Are You Really Ready For A Sexual Soul Tie?

"Do you know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take members of Christ and make them members with harlots? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he/she who is joined to a harlot is one with her/him? For "the two" He says, "shall become one flesh". But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him". - 1 Corinthians 6:15-17

Last night I experienced a valuable teaching that may help a ton of us in our quest for real relationship. I find that this message on "soul ties" particularly insightful. I dare wish that I would have received it ten years ago, but I am grateful nonetheless. For all of who have experienced a "toxic relationship", this is an excerpt from a study lesson on "Back to the Basics" from Pastor Toure' Roberts:

"Let me say something real quick because it's (1 Corinthians 6:15-17) up there. You really have to understand what sex is. If you are not ready to become one soul, if you are not ready to share your soul for a long time, then you have no business having sex. The "soul tie" was God's idea. Because he wanted the husband and wife to connect in a way literally becoming one flesh...to connect in a way that they could not otherwise...Okay, now you want me to break it down. God created man in his image. In the image of God he creates him both Male and Female, He creates them. You're not ready for this! Adam was both male and female. He had the female in him. God says, "Let us make man in our image". In order to get the full picture and dimension of God you have to have both male and female. God does not have a penis. I'm gonna keep it all the way real. He does not have genitalia. But there are essences that the woman bears and essences that the man bears and there is something in that dynamic that represents God and His fullness. So, Adam (first) is both male and female. They are one. God tells Adam, "Go to sleep" because Adam didn't know how great he was or how powerful he was. He causes a deep sleep to come upon him (Adam), reaches inside of him and pulls out the Woman. So, now they are two, but that's a problem because they weren't created to be two. They were created to be one. So what so does He tell them to do? "Cleave! Come together to become one flesh!" Why? So, that the souls can mend again. Sex is to create oneness! Forever! So, the next time (using his cellphone) you hear, "Where you at?" If you are not ready to go in forever? (using cellphone) "Where you at?"... "Not where you're at..BYE!" I'm serious! That's why back in the day, when you met Jesus and cut all that stuff out, you wouldn't even like the person you used to mess with anymore, but they would stay on your mind! (Using cellphone) "I don't even like you, but what are you doing?"... "You get on my nerves, but what time you coming over?" And you're like: "Why can I not say no? I don't even like you in my right mind!"...Because it's not about your mind! Something is happening in your soul. You're connected! You're linked at the hip! Now, you gotta get prayed for. Now, you gotta repent and talk to someone who understands what's going on. You have to go through this whole thing because you thought it was just sex. It's never just sex! It's a soul tie."

Pastor Toure' Roberts, 40, is the founder of One Church International- Los Angeles. He is a successful businessman, prophet, author, husband and father. In less than a decade in ministry, he has seen his congregation grow from a faithful thirteen parishioners to over two thousand members and a live broadcast that reaches 158 nations. You can connect with him via The 1 Channel Live, Twitter and Facebook.

A Word for 2013

 "Greater is He in that is you than he that is in the world" - 1 John 4:4

Now that the confetti has been swept away and the resolutions have been decreed, let us move toward this new year of 2013 with a renewed hope in ourselves. Be proud of your resolutions and your sense of goals. Keep a positive attitude toward the desires of your heart. But, one important word of caution: "IT'S NOT SUPPOSE TO BE EASY AND IT NEVER WILL BE"!!

Testimonies are just what they appear to me. At the root at any testimony is the word test. In order for you to accomplish your goal, you must be tested in your passion for your purpose. I, personally, hate to be tested. I guess you could say that they make me rather testy. But if you view yourself as the tree that God has planted in this life to bear fruit, you have to view your life in the botanical sense. Every purpose-filled life starts off as a seed or an idea. Next it becomes a plant. If you have ever owned plants you know that they have to be pruned and watered to continue to grow properly. This takes work and patience. This takes pain and priority.

