*Rhapsody of Realities*

15 November 2019

 _By Pastor Chris Oyakhilome_ —

 *Light In A Dark World*

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee (Isaiah 60:1-2).

There’s so much evil, wickedness, and persecution in the world today, and many are troubled as a result. But it’s actually a fulfilment of the Scriptures; the Bible says, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come 2 Timothy 3:1).


The ensuing verses 2-5 enumerate some of the evil that’ll characterize these last days: “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power…” (2 Timothy 3:2-5 NIV).

Now, while all these are happening, something even bigger will be taking place as well. The Bible says, “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light…” (Isaiah 60:2-3).

Notice the underlined portion, and then recall what we read in our opening scripture. Irrespective of the darkness and evil in the world in these last days, you’re to shine ever so brightly.

He says, “…the Gentiles shall come to thy light”; this is much more than God’s light shining upon us, and His glory seen in us. Rather, it’s us bringing forth a new season; a new day. Think about it this way: when Jesus came, He brought forth the new creation; He raised sons of God; that was His purpose.

Then He said concerning us, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14). So, what’s happening is, while there’s darkness in the world, we’re not waiting for the light of God to shine; rather, we shine, for He’s made us His light in a dark world. How do you shine? It’s by acting out God’s Word; living out the Gospel; doing the works of God. Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Glory be to God!

CONFESSION
I’m the light of the world, and my light shines everywhere, dispelling evil, wickedness and other works of darkness; ushering men into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY:
Luke 12:35; Let your loins be girded about, and [your] lights burning;

2 Corinthians 4:6; For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:5; Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 12:1-13 & Ezekiel 11-12

2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
John 12:12-19 & 1 Chronicles 15

Black Wall Street-Attacked

^{Credit/ from Wikipedia} 

O.W. GurleyEdit

Around the start of the 20th century O.W. Gurley, a wealthy black land-owner from Arkansas, came to what was then known as Indian Territory to participate in the Oklahoma Land run of 1889. The young entrepreneur had just resigned from a presidential appointment under president Grover Cleveland in order to strike out on his own."^[9]

In 1906, Gurley moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he purchased 40 acres of land which was "only to be sold to colored".^[9]

Among Gurley's first businesses was a rooming house which was located on a dusty trail near the railroad tracks. This road was given the name Greenwood Avenue, named for a city in Mississippi. The area became very popular among black migrants fleeing the oppression in Mississippi. They would find refuge in Gurley's building, as the racial persecution from the south was non-existent on Greenwood Avenue.

In addition to his rooming house, Gurley built three two-story buildings and five residences and bought an 80-acre (32 ha) farm in Rogers County. Gurley also founded what is today Vernon AME Church.^[2]

This implementation of "colored" segregation set the Greenwood boundaries of separation that still exist: Pine Street to the North, Archer Street and the Frisco tracks to the South, Cincinnati Street on the West, and Lansing Street on the East.^[2]

Another black American entrepreneur, J.B. Stradford, arrived in Tulsa in 1899. He believed that black people had a better chance of economic progress if they pooled their resources, worked together and supported each other's businesses. He bought large tracts of real estate in the northeastern part of Tulsa, which he had subdivided and sold exclusively to other blacks. Gurley and a number of other blacks soon followed suit. Stradford later built the Stradford Hotel on Greenwood, where blacks could enjoy the amenities of the downtown hotels who served only whites. It was said to be the largest black-owned hotel in the United States.^[2]

Gurley's prominence and wealth were short lived. In a matter of moments, he lost everything. During the race riot, The Gurley Hotel at 112 N. Greenwood, the street’s first commercial enterprise, valued at $55,000, was lost, and with it Brunswick Billiard Parlor and Dock Eastmand & Hughes Cafe. Gurley also owned a two-story building at 119 N. Greenwood. It housed Carter’s Barbershop, Hardy Rooms, a pool hall, and cigar store. All were reduced to ruins. By his account and court records, he lost nearly $200,000 in the 1921 race riot.^[2]

Because of his leadership role in creating this self-sustaining exclusive black "enclave", it has been falsely rumored that Gurley was lynched by a white mob and buried in an unmarked grave. However, according to the memoirs of Greenwood pioneer, B.C. Franklin,^[10] Gurley left Greenwood for California. Whichever version is true, the founder of the most successful black community of his time drifted into obscurity and almost vanished from history. He was honored in a 2009 documentary film called, Before They Die! The Road to Reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot Survivors.^[11]

