Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "The Drum Major Instinct" Sermon

 REPOSTED: Original post Jan~2006 http://empoweringspiritsfreeingurmind.blogspot.com/2006/01/definition-of-greatness-featuring.html

DEFINITION OF GREATNESS/ Featuring The Historic "Drum Major Instinct Speech"

The Historic "Drum Major Instinct Speech" was delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, on 4 February 1968. MLKEC.

This morning I would like to use as a subject from which to preach: "The Drum Major Instinct." "The Drum Major Instinct." And our text for the morning is taken from a very familiar passage in the tenth chapter as recorded by Saint Mark. Beginning with the thirty-fifth verse of that chapter, we read these words: "And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came unto him saying, ‘Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.’ And he said unto them, ‘What would ye that I should do for you?’ And they said unto him, ‘Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.’ But Jesus said unto them, ‘Ye know not what ye ask: Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ And they said unto him, ‘We can.’ And Jesus said unto them, ‘Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of, and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.’"

And then Jesus goes on toward the end of that passage to say, "But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your servant: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all."

The setting is clear. James and John are making a specific request of the master. They had dreamed, as most of the Hebrews dreamed, of a coming king of Israel who would set Jerusalem free and establish his kingdom on Mount Zion, and in righteousness rule the world. And they thought of Jesus as this kind of king. And they were thinking of that day when Jesus would reign supreme as this new king of Israel. And they were saying, "Now when you establish your kingdom, let one of us sit on the right hand and the other on the left hand of your throne."

Now very quickly, we would automatically condemn James and John, and we would say they were selfish. Why would they make such a selfish request? But before we condemn them too quickly, let us look calmly and honestly at ourselves, and we will discover that we too have those same basic desires for recognition, for importance. That same desire for attention, that same desire to be first. Of course, the other disciples got mad with James and John, and you could understand why, but we must understand that we have some of the same James and John qualities. And there is deep down within all of us an instinct. It's a kind of drum major instinct—a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade, a desire to be first. And it is something that runs the whole gamut of life.

And so before we condemn them, let us see that we all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. Alfred Adler, the great psychoanalyst, contends that this is the dominant impulse. Sigmund Freud used to contend that sex was the dominant impulse, and Adler came with a new argument saying that this quest for recognition, this desire for attention, this desire for distinction is the basic impulse, the basic drive of human life, this drum major instinct.

And you know, we begin early to ask life to put us first. Our first cry as a baby was a bid for attention. And all through childhood the drum major impulse or instinct is a major obsession. Children ask life to grant them first place. They are a little bundle of ego. And they have innately the drum major impulse or the drum major instinct.

Now in adult life, we still have it, and we really never get by it. We like to do something good. And you know, we like to be praised for it. Now if you don't believe that, you just go on living life, and you will discover very soon that you like to be praised. Everybody likes it, as a matter of fact. And somehow this warm glow we feel when we are praised or when our name is in print is something of the vitamin A to our ego. Nobody is unhappy when they are praised, even if they know they don't deserve it and even if they don't believe it. The only unhappy people about praise is when that praise is going too much toward somebody else. (That’s right) But everybody likes to be praised because of this real drum major instinct.

Now the presence of the drum major instinct is why so many people are "joiners." You know, there are some people who just join everything. And it's really a quest for attention and recognition and importance. And they get names that give them that impression. So you get your groups, and they become the "Grand Patron," and the little fellow who is henpecked at home needs a chance to be the "Most Worthy of the Most Worthy" of something. It is the drum major impulse and longing that runs the gamut of human life. And so we see it everywhere, this quest for recognition. And we join things, overjoin really, that we think that we will find that recognition in.

Now the presence of this instinct explains why we are so often taken by advertisers. You know, those gentlemen of massive verbal persuasion. And they have a way of saying things to you that kind of gets you into buying. In order to be a man of distinction, you must drink this whiskey. In order to make your neighbors envious, you must drive this type of car. (Make it plain)

In order to be lovely to love you must wear this kind of lipstick or this kind of perfume. And you know, before you know it, you're just buying that stuff. (Yes) That's the way the advertisers do it.

I got a letter the other day, and it was a new magazine coming out. And it opened up, "Dear Dr. King: As you know, you are on many mailing lists. And you are categorized as highly intelligent, progressive, a lover of the arts and the sciences, and I know you will want to read what I have to say." Of course I did. After you said all of that and explained me so exactly, of course I wanted to read it. [laughter]

But very seriously, it goes through life; the drum major instinct is real. (Yes) And you know what else it causes to happen? It often causes us to live above our means. (Make it plain) It's nothing but the drum major instinct. Do you ever see people buy cars that they can't even begin to buy in terms of their income? (Amen) [laughter] You've seen people riding around in Cadillacs and Chryslers who don't earn enough to have a good T-Model Ford. (Make it plain) But it feeds a repressed ego.

You know, economists tell us that your automobile should not cost more than half of your annual income. So if you make an income of five thousand dollars, your car shouldn't cost more than about twenty-five hundred. That's just good economics. And if it's a family of two, and both members of the family make ten thousand dollars, they would have to make out with one car. That would be good economics, although it's often inconvenient. But so often, haven't you seen people making five thousand dollars a year and driving a car that costs six thousand? And they wonder why their ends never meet. [laughter] That's a fact.