Don't fear when you go through the "pruning process". As we move forward to becoming the established tree in our world, it is imperative to take into account the various stages in our growth. Growing pains are just that: painful! But in the end it brings forth great fruits that will feed a multitude of people. Your growth is not only necessary for your success, but it is just as important for the growth of others. Isn't it because of someone else's fruit (example) that you yourself are inspired? The Holy Bible encourages us to "consider it pure joy, my brother (sister), when you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith brings perseverance" James 1:3-4.

You are born for destiny and your purpose is mapped out ahead of you. WALK INTO YOUR PURPOSE WITH PRIDE! Furthermore, remember that any time you feel ashamed or embarrassed or that you want to give up, that is only your shallow ego speaking and not the will of Jehovah. "Therefore, there is no condemnation in those that are in Christ Jesus"- Romans 8:1. Our God wants you to be great! If it were not so, why would he waste all His love and energy on you? Keep pushing ahead and surround yourself with truthful, purpose minded people to edify you.

Honestly, 2012 for me was a serious pruning season. I would be disingenuous if I said that I enjoyed the process or that I didn't get discouraged many times. We are all human, right? But when someone tells me how much that I have changed for the better or how they are proud of my example, I know that God is growing me. So, I do my best to energize myself off of these compliments and abort the negative hinderances. I hold fast to the goals obtained and sustain myself with the hope of the future.

Someone will always appear to be more resolute or talented or successful than you, but this life, if done correctly, is designed as a marathon. Others may start off ahead of you, but a sprinter does not this life make. If you endure, you will find that even 2013, with all its joys and trials, rewards and failings is merely another lap in your life's run to purpose. Make the most of this stage and I pray the blessing of Yahweh, the Father, and the obedience of the angels in heaven to guard your hearts and minds throughout what I believe to be an amazing year in your evolution.

America, Can You Handle The Truth?

"It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter lies in the depths, where few are willing to search for it" 
                                                                - Johann Wolfgang Van Goethe                                     
                                                                   

         Jack Nicholson made the term “You can’t handle the Truth” a famous phrase in the movie A Few Good Men, co-starring Tom Cruise. Nicholson played Colonel Nathan R Jessup, who is rightly accused of being behind the murder of PFC William Santiago. Unfortunately, for most of us, that phrase continues to resonant in everyday life. The Truth is no longer the constant it was when the world and the movies were viewed in black and white. No, the world is seemingly moving to Shades of Grey (much like the book) and the Truth is being perversely blurred by the acceptance of each new rumor and speculation.

          "There are two types of Truth', says Toure Roberts, "The Truth and the things you want (to believe) bad enough that you make it true".

Megyn Kelly

Broadcast news, once the trusted source of Truth, is now the product of partisan philosophy and politics. Each outlet, at war with the other for ratings, has latched on to a preferred bloc of the viewing public. Media has trading the facts for perception to gain an edge in viewership. Despite the decline in manufacturing, over the past two decades, the “rumor mill” continue to churning out record profits for its sordid version of the truth. We have bored of the Katie Courics and gravitated to the Megyn Kelly’s of the world. It’s a wonder this country’s moral fiber is so corrupted and the reason we have allowed ourselves to be manipulated into ungodly wars and preventable crisis.

I am reminded of Jehovah God, on whom this country was allegedly founded, and our declared trust in Him. We mark this declaration on every coin and at every patriotic and political event. But has this declaration been one of Truth or perspective? I pray the former. The fact is…TRUTH HURTS! And since we really don’t like to hurt (though we love to inflict pain on others) we don’t readily accept it. For example, if financially irresponsible homeowners and greedy proprietors were sifted out in the housing industry, we could have alleviated the housing crisis and the subsequent economic disaster. People don’t like to hear they are greedy or incapable and businesses don’t like to hear they may lose profit to save the an industry, so they deny the Truth. And after a few “shady” deals, you get disaster. And to top it off, after disaster, you just get finger pointing.

“No, it’s the stupid poor people”!

“Oh no, it’s those greedy rich folks”!

           Truth is: EVERYONE IS TO BLAME! And when honest people try to fix the imbalance, one side or the other cries foul. Instead of facing their fair share of the blame they cry class warfare.

