DEAR GOD,
I want to thank You for what You have already done.
I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves;
I am going to thank You right now.
I am not going to wait until my son is safe and asleep and the house is quiet;
I am going to thank You right now.
I am not going to wait until I get promoted in this life or until I get the job;
I am going to thank You right now.
I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed;
I am thanking You right now.
I am thanking You because I am alive.
I am thanking You because I made it through the day's difficulties.
I am thanking You because I have walked around the obstacles..
I am thanking You because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better.
I'm thanking you because, Father, You haven't given up on me. Even during this season in my life has pierced my heart with pain. I will forever have faith in You. Abba, we've been here before and I trusted You in the past as I will do so no matter come what may. Lord, I love you dearly and more than anything in the world and that is why I will in anything and everything continue give You praise and glory. For this is Your will in Christ Jesus concerning me!
Read God's Word
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
SIX REASONS WHY MEN LEAVE
I’m a true believer in that any relationship without God will not work. A right relationship with God leads to right relationships with fellow believers. Although we will not always feel loving toward all other believers, we must pursue peace as we become more Christ-like. The Bible says in 1 John 4:20, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this single verse tells it all. Broken relationships can hinder our relationship with God. If we have a problem or grievance with a friend, we should resolve the problem as soon as possible. We are hypocrites if we claim to love God while we hate others. Our attitudes toward others reflect our relationship with God.
After a relationship ends, whether it's a 20 year marriage or a promising romance, women ask themselves over and over, what went wrong? They ask themselves, their girlfriends and their therapists. Sometimes they even spend weeks and months blaming themselves and become afraid to try again. Once they know what really happened, it's always easier to move on.
Below are some top reasons men leave and some guidelines on how to handle this.
1. THEY'RE WAITING FOR THE PERFECT PARTNER:
Some men have a secret fantasy which whispers that a perfect partner is somewhere, around the corner, waiting for him. This perfect partner will not only accept him as he is fully, but he'll finally be able to express the parts of himself that are hidden. She'll bring out the best in him. Rather than criticize and make demands, the perfect partner will give unconditionally and fulfill his every need. This fantasy should not be discounted, as it fuels much of this man's inner life. When a woman understands this fantasy fully, she has a secret for helping the man really thrive.
2. THEY HEAR A CALL TO ADVENTURE
As soon as some men see a relationship as stifling his basic need for adventure, he can feel himself to be trapped in a prison without bars. Many men then blame the relationship for the dilemma he is in. They do not realize that their true need is to find adventure in the relationship. A woman who does best in this kind of relationship is one who provides challenge.
3. THEY SUFFER FROM A FEAR OF COMMITMENT.
The fear of commitment is widely misunderstood. Commitment is inevitable when a man is living from the truth of who he is. When a man, however, is in a relationship out of obligation, guilt, on or to fulfill a false sense of self-esteem, no real commitment is possible. If he's not committing, it's because he doesn't feel things are right for him.
4. THEY FEAR THAT THEY CAN'T SATISFY THE WOMAN
There are some women who can never be satisfied no matter how much a man gives or tries to please. Some men become tied up in knots in these relationships and start to feel terrible about themselves. No matter how hard they try, they can't get the approval they are hungry for. Some just live for those rare moments when they are acknowledged and thanked.
5. HE’S ACTING OUT THE REPETITION COMPULSION
The Repetition Compulsion is the unconscious compulsion to repeat a painful situation or relationship over and over, in the hopes it will turn out differently this time. Usually each time is worse, brings more pain and disappointment. Even in the rare instances when the person gets what he wants, the original hunger does not subside. The only solution to this compulsion is to go back to the original trauma, face it fully and work it out.
6. HE'S INVOLVED WITH THE GHOST OF A PAST RELATIONSHIP
These Ghosts are memories, dreams and longings that linger from past relationships, which have been finished but are not over. A man can hold onto the memory of a former wife or lover and idealize her to such an extent, it prevents him from being available to anyone in the present. These memories can also become projected on the current relationship. These men must learn to say forgive the past, say good-bye, and develop the courage to love again. Here are some guidelines for all my dear sisters and brothers in Christ to help understand relationships better and behave in a way that is helpful for all.