Now the economists also say that your house shouldn't cost—if you're buying a house, it shouldn't cost more than twice your income. That's based on the economy and how you would make ends meet. So, if you have an income of five thousand dollars, it's kind of difficult in this society. But say it's a family with an income of ten thousand dollars, the house shouldn't cost much more than twenty thousand. Well, I've seen folk making ten thousand dollars, living in a forty- and fifty-thousand-dollar house. And you know they just barely make it. They get a check every month somewhere, and they owe all of that out before it comes in. Never have anything to put away for rainy days.

But now the problem is, it is the drum major instinct. And you know, you see people over and over again with the drum major instinct taking them over. And they just live their lives trying to outdo the Joneses. (Amen) They got to get this coat because this particular coat is a little better and a little better-looking than Mary's coat. And I got to drive this car because it's something about this car that makes my car a little better than my neighbor's car. (Amen) I know a man who used to live in a thirty-five-thousand-dollar house. And other people started building thirty-five-thousand-dollar houses, so he built a seventy-five-thousand-dollar house. And then somebody else built a seventy-five-thousand-dollar house, and he built a hundred-thousand-dollar house. And I don't know where he's going to end up if he's going to live his life trying to keep up with the Joneses.

There comes a time that the drum major instinct can become destructive. (Make it plain) And that's where I want to move now. I want to move to the point of saying that if this instinct is not harnessed, it becomes a very dangerous, pernicious instinct. For instance, if it isn’t harnessed, it causes one's personality to become distorted. I guess that's the most damaging aspect of it: what it does to the personality. If it isn't harnessed, you will end up day in and day out trying to deal with your ego problem by boasting. Have you ever heard people that—you know, and I'm sure you've met them—that really become sickening because they just sit up all the time talking about themselves. (Amen) And they just boast and boast and boast, and that's the person who has not harnessed the drum major instinct.

And then it does other things to the personality. It causes you to lie about who you know sometimes. (Amen, Make it plain) There are some people who are influence peddlers. And in their attempt to deal with the drum major instinct, they have to try to identify with the so-called big-name people. (Yeah, Make it plain) And if you're not careful, they will make you think they know somebody that they don't really know. (Amen) They know them well, they sip tea with them, and they this-and-that. That happens to people.

And the other thing is that it causes one to engage ultimately in activities that are merely used to get attention. Criminologists tell us that some people are driven to crime because of this drum major instinct. They don't feel that they are getting enough attention through the normal channels of social behavior, and so they turn to anti-social behavior in order to get attention, in order to feel important. (Yeah) And so they get that gun, and before they know it they robbed a bank in a quest for recognition, in a quest for importance.

And then the final great tragedy of the distorted personality is the fact that when one fails to harness this instinct, (Glory to God) he ends up trying to push others down in order to push himself up. (Amen) And whenever you do that, you engage in some of the most vicious activities. You will spread evil, vicious, lying gossip on people, because you are trying to pull them down in order to push yourself up. (Make it plain) And the great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct.

Now the other problem is, when you don't harness the drum major instinct—this uncontrolled aspect of it—is that it leads to snobbish exclusivism. It leads to snobbish exclusivism. (Make it plain) And you know, this is the danger of social clubs and fraternities—I'm in a fraternity; I'm in two or three—for sororities and all of these, I'm not talking against them. I'm saying it's the danger. The danger is that they can become forces of classism and exclusivism where somehow you get a degree of satisfaction because you are in something exclusive. And that's fulfilling something, you know—that I'm in this fraternity, and it's the best fraternity in the world, and everybody can't get in this fraternity. So it ends up, you know, a very exclusive kind of thing.

And you know, that can happen with the church; I know churches get in that bind sometimes. (Amen, Make it plain) I've been to churches, you know, and they say, "We have so many doctors, and so many school teachers, and so many lawyers, and so many businessmen in our church." And that's fine, because doctors need to go to church, and lawyers, and businessmen, teachers—they ought to be in church. But they say that—even the preacher sometimes will go all through that—they say that as if the other people don't count. (Amen)

And the church is the one place where a doctor ought to forget that he's a doctor. The church is the one place where a Ph.D. ought to forget that he's a Ph.D. (Yes) The church is the one place that the school teacher ought to forget the degree she has behind her name. The church is the one place where the lawyer ought to forget that he's a lawyer. And any church that violates the "whosoever will, let him come" doctrine is a dead, cold church, (Yes) and nothing but a little social club with a thin veneer of religiosity.

When the church is true to its nature, (Whoo) it says, "Whosoever will, let him come." (Yes) And it does not supposed to satisfy the perverted uses of the drum major instinct. It's the one place where everybody should be the same, standing before a common master and savior. (Yes, sir) And a recognition grows out of this—that all men are brothers because they are children (Yes) of a common father.

The drum major instinct can lead to exclusivism in one's thinking and can lead one to feel that because he has some training, he's a little better than that person who doesn't have it. Or because he has some economic security, that he's a little better than that person who doesn't have it. And that's the uncontrolled, perverted use of the drum major instinct.

