can’t get to the sexual food that fulfills this God-given appetite. Sadly, although immoral and sinful, many men including those with various religious affiliations choose the latter. This work is aimed at assisting those married men during the time in their lives WHEN THE SEX STOPS!!