FOR MY DEAR SISTERS IN CHRIST
A. Realize the turbulence a man goes through often has nothing to do with you - and cannot be avoided.
B. Give him space to discover himself, without guilt. His changes do not mean he does not love you. Allow him to be all that he is. Acceptance is love.
C. Get busy becoming all the person you can be too. There is nothing worse for a relationship than a man feeling you are clinging to him for your life.
FOR MY DEAR BROTHERS IN CHRIST
A. Restlessness and painful feelings come so you can understand yourself better. Don't blame them on the relationship. This is not a time to run away, but stay put and understands what is going on inside.
B. While you are unsettled and confused is not the best time to act. Choices made during this time are often ruled by feelings and needs from the past.
C. Make sure you help the woman realize what you are going through. Do not blame her for it. Be patient with her and yourself. - Understand that craving other women can become an addiction and escape from intimacy, bringing only more pain and repetition in its wake.
Beloved brothers and sisters, all this reminds me of a story of a young lady in Bible College who began dating a fellow. During their first month of dating, they decided to study the Bible together. With her plot well set, one night the young lady opened her Bible to Proverbs 18:22 and read, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” She then looked up, winked, and said to the young man, “Couldn’t you use a little favor from the Lord?” The young man, a Bible scholar, was quick with his reply from Proverbs 10:10—“He who winks the eye causes trouble.”
All jokes aside, I agree with you wholeheartedly but prophetically speaking, we must realize that dating doesn't train young people for marriage; it prepares them for divorce. Dating typically involves a series of short-term relationships. Even those who end up with a solid marriage often have to deal with a lot of painful emotional baggage from previous dating relationships.
A lot is said these days of abstaining from sex before marriage, but there is a great need for emotional abstinence as well. Courtship in the context of the family enables young people to get to know each other and yet still maintain their physical and emotional integrity.
ADD GOD TO IT
I beseech you my dear brothers and sisters in Christ simply and wholeheartedly add God to you relationships and He will bless it or guide you through it. And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. There are advantages to cooperating with others when you add God to it. Life is designed for companionship, not isolation, for intimacy, not loneliness. Some people prefer isolation, thinking they cannot trust anyone. We are not here on earth to serve ourselves, however, but to serve God and others. Don’t isolate yourself and try to go it alone, add God to it. Seek companions; be a team member and add God to it.
We are wrapped up in Jesus by the threefold cord of the trinity that abides in us and us in them! Keep a piece cord in your Bible to remind you of the strength you have if you just God to it!
PS. Oh by the way, did I say, add God to it? Oh, yes I did. Amen!
After a relationship ends, whether it's a 20 year marriage or a promising romance, women ask themselves over and over, what went wrong? They ask themselves, their girlfriends and their therapists. Sometimes they even spend weeks and months blaming themselves and become afraid to try again. Once they know what really happened, it's always easier to move on.
Below are some top reasons men leave and some guidelines on how to handle this.
1. THEY'RE WAITING FOR THE PERFECT PARTNER:
Some men have a secret fantasy which whispers that a perfect partner is somewhere, around the corner, waiting for him. This perfect partner will not only accept him as he is fully, but he'll finally be able to express the parts of himself that are hidden. She'll bring out the best in him. Rather than criticize and make demands, the perfect partner will give unconditionally and fulfill his every need. This fantasy should not be discounted, as it fuels much of this man's inner life. When a woman understands this fantasy fully, she has a secret for helping the man really thrive.
2. THEY HEAR A CALL TO ADVENTURE
As soon as some men see a relationship as stifling his basic need for adventure, he can feel himself to be trapped in a prison without bars. Many men then blame the relationship for the dilemma he is in. They do not realize that their true need is to find adventure in the relationship. A woman who does best in this kind of relationship is one who provides challenge.
3. THEY SUFFER FROM A FEAR OF COMMITMENT.
The fear of commitment is widely misunderstood. Commitment is inevitable when a man is living from the truth of who he is. When a man, however, is in a relationship out of obligation, guilt, on or to fulfill a false sense of self-esteem, no real commitment is possible. If he's not committing, it's because he doesn't feel things are right for him.