Now the other thing is, that it leads to tragic—and we've seen it happen so often—tragic race prejudice. Many who have written about this problem—Lillian Smith used to say it beautifully in some of her books. And she would say it to the point of getting men and women to see the source of the problem. Do you know that a lot of the race problem grows out of the drum major instinct? A need that some people have to feel superior. A need that some people have to feel that they are first, and to feel that their white skin ordained them to be first. (Make it plain, today, ‘cause I’m against it, so help me God) And they have said over and over again in ways that we see with our own eyes. In fact, not too long ago, a man down in Mississippi said that God was a charter member of the White Citizens Council.

And so God being the charter member means that everybody who's in that has a kind of divinity, a kind of superiority. And think of what has happened in history as a result of this perverted use of the drum major instinct. It has led to the most tragic prejudice, the most tragic expressions of man's inhumanity to man.

The other day I was saying, I always try to do a little converting when I'm in jail. And when we were in jail in Birmingham the other day, the white wardens and all enjoyed coming around the cell to talk about the race problem. And they were showing us where we were so wrong demonstrating. And they were showing us where segregation was so right. And they were showing us where intermarriage was so wrong. So I would get to preaching, and we would get to talking—calmly, because they wanted to talk about it. And then we got down one day to the point—that was the second or third day—to talk about where they lived, and how much they were earning.

And when those brothers told me what they were earning, I said, "Now, you know what? You ought to be marching with us. [laughter] You're just as poor as Negroes." And I said, "You are put in the position of supporting your oppressor, because through prejudice and blindness, you fail to see that the same forces that oppress Negroes in American society oppress poor white people. (Yes) And all you are living on is the satisfaction of your skin being white, and the drum major instinct of thinking that you are somebody big because you are white. And you're so poor you can't send your children to school. You ought to be out here marching with every one of us every time we have a march."

Now that's a fact. That the poor white has been put into this position, where through blindness and prejudice, (Make it plain) he is forced to support his oppressors. And the only thing he has going for him is the false feeling that he’s superior because his skin is white—and can't hardly eat and make his ends meet week in and week out. (Amen)

And not only does this thing go into the racial struggle, it goes into the struggle between nations. And I would submit to you this morning that what is wrong in the world today is that the nations of the world are engaged in a bitter, colossal contest for supremacy. And if something doesn't happen to stop this trend, I'm sorely afraid that we won't be here to talk about Jesus Christ and about God and about brotherhood too many more years. (Yeah) If somebody doesn't bring an end to this suicidal thrust that we see in the world today, none of us are going to be around, because somebody's going to make the mistake through our senseless blunderings of dropping a nuclear bomb somewhere. And then another one is going to drop. And don't let anybody fool you, this can happen within a matter of seconds. (Amen) They have twenty-megaton bombs in Russia right now that can destroy a city as big as New York in three seconds, with everybody wiped away, and every building. And we can do the same thing to Russia and China.

But this is why we are drifting. And we are drifting there because nations are caught up with the drum major instinct. "I must be first." "I must be supreme." "Our nation must rule the world." (Preach it) And I am sad to say that the nation in which we live is the supreme culprit. And I'm going to continue to say it to America, because I love this country too much to see the drift that it has taken.

God didn't call America to do what she's doing in the world now. (Preach it, preach it) God didn't call America to engage in a senseless, unjust war as the war in Vietnam. And we are criminals in that war. We’ve committed more war crimes almost than any nation in the world, and I'm going to continue to say it. And we won't stop it because of our pride and our arrogance as a nation.
But God has a way of even putting nations in their place. (Amen) The God that I worship has a way of saying, "Don't play with me." (Yes) He has a way of saying, as the God of the Old Testament used to say to the Hebrews, "Don’t play with me, Israel. Don't play with me, Babylon. (Yes) Be still and know that I'm God. And if you don't stop your reckless course, I'll rise up and break the backbone of your power." (Yes) And that can happen to America. (Yes) Every now and then I go back and read Gibbons' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. And when I come and look at America, I say to myself, the parallels are frightening. And we have perverted the drum major instinct.

But let me rush on to my conclusion, because I want you to see what Jesus was really saying. What was the answer that Jesus gave these men? It's very interesting. One would have thought that Jesus would have condemned them. One would have thought that Jesus would have said, "You are out of your place. You are selfish. Why would you raise such a question?"

But that isn't what Jesus did; he did something altogether different. He said in substance, "Oh, I see, you want to be first. You want to be great. You want to be important. You want to be significant. Well, you ought to be. If you're going to be my disciple, you must be." But he reordered priorities. And he said, "Yes, don't give up this instinct. It's a good instinct if you use it right. (Yes) It's a good instinct if you don't distort it and pervert it. Don't give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love. (Amen) I want you to be first in moral excellence. I want you to be first in generosity. That is what I want you to do."

And he transformed the situation by giving a new definition of greatness. And you know how he said it? He said, "Now brethren, I can't give you greatness. And really, I can't make you first." This is what Jesus said to James and John. "You must earn it. True greatness comes not by favoritism, but by fitness. And the right hand and the left are not mine to give, they belong to those who are prepared." (Amen)

And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. (Amen) That's a new definition of greatness.
And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, (Everybody) because everybody can serve. (Amen) You don't have to have a college degree to serve. (All right) You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. (Amen) You only need a heart full of grace, (Yes, sir, Amen) a soul generated by love. (Yes) And you can be that servant.