Tulsa Race MassacreEdit

Black Wall Street in flames, June 1, 1921

The Tulsa Race Massacre occurred in late May 31 and June 1, 1921. During the massacre, 35 square blocks of homes and businesses were torched by mobs of angry whites. The ransacking began because of the alleged assault of a white elevator operator, 17-year-old Sarah Page, by a black shoeshiner, 19-year-old Dick Rowland. The attack killed hundreds and left an estimated 10,000 people homeless. The city government of Tulsa conspired with the mob, arresting more than 6,000 black residents and refusing to provide them with protection or assistance.^[12] Law enforcement officials used airplanes to drop firebombs on buildings, homes, and fleeing families, stating they were protecting against a "Negro uprising."^[13] The massacre was omitted from state and local records, and "rarely mentioned in history books, classrooms, or even in private."^[14]

The community mobilized its resources and rebuilt the Greenwood area within five years of the Tulsa Race Massacre in spite of political efforts to prevent reconstruction, and the neighborhood was a hotbed of jazz and blues in the 1920s.^[15] During the Great Depression, however, the area became known for vice and crime.^[16] The neighborhood fell prey to an economic and population drain in the 1960s, and much of the area was leveled during urban renewal in the early 1970s to make way for a highway loop around the downtown district. Several blocks around the intersection of Greenwood Avenue and Archer Street were saved from demolition and have been restored in recent years, forming part of the Greenwood Historical District.

ImprovementsEdit

Revitalization and preservation efforts in the 1990s and 2000s resulted in tourism initiatives and memorials. John Hope Franklin Greenwood Reconciliation Park and the Greenwood Cultural Center honor the victims of the Tulsa Race Riot, although the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce plans a larger museum to be built with participation from the National Park Service.^[17]

In 2008, Tulsa announced that it sought to move the city's minor league baseball team, the Tulsa Drillers, to a new stadium, now known as ONEOK Field to be constructed in the Greenwood District. The proposed development includes a hotel, baseball stadium, and an expanded mixed-use district.^[18] Along with the new stadium, there will be extra development for the city blocks that surround the stadium. This project will bring Greenwood Historical District out front and center and attract not only tourists but also Tulsa residents to North Tulsa.

The Lack of Support and Protection for Black Women In Our Own Families, Communities & With Our Black Men

A topic that is more taboo than anything to discuss, but must be told. Black women have been the rock and foundation for the black family, the home and communities. We will attempt to look at how over the years black homes have changed and the few that are headed by Black men who love, treasure and cherish the gifts that we are respect and honor for black women across all spectrums of America have changed.




Women of color at one point were respected, protected and truly loved by our men. For centuries we were and still the rock and foundation for the family, and during the '70s our communities were striving. We were confident in our beauty, style, and choices.  Today it breaks my heart to see so many of us trying to imitate the European way of looking by wearing weaves, and other western influences. The photo below is courtesy of: BEAUTY & THE BEACH | 1930s African American women in bathing suits strike a pose.

Wake the )&%$ Up Black America

Netflix....questioned the content of black movies up there. The movies either downplay artist or exploit women of color as angry, single, or loose. The men are either drug dealers, deadbeat fathers, or rapist. As Kaepernick took a knee for the lies behind this yet to the United States with a flag that only reminds us of the colonization of our people and the blood that was shed to advance their agenda. STAY WOKE! Wake up Black America, everything was not always owned or ran by people who do not represent the black communities interest. We were killed for it during Jim Crow south!

Think about it! Another form a Jim Crow is going on and is cripple the way of life for all Americans. The Willie Lynch letters that were written were, in fact, a result of the rhetoric that we see in today's current administration. He stated in his letters that if we can separate the head of the home to leave the women in charge. Then their children will not have any directions and be disobedient in the home. As I write this blog from my point of view as a Black American, it saddens my heart to see that the violence in America, is at an all-time high and racial injustice is being felt all over.

We need each other. Television is not portraying a positive image or reflection of how Black homes were ran during the 70's when I grew up and this younger generation is being brainwashed by movies, that do not support positive reflections of who we are as people of color or foreign descent. I stopped supporting and watching the NFL years ago because that's just like having people of color picking cotton. They knew the effects of playing this game but chose to continue exposing players to the dangers of permanent injuries with their families left to suffer the results. They will be retired by then from making billions of these athletes.