"The American Government Blew Up the World Trade Center"

           Nothing screams “untruth” like the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Plainly speaking, America is a meddling country with an arrogant ignorance of the global world. Simple Truth. If you don’t like to see your own government meddling in your everyday affairs or the police intimidating you in your neighborhood, then what difference is that same feeling from an Arab who sees a tank caravan up his street or foreign soldiers herding his family along checkpoints? Truth is you would more than likely try to rid yourself of them, too. I suppose this makes us insurgents, right? Secondly we need to be honest about what happened. As a former soldier and a construction worker who built high rise towers, I can boldly proclaim the truth. You and I know that the AMERICAN GOVERNMENT BLEW UP THE WORLD TRADE CENTER... Period. Exclamation mark!

Did I hurt your feelings or offend your sensibilities? Good! The Bible says the Truth shall MAKE you free, not SET you free. In order to “make” you free it has to shape you and grow you. This process takes honesty, pain and suffering. We need to be honest with ourselves, America. We are not the good people we claim to be. Good people don’t walk over the homeless, have extra-marital affairs, lie on their resumes or ignore the immorality that is feed to its children across the airwaves. Good people don’t commit perjury, cheat on their taxes, root for the death of foreign leaders, disrespect their own leaders and shot up movie theaters and classrooms. Oh yeah, those perpetrators thought they were good people, too.

I pray that everyone comes into the knowledge of the Truth and make the necessary corrections in their own lives to truly be better people. We have so much information at our disposal, yet we never come into the knowledge of the Truth. (2 Timothy 3:7). Our children know every commercial jingle and song lyric, but can’t comprehend their basic school lessons. Our women are making financial strides and political gains in our country, but are still lacking self-esteem and personal pride. Our men are bigger and stronger, but still are unable to communicate basic affection and care for their children and wives. 

           We do well on the exterior, but we fail miserably on the inner spirit. The poor blame it on the rich. The rich blame it on the stress of money. The Black blame it on the Whites. The Whites blame it on everybody else. The truth is that we all need a reality check and to take personal inventory. The failure acknowledge the Truth is evident by the amount of times the same tragedies and mishaps continue to occur in our lives and in our country. Vietnam became Iraq, the Great Depression became the Great Recession, young loves became old flames, racial discrimination became sexual discrimination. And so on…

Gabby Douglass

One way to describe the parallel between the Lie and the Truth is to struggle compare it to the average persons habits and those of a winning athlete. When she is on the podium waving to her family and fans, we celebrate her and try to identify with her. We go out and we emulate her in our backyards or in our wardrobe. And, in all this, we fail to live up to her standard because we fail the Truth. Truth is, she spent years in training and discipline. She sacrifices her desires to hang out for the Truth that to be better she needed to work harder. While we slept, she was up setting goals and doing personal inventory on her strengths and weaknesses. While we celebrated ourselves, she criticized her performances and broke down the nuances on film. And as a result, when she stood on the podium and celebrated her success in Truth; we sat on the couch watching, fantasizing about what we could have been had we only not lied to ourselves and acknowledged the Truth. And the Truth is: We better get real really fast! Or our very existence will be one failed lie after another!

Woman of the Month: Brandy Zeigler

According to the Study of Homelessness and Poverty, an estimated quarter million men, women and children experience homelessness in a given year in Los Angeles. It is a difficult reality to eradicate for the city's officials. Brandy Zeigler, 28, is one woman who is up for that challenge. And, in contrast to her petite frame and striking beauty, the single, Los Angeles native is tough enough to do it.

Raised as the only girl, by a single father, with four brothers, Zeigler is used to being set apart. Not one to be socially influenced, Zeigler didn't have a set mandate for her life. A devoted believer in Christ, Zeigler looked to the Holy Spirit for her destiny. So, it wasn't a stretch, when the education graduate from the University of California-Dominguez Hills unselfishly put her teaching career on hold after a epiphany from God.