I know a man—and I just want to talk about him a minute, and maybe you will discover who I'm talking about as I go down the way (Yeah) because he was a great one. And he just went about serving. He was born in an obscure village, (Yes, sir) the child of a poor peasant woman. And then he grew up in still another obscure village, where he worked as a carpenter until he was thirty years old. (Amen) Then for three years, he just got on his feet, and he was an itinerant preacher. And he went about doing some things. He didn't have much. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. (Yes) He never owned a house. He never went to college. He never visited a big city. He never went two hundred miles from where he was born. He did none of the usual things that the world would associate with greatness. He had no credentials but himself.

He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. They called him a rabble-rouser. They called him a troublemaker. They said he was an agitator. (Glory to God) He practiced civil disobedience; he broke injunctions. And so he was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. And the irony of it all is that his friends turned him over to them. (Amen) One of his closest friends denied him. Another of his friends turned him over to his enemies. And while he was dying, the people who killed him gambled for his clothing, the only possession that he had in the world. (Lord help him) When he was dead he was buried in a borrowed tomb, through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today he stands as the most influential figure that ever entered human history. All of the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned put together (Yes) have not affected the life of man on this earth (Amen) as much as that one solitary life. His name may be a familiar one. (Jesus) But today I can hear them talking about him.

Every now and then somebody says, "He's King of Kings." (Yes) And again I can hear somebody saying, "He's Lord of Lords." Somewhere else I can hear somebody saying, "In Christ there is no East nor West." (Yes) And then they go on and talk about, "In Him there's no North and South, but one great Fellowship of Love throughout the whole wide world." He didn't have anything. (Amen) He just went around serving and doing good.

This morning, you can be on his right hand and his left hand if you serve. (Amen) It's the only way in.

Every now and then I guess we all think realistically (Yes, sir) about that day when we will be victimized with what is life's final common denominator—that something that we call death. We all think about it. And every now and then I think about my own death and I think about my own funeral. And I don't think of it in a morbid sense. And every now and then I ask myself,

"What is it that I would want said?" And I leave the word to you this morning.

If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. (Yes) And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize—that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards—that’s not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. (Yes)
I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. (Yes)

I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.
I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. (Amen)
I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. (Yes)
And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. (Yes)

I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. (Lord)
I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. (Yes)

Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. (Amen) Say that I was a drum major for peace. (Yes)
I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. (Yes) I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. (Amen)

And that's all I want to say.

"If I can help somebody as I pass along,
If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,
If I can show somebody he's traveling wrong,
Then my living will not be in vain.
If I can do my duty as a Christian ought,
If I can bring salvation to a world once wrought,
If I can spread the message as the master taught,
Then my living will not be in vain."

Yes, Jesus, I want to be on your right or your left side, (Yes) not for any selfish reason. I want to be on your right or your left side, not in terms of some political kingdom or ambition. But I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others, so that we can make of this old world a new world.

Delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, on 4 February 1968. MLKEC.
courtesy of: http://www.blackwebportal.com/

Peace and GOD Bless Til next time "I'll meet you on the other side" 

@Lovleeannwise 2014 all rights reserved

What did I say! A C-SPAN Caller Calls President Obama A “N*gger” On Air

What did I say!

•  A Racist - is a bigot who only likes his kind or tribe and doesn't mix with outside races other than work never socially.
• Racism - when one race feels Superiority over all other races and impose their will and ways to repress others. 

 ERGO "NIGGERS" We've always been on the Top of the list, but never forget these important words... 

'Segregation Forever': A Fiery Pledge Forgiven, But Not Forgotten 

"Segregation Now, Segregation Forever"  hailed by the former Governor George Wallace from the great state of Alabama with Confederate Flags flown all around him.  They still fly that flag in the South today..

If you don't relate to any of these types of people way down in your soul, and that was repulsive to read and hear.
 I just have one question no matter who you are

Black/White/Other

 This Cspan Caller is part of a base of people called "Republicans" their color is "RED"
They deplore "BLACK" and darker races
and thier symol is "GREEN" the almighty Dollar
their motto "Be Afraid, Be very, very afraid"

Why do you keep voting against your own interest?

or
Not Voting at ALL!!!!

Both stagnate your growth in society &  limit any hope for real independence..

#Wake Up People - God Bless

note: Wallace reached out to civil rights activists and appeared in black churches to ask forgiveness. In his last election as governor of Alabama, in 1982, he won with more than 90 percent of the black vote. Wallace died in September 1998.

@Lovleeannwise  all rights reserved 2014

Re posted CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS - THE REAL MEANING 2005

Where did it come from?
Where is it going?
In many countries of the world, the celebration of Christmas on December 25th is a high point of the year. But why? Can it have any real meaning for us today? Is there a 'real' Christmas message?

Christmas celebrations in the West todayFrom November onwards, it is impossible to forget that Christmas is coming. Coloured lights decorate many town centres and shops, along with shiny decorations, and artificial snow painted on shop windows.

In streets and shops, 'Christmas trees' (real or plastic evergreen 'conifer' trees) will also be decorated with lights and Christmas ornaments.

Shopping centres become busier as December approaches and often stay open till late.Shopping centre speaker systems systems will play Christmas 'carols' - the traditional Christmas Christian songs, and groups of people will often sing carols on the streets to raise money for charity. Most places of work will hold a short Christmas party about a week before Christmas. Although traditional Christmas foods may be eaten, drink (and plenty of it) means that little work will be done after the party!