4. THEY FEAR THAT THEY CAN'T SATISFY THE WOMAN
There are some women who can never be satisfied no matter how much a man gives or tries to please. Some men become tied up in knots in these relationships and start to feel terrible about themselves. No matter how hard they try, they can't get the approval they are hungry for. Some just live for those rare moments when they are acknowledged and thanked.
5. HE’S ACTING OUT THE REPETITION COMPULSION
The Repetition Compulsion is the unconscious compulsion to repeat a painful situation or relationship over and over, in the hopes it will turn out differently this time. Usually each time is worse, brings more pain and disappointment. Even in the rare instances when the person gets what he wants, the original hunger does not subside. The only solution to this compulsion is to go back to the original trauma, face it fully and work it out.
6. HE'S INVOLVED WITH THE GHOST OF A PAST RELATIONSHIP
These Ghosts are memories, dreams and longings that linger from past relationships, which have been finished but are not over. A man can hold onto the memory of a former wife or lover and idealize her to such an extent, it prevents him from being available to anyone in the present. These memories can also become projected on the current relationship. These men must learn to say forgive the past, say good-bye, and develop the courage to love again. Here are some guidelines for all my dear sisters and brothers in Christ to help understand relationships better and behave in a way that is helpful for all.
FOR MY DEAR SISTERS IN CHRIST
A. Realize the turbulence a man goes through often has nothing to do with you - and cannot be avoided.
B. Give him space to discover himself, without guilt. His changes do not mean he does not love you. Allow him to be all that he is. Acceptance is love.
C. Get busy becoming all the person you can be too. There is nothing worse for a relationship than a man feeling you are clinging to him for your life.
FOR MY DEAR BROTHERS IN CHRIST
A. Restlessness and painful feelings come so you can understand yourself better. Don't blame them on the relationship. This is not a time to run away, but stay put and understands what is going on inside.
B. While you are unsettled and confused is not the best time to act. Choices made during this time are often ruled by feelings and needs from the past.
C. Make sure you help the woman realize what you are going through. Do not blame her for it. Be patient with her and yourself. - Understand that craving other women can become an addiction and escape from intimacy, bringing only more pain and repetition in its wake.
Beloved brothers and sisters, all this reminds me of a story of a young lady in Bible College who began dating a fellow. During their first month of dating, they decided to study the Bible together. With her plot well set, one night the young lady opened her Bible to Proverbs 18:22 and read, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” She then looked up, winked, and said to the young man, “Couldn’t you use a little favor from the Lord?” The young man, a Bible scholar, was quick with his reply from Proverbs 10:10—“He who winks the eye causes trouble.”
All jokes aside, I agree with you wholeheartedly but prophetically speaking, we must realize that dating doesn't train young people for marriage; it prepares them for divorce. Dating typically involves a series of short-term relationships. Even those who end up with a solid marriage often have to deal with a lot of painful emotional baggage from previous dating relationships.
A lot is said these days of abstaining from sex before marriage, but there is a great need for emotional abstinence as well. Courtship in the context of the family enables young people to get to know each other and yet still maintain their physical and emotional integrity.
ADD GOD TO IT
I beseech you my dear brothers and sisters in Christ simply and wholeheartedly add God to you relationships and He will bless it or guide you through it. And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. There are advantages to cooperating with others when you add God to it. Life is designed for companionship, not isolation, for intimacy, not loneliness. Some people prefer isolation, thinking they cannot trust anyone. We are not here on earth to serve ourselves, however, but to serve God and others. Don’t isolate yourself and try to go it alone, add God to it. Seek companions; be a team member and add God to it.
We are wrapped up in Jesus by the threefold cord of the trinity that abides in us and us in them! Keep a piece cord in your Bible to remind you of the strength you have if you just God to it!
PS. Oh by the way, did I say, add God to it? Oh, yes I did. Amen!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
THE MIND OF A MAVERICK
Have you ever wondered why you are unsettled in your spirit about a variety of people, places, things and/or ideologies?
You are probably a maverick and just don't realize your true identity! Webster defines a maverick as someone who is a pioneer or an individual who does not go along with the group. History records many men and women who pioneered new areas and colored outside the lines of tradition and conformity.
Lee Iacocca was a maverick who came from the outside to reinvent Chrysler from the top down.