"One day, in September 2010, when I was driving in my car, I thought about all the children who didn't have adequate school clothes for the upcoming year", explains Zeigler, "I wanted to do more. I wanted to have a purpose, so I asked God: Lord, give me a heart for the causes of your people."

That purpose was confirmed when, shortly after, Zeigler got a call from a friend inquiring about whether her church (One Church International) was doing a clothing drive for needy school children. After doing the clothes drive and coordinating a Thanksgiving food drive, Zeigler stepped into her purpose. And AS ONE Charity was born.

"After the success of the Thanksgiving drive, we had a lot of food left over. I thought it would be a great idea to provide sack lunches for the homeless in Hollywood. I started shopping at Costco, putting food in the trunk of my car and enlisting friends to help me distribute lunches to the homeless.", said Zeigler.

Zeigler got the name for AS ONE after brainstorming with a friend on what to call the charity. The idea came from the Bible and God's reference to His people as "one body". Zeigler counts all God's children as one family, so she looks to show that faith in her ministry. With the support of her pastor, Toure' Roberts, Zeigler's purpose-driven initiative become a cornerstone for the church's doctrine and a catalyst for a lifestyle of service by its growing membership. Many people say the time they have spent volunteering at AS ONE  has giving them an appreciation for the Christian lifestyle and what being a believer is all about.

"AS ONE has blessed me in the area of being unselfish, causing me to put someones needs before my own...giving my time and love to beautiful people, it challenges me to be blameless before God in order to pray and intercede over my neighbors" explains Tiffany Yvette, a dedicated volunteer.

"I introduce her last because she is first in what we are trying to accomplish in our church ministry. Brandy is the church and what she does is everything we stand for, said Roberts, at a new members dinner, "If you really want to know what our church principles are, you should tap into AS ONE."

Since January, 2011, AS ONE has provided food, clothing, hygiene and Christian fellowship for countless of the city's homeless. The self-funded charity started in Hollywood, but has expanded extensively into the city's downtown "Skid Row" area. Skid Row is considered to have the largest concentration of homeless and underprivileged citizens in Los Angeles County. Every Tuesday and Wednesday, Zeigler and her increasing band of faithful, assemble in North Hollywood to prepare and pack food, Bibles, clothing and hygiene.

Zeigler first focuses on her staff. She solicits testimony, prayer request and offers thanks and encouragement before leading a powerful prayer over her volunteers. She and her caravan of Christians migrate by van and car to the Skid Row district where eager men, women and children await. The unfortunate are given food and clothing, but more importantly they are given prayers, hugs and fellowship by the volunteers. Some of her volunteers include entertainment notables such as actor,Christian Keyes and Brandee Harris, celebrity choreographer.

Though Ziegler was nicknamed  "The Elder" of the church, her personal life doesn't mirror that of a powerful, young woman leading an organization. Though her influence as a leader is evident, Zeigler describes herself as shy, conservative and a bit goofy. She is humble and transparent about her challenges as the face of a growing movement. The movement has not only keep pace, but has produced other charitable components like, the Hollywood-based blanket giveaway, Blanket of Love. When ask if she every had thoughts of giving up, Zeigler doesn't hesitate:

"The charity can be very taxing spiritually and mentally. Its not an easy job especially when you, yourself, have to worry about how you are going to pay your bills and keep a roof over your head".

Her faith appears to cast off any doubts and worries. Weekly, without fail, she diligently comes ready to go and lead her team of mighty men and women down to Skid Row to do God's work. She has even taken volunteers into her home. Some of the friends she has helped on Skid Row are, now, active members in the church and have gotten back on their feet. All credit AS ONE Charity for the support. Zeigler feels she is as equally blessed by those she serves:

" When I feel empty, I am filled up through the testimonies. It's the testimonies of the people that keep me going...God is glorified through our testimony".

For her faith, service and testimony, Brandy Zeigler is our first Write4Fools "Woman of the Month".