By mid-December, most homes will also be decorated with Christmas trees, coloured lights and paper or plastic decorations around the rooms. These days, many more people also decorate garden trees or house walls with coloured electric lights, a habit which has long been popular in USA.

In many countries, most people post Christmas greeting cards to their friends and family, and these cards will be hung on the walls of their homes. In UK this year, the British Post Office expects to handle over 100 million cards EACH DAY, in the three weeks before Christmas.

Christmas cards
The custom of sending Christmas cards started in Britain in 1840 when the first 'Penny Post' public postal deliveries began. (Helped by the new railway system, the public postal service was the 19th century's communication revolution, just as email is for us today.) As printing methods improved, Christmas cards were produced in large numbers from about 1860. They became even more popular in Britain when a card could be posted in an unsealed envelope for one half-penny - half the price of an ordinary letter.

Traditionally, Christmas cards showed religious pictures - Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, or other parts of the Christmas story. Today, pictures are often jokes, winter pictures, Father Christmas, or romantic scenes of life in past times.

The old man with the sack'Father Christmas' (or 'Santa Claus') has become the human face of Christmas. Pictures will be seen everywhere of the old man with long white beard, red coat, and bag of toys. Children are taught that he brings them presents the night before Christmas (or in some countries on December 6th - St. Nicholas' Day), and many children up to the age of 7 or 8 really believe this is true. In most countries, it is said that he lives near the North Pole, and arrives through the sky on a sledge (snow-cart) pulled by reindeer. He comes into houses down the chimney at midnight and places presents for the children in socks or bags by their beds or in front of the family Christmas tree.

In shops or at children's parties, someone will dress up as Father Christmas and give small presents to children, or ask them what gifts they want for Christmas. Christmas can be a time of magic and excitement for children.

Who was he?
Father Christmas is based on a real person, St. Nicholas, which explains his other name 'Santa Claus' which comes from the Dutch 'Sinterklaas'. Nicholas was a Christian leader from Myra (in modern-day Turkey) in the 4th century AD. He was very shy, and wanted to give money to poor people without them knowing about it. It is said that one day, he climbed the roof of a house and dropped a purse of money down the chimney. It landed in the stocking which a girl had put to dry by the fire! This may explain the belief that Father Christmas comes down the chimney and places gifts in children's stockings.

Making sense of Christmas
Today in the West, not many people consider the religious meaning to Christmas. Most people in UK or Europe will not go to a religious church meeting, even at Christmas. It has become a busy race to spend money on presents, and get ready for the Day. In UK, our shops stay open till late Christmas Eve and often open again on Boxing Day with the cut-price 'sales'. (Not much holiday for the poor shop workers!) A visitor from another world would think that Christmas was a festival to the gods of money and shopping.

What do you want from Christmas?
Many people do hope for more than presents at Christmas. We want to somehow return to a time in our childhood (or some other good time in the past), when life was simpler and made more sense, before the troubles of adult life arrived. We feel sure that behind all the fun and decorations, there must somehow be a message, something more, some key to life, hope and happiness.

So can we look beyond the way Christmas is celebrated today, and find any real meaning, any message for our lives today?

The Manger by Pearlie Walker - Poem'C H R I S T M A S' by Joan Clifton Costner - Poem'~ Christmas in the Air ~' by Marie Williams - Poem'Christmas Memories' by Marie Williams - PoemMohinder's true story

Christmas was just a good time to drink extra whisky and beer for Mohinder, until he found the real meaning of Christmas.

The problem page
Christmas can often be a time of debt, stress, worry, loneliness, even suicide.
Our problem pages try to help.

How did Christmas start?
Since about 400 AD, Christians have celebrated the birth of Jesus. 'Christ' means 'Messiah' or 'Anointed One' - the title given to Jesus - and 'Mass' was a religious festival.
In the West today, the real meaning of Christmas is often forgotten. It has become a non-religious holiday! More children believe in Father Christmas than in Jesus. Christmas Day is a time for eating and drinking too much and watching television.
But the real Christmas story is found in the Christian Bible. It is told in two different books: Matthew and Luke chapters 1 and 2. If you have no Bible, you can read these chapters online. You may think that the story of the birth of Jesus, and the way that the West celebrates Christmas today, do not seem to have many connections.
Mary says "yes"



These chapters tell how Jesus was born as a baby to Mary. This was no ordinary birth! She was not married, she was a virgin, (yes, really!) and an angel had told her she would bear a special baby. Her husband-to-be, Joseph, did not believe her at first. Who would? Then an angel told him in a dream that it was true! Probably no one else believed it. So when they had to travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem (near Jerusalem), to register their names with the ruling Roman government, they probably escaped many hard words from other people.
Arrival in Bethlehem brought worry and upset: there was no room for them to stay at the hotel. There was only space in the stable - the animal house for travellers' donkeys and horses.
Jesus was born that night, and as they had no bed for him, they used an animal feeding box filled with the dry grass the animals ate.

Christmas cards and pictures today make it all seem very nice. In truth, it must have been dirty and frightening for a young couple, far from their home and families. Possibly the birth was premature after the stress of the journey. This was a very poor place for Jesus to start his life on earth.