Mavericks meet opposition in their quest for the new and untried ways of doing things. When offering ideas or suggestions, you may have received some of the following responses.
* That's not the way we do things around here.
* Are you suggesting that what we are doing is wrong?
* We have always done it this way.* That can't be done.
* When you have been here as long as we have, you will understand that what you are suggesting is impossible.
Anyone who accepts what I do,
Accepts my Father, who sent me.
Matthew 10:34-40 (The Message Translation)
You are probably a maverick and just don't realize your true identity! Webster defines a maverick as someone who is a pioneer or an individual who does not go along with the group. History records many men and women who pioneered new areas and colored outside the lines of tradition and conformity.
Lee Iacocca was a maverick who came from the outside to reinvent Chrysler from the top down.
Mavericks meet opposition in their quest for the new and untried ways of doing things. When offering ideas or suggestions, you may have received some of the following responses.
* That's not the way we do things around here.
* Are you suggesting that what we are doing is wrong?
* We have always done it this way.* That can't be done.
* When you have been here as long as we have, you will understand that what you are suggesting is impossible.
Why are you meeting such opposition? It is because you are a maverick! Don't allow the pressure of a calcified routine to kill the maverick spirit inside you. Don't allow the opposition to cause you to be limited to coloring inside someone else's lines.The world is waiting for you to bring it out of a fading glory and into its finest hour. Be who you are! Be the maverick that the world is waiting for!
Don't think I've come to make life cozy. I've come to cut Make a sharp knife-cut between
Son and father, Daughter and mother, Bride and mother-in-law, cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies.
Don't think I've come to make life cozy. I've come to cut Make a sharp knife-cut between
Son and father, Daughter and mother, Bride and mother-in-law, cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies.
If you prefer father or mother over me,
You don't deserve me.
You don't deserve me.
If you prefer son or daughter over me,
You don't deserve me.
You don't deserve me.
"If you don't go all the way with me, through thick and thin,
you don't deserve me.
If your first concern is to look after yourself,
You’ll never find yourself.
You’ll never find yourself.
But if you forget about yourself and look to me,
You’ll find both yourself and me.
You’ll find both yourself and me.
"We are intimately linked in this harvest work.
Anyone who accepts what you do,
Accepts me, the One who sent you...
Accepts me, the One who sent you...
Anyone who accepts what I do,
Accepts my Father, who sent me.
Matthew 10:34-40 (The Message Translation)
My dear sister in Christ, Minister Tracy Curtis, Thank you so much for allowing me to share the word of encouragement your Bishop sent you.
Though I've always considered myself as a maverick, I will never quarrel about issues that are matters of opinion. Differences should not be feared or avoided, but accepted and handled with love. Don’t expect everyone, even in the best possible church, to agree on every subject. Through sharing ideas we can come to a fuller understanding of what the Bible teaches. Accept, listen to, and respect others. Differences of opinion need not cause division. They can be a source of learning and richness in our relationships.
All Christians are part of God’s family. Believers share a unity that runs even deeper than that of blood brothers and sisters. To "agree with one another," allow for "no divisions" and "be perfectly united in mind and thought" does not require everyone to believe exactly the same.
There is a difference between having opposing viewpoints and being divisive. A group of people will not completely agree on every issue, but they can work together harmoniously if they agree on what truly matters, Jesus Christ is Lord of all. In your church, speak and behave in a way that will reduce arguments and increase harmony. Petty differences should never divide Christians.
Words from Mrs. Vicenta Ventura Vazquez' only baby boy, now a wise young man but forever the middle child, the one she called, Andy.
Elder J. Andres Vazquez.
A Prayer for O.N.E. (One Nation Empowered)
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance. Psalm 33:12
Almighty Father, God, You merely spoke and the heavens were created. You breathed the Word, and all the stars were born. You assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. We praise Your name forever and ever, for You possess all wisdom and power. Father, thank You for blessing the United States of America with abundance and prosperity. Thank You for surrounding our nation with Your favor, grace, and mercy. Jesus, thank You for shedding Your blood for our redemption. Holy Spirit, thank You for Your guidance and power. You are an awesome God!