For more information, to send donations or volunteer support, please contact As One Charity via Website , Facebook or Twitter

MAN OF THE MONTH: Dohn W. Norwood

If many young African American have become victim to the streets and prisons because of poverty and a lack of positive male influence, Dohn W. Norwood is the exception. As professionally trained actor with Masters of Fine Arts from University of California- San Diego. Norwood  plays the character "Psalms" on the acclaimed television series Hell On Wheels on AMC. 

A product of Indianapolis public schools, Norwood excelled as an honor student under adverse conditions. A son of a strong single mother, Norwood and his younger brother were raised in the notoriously crime ridden neighborhoods of Haughville and Dodge City. Norwood never had it easy and at some low moments in his childhood, he and his mother were relegated to sleeping in their car when unable to afford housing. 

Bouncing around as a child, he never lost focus of his quest to live a better life than the one he knew. And despite, the lack of a father in his home, Norwood took on that role for his brother. He even moved his brother out to California over a decade ago. He continues to support his brother and mother financially and emotionally. She is a cancer survivor. Humbly, he credits his grandfather with being a positive influence.

"My grandfather is the only man who took time to give me the facts of life and moral principle to live by in a fatherly way", reflects Norwood.

Norwood discovered the joy of acting in the 4th grade. His talents became more apparent when he was cast as a centurion in the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar starring Michael Gross of the hit television series Family Ties. Norwood was only 14 years old when he performed the role at the renowned Indiana Repertory Theater. He attended Broad Ripple High school making a name for himself as a gifted thespian in their elite magnet program for Arts.

After graduating from Broad Ripple High, where notables such as David Letterman and entrepreneur Alan H. Cohen attended, Norwood went on to matriculate at the prestigious Morehouse College in Atlanta. Norwood continued to hone his acting chops as a fellow at the University of California-San Diego. He received a Masters in Fine Arts at the third ranked program in the country.

In between roles on hit shows as ER, The Closer and films such as Bruce Almighty, Norwood worked as a substitute teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). In 2003, drawing on his experiences as an under privileged youth and his influence as a educated African American from an urban environment, Norwood, along with friend Sean Rector, founded Boys II Men, a mentoring program for at-risk adolescents. Their work and dedication to the youth have earned them respect and accolades in the community, as well as a "Certificate of Appreciation" from the city of Los Angeles.

Norwood had  inspired an innumerable amount of young men and women to graduate college and lead more productive lives than they would have ever imagined. Former students stop into the program just to speak with the new participants on how big of an influence Norwood and Rector have been in changing their lives. Many of them are coming home on college break make attending the program their first stop.

"Its amazing when you are in a store and some young adult calls out your name. He has a wife and kids with him and he reminds you that he was one of the kids in the program. He tells you he graduated from college or has a trade and is doing well. It makes you feel good and assures you that you are making a difference", says Norwood.

Norwood, alongside Common, plays Psalms on Hell On Wheels

Recently engaged to the love of his life, Marlene Glasper,  Norwood continued his flair for the dramatics by proposing to his future bride at a Lakers v. Clippers game via the Jumbo tron.. As a Clipper fan, he turned their in-house rivalry into one to cherish. Not one to take breaks, he is constantly on the quest to keep his acting career humming along. He looks to his Christian faith as a source of strength and wisdom. "God has a plan. He might say go left when I want to go right. I follow Him. I just want to keep up the momentum", he explains. That momentum is scheduled to pick up for Norwood on the third season of Hell On Wheels.

With his life in full swing, Norwood still finds time to mentor the youth and be an example of what you can do with your life even if society doesn't counts you out. He leaves this advice for all aspiring actors:

"Don't get into the industry if you just want to be famous. That's not a good tactic or a goal.  Doesn't matter if you are white, black or whatever...Be grounded...This is a business, so you have to be business-minded. Make yourself a commodity because you are a brand. And you have to design that brand around who you really are. You may start off as just an actor on someone else's project, but if you study your craft and hone your talents you can produce your own work and market yourself ".

In honor of his exemplary community work, his strong moral character and his dedication to his faith, family and craft, Dohn Norwood is our first ever, MAN OF THE MONTH.

For more about Dohn Norwood check out Dohn's filmography and recent interviews