God's plan?
Christians believe that it was exactly God's plan that things happened this way. They say that it shows that Jesus came as a humble, poor person and not as a strong, rich king. They also claim that the birth of Jesus was told many years before in the books of the prophets.
Five hundred years before, the prophet Micah had said,
"But you Bethlehem, though you are small, out of you will come for me, one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."

The prophet Isaiah had written,
"A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler.
He will be called, "Wonderful Counsellor," "Mighty God," "Eternal Father," "Prince of Peace." His royal power will continue to grow; his kingdom will always be at peace....
He will rule as King David's successor, basing his power on right and justice, from now until the end of time."

These are only two of many prophetic words that told of the birth and life of Jesus, written hundreds of years before His birth.

The shepherds are frightened

At that time, sheep farmers were seen by other people as low and of no value. Yet it was to these shepherds that the birth of Jesus was first announced in an amazing dramatic way:
"That night there were some men looking after sheep in the fields nearby. Suddenly they saw a great light. It was an angel, who said, Don't be afraid. I have good news for you, and for all people. Someone great has been born today. He is Christ, the great King you have been waiting for. He will save you from all that is wrong and evil. You will find him dressed in baby clothes, lying on a bed of dry grass.'"

The story of the wise men
After Jesus was born, wise men came to look for Him, from an area which is now in either Iran or Saudi Arabia. Although they are often called the "Three Kings", the Bible does not say how many there were, or that they were kings. Three is only a guess because they brought with them three gifts. Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

They were certainly men of learning - probably today we would call them philosophers or scientists. They had seen an unusual new star in the sky, and knew that it told of the birth of a special king. (The star they saw was probably a exploding "supernova" and is known from astronomical records.) They followed the direction of the star- East - and eventually found the place where Mary, Joseph and Jesus were staying. To bring honour to the child, they brought rich gifts: gold, frankincense (a resin which burns with a beautiful smell), and myrrh (plant oil with a very strong sweet smell). These gifts tell us in pictures three key things about Jesus:

Gold: a gift fit for a King
Frankincense: burnt in worship of God
Myrrh: a sign of mortal human-ness - it was used to bury the dead

Jesus a refugee
Herod, the evil king of the area, heard about the child, saw Him as a threat, and sent soldiers to kill Jesus. But God told Joseph in a dream to take Mary and the baby and escape to Egypt. They lived there till King Herod died and then went back to live in Nazareth. We read nothing more about the life of Jesus, except for one story when he was 12, until He reached 30. By the way - note one important thing: Jesus was not a white European, and Christianity is not a Western religion. Christmas cards from different countries often show Mary, Joseph and Jesus in the landscape of that country, and with the racial appearance of that nationality, be it black African, Indian, or Japanese. This is good and right - Jesus came to identify with every racial group. He is "Everyman" for us all.

The end of the story?
But how did it end?" Jesus was crucified at the age of 33.
Jesus was indeed "the man born to die". Gave His life no man could take his life.  But that was not the end of the story. It is still going on, and you can be part of the story, if you wish.

"But how did it end?"

No other person has had such an effect on human lives as Jesus. He came back to life again, and millions say they know Him today as a friend and helper in their lives. You owe it to yourself to find out more about Him. Is He who He claimed to be? Can He help us in our lives today? You have nothing to lose! Christmas is the time to stop and think about these important questions.

‪#‎WORD‬ 
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

More Christmas links
Send free Online Cards to your friends and loved ones. All cards are absolutely free123 Greetings Merry Christmas e page
Christmas eCards,Santa Claus Cards, Christmas Greetings, Happy Christmas from GreetingsneCards.com
Merry Christmas! Share the Christmas spirit, and wish everyone you know. Have Fun on Christmas with Merry Christmas Greeting Cards, Free Christmas ecards, Christmas Carols, Christmas GreetingsChristmas in Cyperspace
More on the real meaning of Christmas. A top collection of stories, poems, classic literature, calendars, traditions and customs, music and carols, dramas, clipart and more.Searching for the meaning of Christmas
Another very useful site with many links and lots of information on every part of Christmas. A large section on Christmas customs in many other countries.RealAudio drama presentation - 'The 12 Voices of Christmas'
If you have a soundcard and RealAudio plug-in, you can listen to the Christmas story, and hear the voices of Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, and the other people who saw the birth of Jesus. A great new way to look at the Christmas Story!Gospelcom.net Christmas resources:
Among the many resources offered are Bible Prayer Fellowship's online "Thoughts for Christmas" devotional, Christmas articles by Ron Hutchcraft, holiday-themed Reverend Fun cartoons and "A Top Ten Christmas at Peggie's Place." Visit the Gospelcom.net Christmas page and let these resources help you get into the true Christmas spirit!

courtesy of www.soon.org.uk/christmas.htm
submitted by: Shelle'
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DiversityInc Bookstore

Losing the Race - Self-Sabotage in Black America

John McWhorter explores the three main components of this cultural virus: the cults of victimology, separatism, and antiintellectualism that are making blacks their own worst enemies in the struggle for success.
For More Information www.diversityinc.com


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Moderator's Comments
Your comments are welcome - Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza
PLEASE Be Safe this holiday season Drink Responsibly - Remember the life you save could be your own!
Most Taxi Cabs are sponsored for free - If you have too much Christmas Cheer :) Shelle'

The Elephant in the Room

An Elephant's in the Room

Dedicated to the memory of all who've died in America due to racial injustice

I recall finding an old jet magazine at my grandmothers house and they always reflect on Civil Rights movement tragedies that evolved into a movement.  Back in those days it was the "Negro Race", prior to that we we're Colored or Nigger.  Color in America defines a story of love, and hate but one country.

