Category Archives: What Do You Think? Wednesday

The Power of Words

Posted on by
2

What Do You Think? Wednesday

People said my tribute to my husband on Monday set them on a path toward freedom. They gained a new perspective about the type of woman they should be or want to be. Words should do this, but sometimes, like with strong black woman lies, words bind us, making us serve them. They become our object of worship, our idols, and we think our worth is there. But word binding isn’t unique to strong black women, people and images everywhere telling us what we should believe about us that have nothing to do with what God says about us. Go to The Gypsy Mama and read our sister Lisa-Jo’s word-binding story and how she got free from bondage and plans to continue in freedom with what she calls a “beauty hunt.” As always, please tell me what you think.

Spanking: An Act of Love?

Posted on by
Reply

What Do You Think? Wednesday

I was a novice as evidenced by the showdown that was approaching two hours. Now let me paint the picture for you.

On one side sat my weary girlfriend and me and on the other side was Joshua, slowly huffing and puffing with his head wet from sweat and tears. He was three and refusing to allow me to spank him for refusing, after two chances, to heed my direct command by flat out saying “No!”

I was at church during business hours so after the offense I led him to a private room to spank him. I wanted to discipline him with dignity, not with his flailing arms and legs and me wailing on him through any opening I could.

He refused to comply and I refused to fight him, but my attempt to restrain Joshua seemed to mirror the fight I wanted to avoid…. Read the rest in EEW Magazine and please tell me what you think.

The Death of Amy Winehouse

Posted on by
Reply

For days I haven’t been able to get thoughts of Amy Winehouse out of my head. The British soul singer’s funeral was yesterday, but thoughts of the circumstances of her tragic death are well alive in me. She was sad, deeply depressed and no matter how she dressed, the drugs and dreariness crept through. Though I didn’t own a CD or ever see Winehouse perform, the news of her death made me watch one of her videos. From beginning to end she walked a seedy path, never once looking at the prostitutes, transvestites, and other half naked people around her. Three times, a woman bumped into Winehouse, but she kept walking, never turning to see who bumped her or why. Interspersed with the seedy path is a shot of Winehouse in a hotel room with empty beer and alcohol bottles. Oblivious to everything that was happening along her path, she walked as if she believed she had to go through that path, resigned that debauchery would be her death. Like a declaration of resolve, she sang solid, from the depths of her soul, “my tears dry on their own.” Winehouse seemed to believe she just had to cope on her own, that there was no one who could dry her tears. Maybe she never knew that Jesus could.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.—Hebrews 4:15

Though Winehouse may not have known Jesus or His healing power, I think sometimes we, recovering strong black women, who know Jesus forget His healing power. We run to the world’s ways to mask our pain and our lives also end in a tragic death. Yes, we still may be physically alive, but our spirits, minds and relationships may have died at our own hands. We have tried to cope our way and even when we don’t get righteous results we continue to try to cope our way, like we don’t have a Godly way of escape, a way to help us to have peace right here on earth until God calls us home.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.—1 Corinthians 10:13

That way of escape may be a phone call from a friend, a song that you keep hearing again and again or a message from a radio show. God will use anything to urge you to “[t]ake my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:29). Tragic death does not have to be our end. We can live mask free and abundantly with Christ Jesus, if we trust Him. He will always be there to dry our tears, never leaving us for them to dry on their own.

Also read Why Amy Winehouse’s Death Should Matter to Christians in EEW Magazine and tell me what you think.

Note: Some of you didn’t know there was a video with Monday’s post or you tried to watch the video and couldn’t because it was private. If you missed my big video announcement, click here to watch.

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

Courageous: The Movie and Womanhood

Posted on by
Reply

What Do You Think? Wednesday

Next week I join a panel of married women to answer questions of women who’ve been through a six week marriage class. Some of their questions are typical of those struggling to overcome strong black womanhood, such as one wanting to know if she was wrong to disregard her husband’s budget commands or another asking how she can serve her husband with a good attitude when she’s upset with him. There are no easy answers for those entrenched in a marital power struggle. But the standard answer comes from 1 Peter 3:1-6, the crux of the verses revealing that our behavior, not our words, should be used to influence our husband to believe, and therefore do, the right thing. Our actions, not our nagging, will be our best advocate.

To be a biblical wife takes some resolve, and resolve is also what our husbands and the fathers in our lives need to be the men God has called them to be. This is the premise of Courageous, a new movie by Sherwood Pictures, the same company who brought you Fireproof, the movie that started a marriage revolution with its accompanying book The Love Dare. Like Fireproof challenged married couples, Courageous will challenge men to resolve to be the best fathers and husbands that they can be. Though the movie is geared toward men, Courageous will have collateral materials for men and women, including the book by Bible teacher Priscilla Shirer, The Resolution for Women. Shirer has even begun a seven-week countdown to the September release of the movie and her book with
The Resolution Revolution Project. She is challenging women to embrace the 13 resolutions for women included in her book through weekly discussions of them on her blog. Together the resolutions cover all aspects of our lives as women, like being a champion of biblical femininity, being defined by the word of God and being content. Check out the movie trailer and Shirer’s blog and let me know what you think. Courageous may be a movie you women can see with your spouses and let the movie do the talking for you.

Mothering Mess?: Octomom and Other Thoughts

Posted on by
2

What Do You Think? Wednesday

Motherhood is definitely an evolutionary process. I wrote about an aspect of my own journey on Monday (). Whether we give physical birth or nurture others’ children, all Christian women are called to motherhood (Titus 2:3-5), and it is no joke. My own experience helps me keep my stones for myself. Even with that in mind, I’m curious about what you think about Friday’s Today Show appearance of the Octomom, Nadya Suleman, the single mother of 14 children, including octuplets. One of my Facebook friends said as she was watching the show she thought about “taking an ax to my uterus.” If you missed the show, you can see some footage below. After you watch, what’s your reaction? What do you believe your response, as a Christian called to motherhood, should be about Suleman’s mothering and even your own? Please, let me know what YOU think.