Heavenly Father, let Your kingdom come and Your will be done in our nation. Your Word states that we are to pray for kings and all people who are in authority, so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives that are marked by godliness and dignity. We know that this is good and acceptable in Your sight. Today, we pray for our new President, Barack Obama, and his presidential administration. We declare that as they prepare to lead our nation, they will trust in You with all of their hearts. They will not depend on their own understanding, but they will seek Your will in all they do and we expect that You, Lord, will show them which path to take when making decisions for the American people.
We decree that our local, state, and national leaders will not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful; but their delight will be in the law of the Lord and in His law they will meditate day and night. They will be like trees planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf will not wither and whatever they do will prosper. Gracious Father, some nations boast of their chariots and horses; but we boast in the Name of the Lord, our God.
We submit to Your care, President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Timothy Geithner, Robert Gates, Eric Holder, Ken Salazar, Thomas Vilsack, Hilda Solis, Tom Daschle, Shaun Donovan, Ray LaHood, Steven Chu, Arne Duncan, Eric Shinseki, Janet Napolitano, Leon Panetta, Dennis Blair, Lisa Jackson, Robert Mueller, Lawrence Summers, James Jones, Susan Rice, Peter Orszag, Ron Kirk, Robert Gibbs, Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. Congress and all governmental officials.
Holy Spirit, unite this new administration and remind all of our leaders that they are working for the good of the nation and not for the advancement of self. Please help our leaders to put aside “politics” and operate in the best interest of the American people. Heal the wounds that negative politics, fear and ignorance have created within our nation. Empower us, the Body of Christ, to lead the effort in the healing process. Eternal God, Lord of Heaven’s Armies, we ask You to bless and protect our leaders’ families. Please continue to protect our troops and our borders. Increase the courage and strength of our servicemen and women as they fight courageously for our country.
Merciful Father, we repent on behalf of our nation for our many sins. We acknowledge that our actions have created problems that only You can solve. Forgive us for all sin, including greed, arrogance, selfish ambition, disobedience, rebellion, hypocrisy, injustice, jealousy, hatred, violence, ageism, sexism, racism, and dissension. Father, forgive us for shedding innocent blood and denying Your power. We confess that we have not loved the world as You love the world. We ask You to heal our land and make us one, even as You and Jesus are One. Please have mercy upon all of us and help us! As a nation, show us those we need to forgive and help us to forgive.
Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from the evil one.
Now, unto You, the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture References for the Written Text: Psalm 33:6-7, Daniel 2:20, Matthew 6:10, I Timothy 2:1-3, Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 11:14, Proverbs 4:6, Proverbs 22:4, Psalm 1:1-3 (NKJV), Psalm 20:7, Philippians 4:19, Matthew 6:13, I Timothy 1:17
On this historic day Barack H. Obama, who campaigned for the presidency with a sweeping promise of "change we can believe in, is now officially the the first black president of the United States and this country's 44th president.
Almighty Father, God, You merely spoke and the heavens were created. You breathed the Word, and all the stars were born. You assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. We praise Your name forever and ever, for You possess all wisdom and power. Father, thank You for blessing the United States of America with abundance and prosperity. Thank You for surrounding our nation with Your favor, grace, and mercy. Jesus, thank You for shedding Your blood for our redemption. Holy Spirit, thank You for Your guidance and power. You are an awesome God!
Heavenly Father, let Your kingdom come and Your will be done in our nation. Your Word states that we are to pray for kings and all people who are in authority, so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives that are marked by godliness and dignity. We know that this is good and acceptable in Your sight. Today, we pray for our new President, Barack Obama, and his presidential administration. We declare that as they prepare to lead our nation, they will trust in You with all of their hearts. They will not depend on their own understanding, but they will seek Your will in all they do and we expect that You, Lord, will show them which path to take when making decisions for the American people.
We decree that our local, state, and national leaders will not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful; but their delight will be in the law of the Lord and in His law they will meditate day and night. They will be like trees planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf will not wither and whatever they do will prosper. Gracious Father, some nations boast of their chariots and horses; but we boast in the Name of the Lord, our God.