We' as a people were not easily surprised but often terrorized by the majority race White folk as my Grandmother would say, She raised my mother with manners in the South, yes ma'am, and thank you, please, yes sir because you couldn't disrespect or dishonor your family by appearing ignorant which was passed down.  So we were taught to not make direct eye contact with a white person, be mannerable always, never dispute them in public.

Then it changed, Emmett Till a young teenager whose being raised by a single parent goes to visit relatives for a summer vacation/work/education.  Those days the sent you to South to learn discipline how to become responsible enjoy different environment and just be a kid.  Well, he went to visit his uncle and go to get some candy with his cousins he was 14 years old when he broke a rule of the South.  He whistled at a white woman that night while the house was dark everyone asleep when two or more men came to his uncles house in Mississippi they threatened the entire family and abducted took the young man.  Beat him, mutilated his body tied a fan around his neck and dropped his body in the river.  When he was found his body bloated from mold & decay the put him in a box and sent him home to his mother she put the body on display and Jet magazine recalled that story.

Fourteen-year-old Emmett Till was visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi on August 24, 1955 when he reportedly flirted with a white cashier at a grocery store. Four days later, two white men kidnapped Till, beat him, and shot him in the head. The men were tried for murder, but an all-white, male jury acquitted them. Till's murder and open casket funeral galvanized the emerging civil rights movement.

Profile

Emmett Louis Till was born on July 25, 1941 in Chicago, Illinois, the only child of Louis and Mamie Till. Till never knew his father, a private in the United States Army during World War II. Mamie and Louis Till separated in 1942, and three years later, in 1945, the family received word from the army that the soldier had been executed for "willful misconduct" while serving in Italy.

• NAME: Emmett Till
• BIRTH DATE: July 25, 1941
• DEATH DATE: August 28, 1955
• PLACE OF BIRTH: Chicago, Illinois
• PLACE OF DEATH: Money, Mississippi
• FULL NAME: Emmett Louis Till

Not only were his killers acquitted by an all white jury his mother fought for years to find justice & peace with this verdict, (out of respect for the dead I will not post a picture of what I saw in Jet Magazine that day) you could feel her pain.  I thought he was a monster, because of my age not mature enough to fully grasp this hideous photograph why did she do that is what I thought. I was in total disbelief because I had no exposure to racism.  My community was tight knitted we had a few inter-racial families, I remember not seeing many white people only when I visited my grandmother in Virginia where she knew and had neighbors who were white and it was no open discrimination in Northern Virginia that I can recall.  So when I read this piece it shocked me almost to this day I'm still frightened by the photos of his dead mutilated body.  Racism is a sometimes passionate and divisive conversation because nobody wants to admit ill will especially when it comes to race.  We've learned how to tolerate sweeping it all under the rug shrug and say well that just the way it is... hmmm how sad.  The two men who tortured and murdered a fourteen year old boy on summer vacation getting candy from a store were able to sell their story to Look Magazine shortly after their aquittal and because of the times double jeopardy did not apply nor did our federal government have ANY Civil Rights Bills on the books.  We as a nation of Negros in the 50's just had to pray, and get over it.  Move on.  But it brought about a "Movement" shortly thereafter Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus, which propelled Martin Luther King, Jr into the spotlight the rest is history.

Since then we've seen amazing change in our nation but none of it ever addresses the real issue of our suffering in a nation who only gave us rights 50 years ago.  Most immigrants came of their own free will to America, well most of your 5th & 6th generation African Americans families whose ancestors have been here since the beginning through it all.  My family  is one of them.  So I can stand proudly and boldly and say my grandfather's served in WWI, my father served WWII, and my great, great last name is Turner.  You figure it out. It was a since of pride history we are entitled to respect, true equality, and to be treated justly.  Enough already 21st Century and this is still a silent issue.

 Through the generations our heritage has known much agony, much defeat, much pain & suffering.  Black man's life isn't worth a plug nickel today vs 450 yrs ago in this nation.  Once upon a time he was a commodity being auctioned on the block torn from his family often as a teenaged boy only to being profiled in a free society stopped and frisked and place in jail for misdemeanor crimes, that still profits off our labor the criminal justice system has been doing this since the 60's makes money for private owned prisons.  Then you have the sports, entertainment, well that has always been our only foot in the door being able to entertain our audience now our children earn millions of dollars promoting materialism.  The "Good Life" when really only 03 percent are among the upper 1 percent in America's wealthiest.  So we live vicariously through another mans wealth and they market knockoff attire to make us feel we are living larger than life.  Accruing debt and at times more crimes.  Drugs, porn, you name it more young women think that hair nails & make and a nice outfit will attract $ mo money.  We lost a sense of pride.  Times have changed depending on your view of it and perspective it has become a free for all.  Polarized Nation.  Right & Left, Wrong &Right, and Democrat vs. Republicans vs Tea Party vs Independents we all have opinions.

The Elephant in the room means when people ignore the issues and pretend nothings wrong all is well.