REJECTED

Thank you so much for rejecting me....thank you for ignoring my text and calls....thank you for not showing me the compassion and love that I've shown you... The tears that I've cried....over you and for you...you will never understand...

As a single parent....there is no re-do or cushion...after you have given all you've had to provide a stable future for your children.... the hurt that you fill from your children who don't call to check in on you or call to just say hello...or I love you...

I remember as a young woman I was so angry at my mom because I thought she didn't love me and as much as I needed the companionship that I've given my daughters... I just wanted to have that female bond...but as I grew older...I realized that she was only given what she was given...and didn't blame her..from the past hurts that consumed her in fear...and crippled...what dreams she had to soar...a marriage...where....I promise to love you until the end of our life...turned out to be a lie...

I remember standing with my siblings peaking through the crack of the door as my father tried to console her...after he cheated for what seemed to be the last time...my mother could take...she was broken...hurt...and all I remember was wanting to cry with her... and hold...her...

I know how my mother felt and feels when she doesn't get calls from her grandchildren...

What happened to us? why is it so hard for this generation to see that working together is better than working apart.... this is one post that I cannot finish at this time...because I'm so hurt...I feel abandoned...alone...a castaway... REJECTED....

What happened to the Family

This is truly heavy on my heart this morning. American families have become so selfish when it comes to family. I look at some of the places God has taken me around the world and see how children are there for their grandparents, Mother's and fathers.

The Phillipino family that I worked with in Hawaii as a special needs skills trainer as humble as they were. They always came together to take care of what needed to be done. Yet taking the time to bless me with tokens of gratitude for impacting their son's life. It' breaks my heart as a parent to see my family as well as others I've grown up with a part, and not cherishing the moments that we can never get back. I'm truly blessed with my sisters Susan & Rosemary, we were inseparable and no pride, ego or relationship kept us apart or from being there for each other.

Susan my oldest sister would watch the kids for us when we got promoted to nighttime work at Sears with no type of oh let me check with my boyfriend or it's going to cost you. My heart truly aches for the lost soles of these American families that are so selfish that they can't see past the schemes from the devil to divide families. It's a choice to truly walk with God and seek his face for healing for generations to come. Not the fake lipservice some Christians do and when they are behind closed doors their tongues are filled with condemnation for their brother or sister. That's not Love,

This Philipino family that I worked with, as well as others, taught me so much during the time I was blessed to be in their son's life who was autistic. We all grow and change some for the better and some still with wounds, bitterness, and hurt from the past. But we have to remember that no one is perfect but Christ and who the spirit set free is free indeed. To the families out here that I've met during this thing, we call life. I'm honored to have learned from you what a Healthy and supportive family looks like.

Women It’s Time We Stop Hurting In Silence

Singles, have you ever be around family or people you grew up with and no matter how long time has gone by. They haven’t changed? Either trying to make you feel guilty or ashamed for something that’s happened in the past? Or keep bringing things up that try to keep you locked into the old choices you made, but don’t turn the mirror on their own situations? 

The truth is No More Lies: 

God is doing a new thing in the lives of those that want to shame you or make you feel undeserving. God is pulling down strongholds in the lives of his Sons and Daughters. He is releasing dry bones in families that are stagnant and stuck in their ways.  He is breaking generational curses for men who have raped or sexual assaulted their family members and exposing the lies and bringing peace in these toxic dysfunctional relationships. 

 It’s Time As Women that we stop covering the lies of men who have hurt us so that we can break this generational curse that has made us choose wrongly in our relationship with men, and suffer in silence why rape victims or sexual assault victims are looked at as we some how deserved it. I’m speaking to women who have been hurt in their youth and now grown still dealing with the scars or your past. 

There is healing in God, and my prayer is that he will place healthy Godly men and women in your lives to pray you through the hurt and pain, to cultivate a healthy environment for you to speak freely and love you past your wounds. 

Singles we are going all in this month as God continues to use me to reach the putter most parts of this earth. 

Live Your Life Loved, (PB31) Stay Blessed And Love yourself 1st to the fullest 

Always, YSIC Carol Burns, 

Single & Saved