We submit to Your care, President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Timothy Geithner, Robert Gates, Eric Holder, Ken Salazar, Thomas Vilsack, Hilda Solis, Tom Daschle, Shaun Donovan, Ray LaHood, Steven Chu, Arne Duncan, Eric Shinseki, Janet Napolitano, Leon Panetta, Dennis Blair, Lisa Jackson, Robert Mueller, Lawrence Summers, James Jones, Susan Rice, Peter Orszag, Ron Kirk, Robert Gibbs, Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. Congress and all governmental officials.
Holy Spirit, unite this new administration and remind all of our leaders that they are working for the good of the nation and not for the advancement of self. Please help our leaders to put aside “politics” and operate in the best interest of the American people. Heal the wounds that negative politics, fear and ignorance have created within our nation. Empower us, the Body of Christ, to lead the effort in the healing process. Eternal God, Lord of Heaven’s Armies, we ask You to bless and protect our leaders’ families. Please continue to protect our troops and our borders. Increase the courage and strength of our servicemen and women as they fight courageously for our country.
Merciful Father, we repent on behalf of our nation for our many sins. We acknowledge that our actions have created problems that only You can solve. Forgive us for all sin, including greed, arrogance, selfish ambition, disobedience, rebellion, hypocrisy, injustice, jealousy, hatred, violence, ageism, sexism, racism, and dissension. Father, forgive us for shedding innocent blood and denying Your power. We confess that we have not loved the world as You love the world. We ask You to heal our land and make us one, even as You and Jesus are One. Please have mercy upon all of us and help us! As a nation, show us those we need to forgive and help us to forgive.
Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from the evil one.
Now, unto You, the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture References for the Written Text: Psalm 33:6-7, Daniel 2:20, Matthew 6:10, I Timothy 2:1-3, Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 11:14, Proverbs 4:6, Proverbs 22:4, Psalm 1:1-3 (NKJV), Psalm 20:7, Philippians 4:19, Matthew 6:13, I Timothy 1:17
On this historic day Barack H. Obama, who campaigned for the presidency with a sweeping promise of "change we can believe in, is now officially the the first black president of the United States and this country's 44th president.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the following prayer was created by created by S. Caldwell of Windsor Village and has become a national prayer for our leaders. Please join in the prayer for the leaders of our country on this day that we celebrate the birth and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. If you choose to share this prayer, please be sure to include that the source is Caldwell Ministries.
~Elder J. Andres Vazquez~
I Have A Dream
Let us never forget the summer of August 28, 1963; Martin Luther King electrified America with his momentous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, dramatically delivered the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Since that day, Dr. King's speech has become the most famous public address of the 20th century, and had a profound impact on American history. In celebration of his birthday, it is privileged and honored to post his speech on this historic day Barack H. Obama, who campaigned for the presidency with a sweeping promise of "change we can believe in, is officially the 44th Commander in Chief of the United States of America.
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only". We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
My dear brothers and Sisters in Christ, Martin Luther King had a dream for all of us. What is your dream? What are you doing to realize your dream? Sieze opportunities and your dreams will come true.
Elder J. Andres Vazquez
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only". We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
My dear brothers and Sisters in Christ, Martin Luther King had a dream for all of us. What is your dream? What are you doing to realize your dream? Sieze opportunities and your dreams will come true.
Elder J. Andres Vazquez
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About Me
- J.A. Vazquez
- I'm just, a nobody, trying to tell everybody, about Somebody who can save anybody. First I want to give love to the Father for giving me the opportunity to be an instrument for him to live in and live through for the glory that belongs to only him and Him alone. I served in the United States Navy for twenty one years and retired September 2003. During the last 3 years of my naval career, I served as co-pastor of Greater New Refuge COGIC in Fallon, Nevada under the tutelage of Pastor Gregory L. Brown. While there, I diligently served my pastor and church with the construction of a new sanctuary, and caring for the needs of all ministries, while simultaneously striving to stay focused on the mandate that the Lord had placed upon my life to preach the Word of God without compromise. I was licensed to preach November 2002 and Ordained June 2003. While stationed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, I proudly served and as constituent of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church for seventeen years under the leadership of Bishop Elect W. D. Scott, Sr. and presently serve under the leadership of Bishop B. Courtney McBath at Calvary Revival Church in Norfolk, Virginia.