Well, Trayvon Martin trial and outcome brought all of those feelings back. That Jury found him guilty of being black, in the right place at the wrong time.  George Zimmerman profiled this teenager, stalked, and confronted him. then when young Mr. Martin fought for his life, stood his ground and was shot through the heart.

 How can a teenage boy on the phone talking with earplugs, a bag of skittles, and Arizona Tea in the rain coming home from 7Eleven get shot through the heart?  How is it that in 2013 an all white woman jury couldn't find any crime in a 27 year old man stalking, profiling on tape, then confront shoot to kill him not wound him use a stun gun so he could spare his life never identified himself as a Neighborhood Watch Captain.  My son would have fought him too.  Six people heard and saw a poorly presented argument by the State of Florida Prosecution team and were left to reasonable doubt poorly collected forensic evidence because this never was a murder investigation but a John Doe. They deliberate with and find a verdict of Not Guilty?  Boggles the mind even listening to the 911 calls I could hear my son's cry for the first time in my life I feel afraid.  If you can't get pass ideologs and Fox News spin on it they made this about Race spinning lies and division instead of reporting the facts.  George Zimmerman was found Not Guilty by a jury of his peers.  I have to accept that because it was America's due process, verdict was rendered.  Move on?  We will but our voices will be heard because here again is another example of fear and injustice proved out by Gun Violence against a person that was a victim of a crime.

  I like others will not accept that he's innocent, but his defense team did their job and gave him the best defense.    The State of Florida should be under investigation for how this entire crime was handled. They were reluctant to bring a case against him but public outrage brought about an arrest a trial and a verdict.

  I'm not a reporter but just a mom who loves everyone not against white, blacks, latino, asian, muslims, christians, hindu, whatever whoever I believe in God's last commandment "Love Thy Neighbor as you your Love Yourself".  It's the "Rules of Law"  Man didn't write that one and if I had to judge we'd all be convicted. Guilty as Charged and most of us believe in eternal life... So GOD will forgive but only he can judge a man for his deeds and Karma is infinite.  Bible also say's "You Reap what you Sow."  

So at the end of the day, America we need to work on healing the issues of race and false sense of white superiority and recognize that it still exists and many of my friends who aren't black know it still exist but at least we are friends despite their upbringing and outside family influences same goes for me.  I have family members who don't like or trust white people they see them as the enemy.  They think they're better than us, is how they regard them, well I have an open mind and a big heart I am a christian and don't like to brag about because folks turn around and wanna judge your habits instead of how you walk and treat others.  We need to hang out with each other more often and not be afraid to ask a intimate question about a person culture.  Slavery was bad, Ku Klux Klan traumatized a nation for years a lot of families where destroyed, we never had equal anything subculture, our education and resources are still substandard compared to thriving communities.  Let's be real minimum wage jobs can not get a women off welfare.  Just because Barack Obama is the President of the United States, he still get's treated with major disrespect from opposing party and their constituency.  People always finding a way to find a negative out of something we hold honorable and good.  He gives me a sense of pride as a Black America, African American, Colored, and Negro Woman.  So this is my tribute to Trayvon memory that just because the judicial system found him not guilty doesn't mean justice was served it failed Emmett Till update Mike Brown Ferguson, St. Louis MO; and Trayvon Martin almost 60 years later after his killers were acquitted.  

"If nothing changes, nuthin changes"

#‎BLACKLIVESMATTER‬ From Emmit in 1955 - 2015 "If nothing changes, nuthin changes" ‪#‎ENDRACISM‬ These are just a few of the people listed who've died at the hands of injustice heart emoticon ‪#‎SHOWSOMELOVE‬ heart emoticon

Samuel DuBose
Sandra Bland
Walter Scott 50
Bernard Moore 62
Lavall Hall 25
Jonathan Ryan Paul 42
Jamie Croom 31
Terry Garnett Jr. 37
Monique Jenee Deckard 43
Tony Terrell Robinson Jr. 19
Tyrone Ryerson Lawrence 45
Naeschylus Vinzant 37
Andrew Anthony Williams 48
Dewayne Deshawn Ward Jr. 29
Ledarius Williams 23
Yvette Henderson 38
Edward Donnell Bright, Sr. 56
Thomas Allen Jr. 34
Charley Leundeu Keunang, “Africa” 43
Fednel Rhinvil 25
Shaquille C. Barrow 20
Kendre Omari Alston 16
Brandon Jones 18
Darrell “Hubbard” Gatewood 47
Cornelius J. Parker 28
Ian Sherrod 40
Jermonte Fletcher 33
Darin Hutchins 26
Glenn C. Lewis 37
Calvon A. Reid 39
Tiano Meton 25
Demaris Turner 29
Isaac Holmes 19
A’Donte Washington 16
2014 Tamir Rice, 12, Cleveland, Ohio—Nov. 22, 2014; Michael Brown, 18, Ferguson, Mo.—August 9, 2014; John Crawford III, 22, Beavercreek, Ohio—August 5, 2014; Eric Garner, 43, New York, N.Y.—July 17, 2014; Yvette Smith, 47, Bastrop, Texas—February 16, 2014; McKenzie Cochran, 25, Southfield, Mich.—January 28, 2014; Andy Lopez, 13, Santa Rosa, Calif.—October 22, 2013;

— looking for hope.

#SHOWSOMELOVE 

@Lovleeannwise  all rights reserved 7/15/13, 8:26 PM