If I haven’t before, let me ask you now. Can somebody explain a “faith walk” to me? I frequently refer to my own spiritual transformation that way and I’ve had others describe this “thing” that I’m on …’as you go down this road’….’as you complete this walk.’ I’ve even used the faith walk phr…
Sunday, February 07, 2021
- By James Washington For The St. Louis American
I’m sure I’ve written on this before, but I thought the significance of obedience was important enough to repeat here. It occurs to me that obedience to God is, or certainly should be, an exercise in ‘want to’ as opposed to ‘have to.’
Sunday, January 31, 2021
- By James Washington For The St. Louis American
There is a perspective in our faith that I subscribe to and it is that our challenges and tests are an integral part of God’s plan to ready us for the struggle of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.
Saturday, January 09, 2021
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
- By James A. Washington
There is one sure way to absolutely get the devil’s attention and that is to begin to turn one’s life to Christ. You’ve probably heard many a pastor refer to a person’s lifestyle as an open invitation for the devil to gain access to his or her world. Supposedly, as long as you engage in the …
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
- By James A. Washington
Sometimes I have the audacity to think that I know just what it takes to guarantee salvation, only to discover with minimal soul searching how wrong I really have been. Time and time again I’m reminded that I had nothing to do with my own salvation. No matter how hard I try, I cannot earn my…
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
- By James A. Washington
Confidence and discipline are spiritual concepts. Better yet, confidence coupled with discipline must surely be godly. This coupling should by no means be confused with arrogance and ego. Faith requires discipline and, together with spiritual confidence, the godly result is power.
Wednesday, October 09, 2019
- By James A. Washington
Confidence and discipline are spiritual concepts. Better yet, confidence coupled with discipline must surely be godly. This coupling should by no means be confused with arrogance and ego. Faith requires discipline and, together with spiritual confidence, the godly result is power.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
- By James A. Washington
Have you ever gone to church expecting to hear a certain minister, only to have a substitute guest preacher in his or her place? It has happened to me on several occasions and, after my initial disappointment, I am always reminded that it really is all about the message and not necessarily t…
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
- By James A. Washington
Have you ever gone to church expecting to hear a certain minister, only to have a substitute guest preacher in his or her place? It has happened to me on several occasions and, after my initial disappointment, I am always reminded that it really is all about the message and not necessarily t…
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
- By James A. Washington
I heard something recently that has stayed with me and has rapidly become embedded in my spirit, so I thought it was worthy to again pass along to you: “God is not schizophrenic.” It sounds simple enough, but, at closer inspection, you might want to seriously consider it implications.
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
- By James A. Washington
We all understand the concept of “card-carrying member.” As a matter of fact, you can be categorized by what affiliation you hold by what cards are in your purse or wallet. We’ve got card carrying Democrats and Republicans. You can get a membership card for every organization from the NAACP …
Thursday, August 08, 2019
- +2
- By Stacy M. Brown, The NNPA
Sometimes words alone cannot convey meaning and feelings the way we’d like them to, Dallas Weekly Publisher James Washington wrote in one of his popular “Spiritually Speaking” Columns for BlackPressUSA.com.
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
- By James A. Washington
Speed can kill, whereas a slower pace, a more deliberate pace, can be much more enlightening. At these times it is more important to be still rather than be quick to do something. Given the pace of what is going on in this world, things like prayer, peace, intimacy, personal, intimacy and ba…
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
- By James A. Washington
At the end of the day, any day, I sometimes wonder if many of us reflect on what we could have done to support a theory, a hypothesis, a professed belief that one is a man or woman of God. I’m talking about serious reflection that requires a definitive yes or no to the question, “Was this a …
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
- By James A. Washington
How many of you have ever been too embarrassed to pray, too afraid or really just too ashamed? Maybe you were afraid, or perhaps just feeling a little guilty. Because we claim to know Jesus, it is during very difficult times, that to kneel down before the Lord, (especially after you’ve done …
Tuesday, July 02, 2019
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
- By James A. Washington
Allow me to talk about freedom. The freedom I’m talking about is the freedom afforded you when you come to Christ. There is something quite liberating when you know or realize that you’ve been, as they say, set free.
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
- By James A. Washington
Have you ever wondered how the lawyer who knows his or her client is guilty but is able to get the person off based on a legal technicality feels? Legally, the person is innocent, but morally they are as guilty as, dare I say, sin.
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
- By James A. Washington
A minister friend of mine once told me that a person can have theology but no faith. He told me this because at one time I was considering going to school to study the Bible. My friend, recognizing that I was a rookie trying to crack the starting ,lineup for Christ, suggested maybe a diffe…
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
- By James A. Washington
It is not always through guile and deceit that the devil works his evil. He can accomplish his goals if he can convince you that what is very important is of little matter and no consequence. This love thing is pretty well documented throughout the Bible and Christ certainly clarifies its im…
Wednesday, May 01, 2019
- By James A. Washington
They say no one can ever lead a perfect life. Flaws, faults and mistakes are the unavoidable consequences of being human. God lets us know through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that how we handle our imperfections is about as important as acknowledging that we do indeed have them.
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
- By James A. Washington
They say no one can ever lead a perfect life. Flaws, faults and mistakes are the unavoidable consequences of being human. God lets us know through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that how we handle our imperfections is about as important as acknowledging that we do indeed have them. Allow me t…
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
- By James A. Washington
Hopefully, this a different take on a familiar subject. Scripture refers to one’s faith, “the size of a mustard seed,” as a true indicator of its power. Faith, for all we talk about it, is probably one of the more misunderstood and unappreciated concepts in Christianity. I believe this becau…
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
- By James A. Washington
How many of you have ever been too embarrassed to pray, too afraid or really just too ashamed? It is during very difficult times that to kneel down before the Lord (especially after you’ve done exactly that thing which represents the absolute worst in you) seems impossible.
Wednesday, April 03, 2019
- By James Washington
I remember as a high school senior going to a religious retreat and listening to a recording supposedly between the devil and one of his soul recruiters, who was having little to no luck at populating hell. The devil gave him one more chance to succeed before suffering the vilest of consequences.
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
- By James A. Washington
I remember as a high school senior going to a religious retreat and listening to a recording supposedly between the devil and one of his soul recruiters, who was having little to no luck at populating hell. The devil gave him one more chance to succeed before suffering the vilest of consequences.
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
- By James A. Washington
God made a covenant with His people. He made us a promise. If you’ve lived as long as I have, you’ve had many people make promises to you that they have no intention of keeping or they failed miserably while trying to keep it. I know I’ve broken a promise or two in my day.
Wednesday, March 06, 2019
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
- By James A. Washington
As I get older I have become even more fascinated with the concept of time. I’ve always found time as it is talked about in the Bible to be an awesome concept if we can just grasp it and apply time and its value to our own lives.
Wednesday, February 06, 2019
- By James Washington
There is a perception (right or wrong) in our faith that our suffering is an integral part of God’s plan to ready us for the struggle of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Many believe that suffering in some ways is a prerequisite for strengthening one’s spiritual muscle. I think it is…
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
The bate-n-switch continues unabated in Missouri’s Republican-controlled government. In his January 16 State of the State address, Gov. Mike Parson requested a $350 million bond issue to replace or repair 250 bridges. This request is apparently in response to the smackdown delivered by taxpa…
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
The scant coverage by The American regarding the National Blues Museum continues, especially in the face of the recent “resignation” of Jeffery Hardin as the executive director. Although Bernie Hayes is a solid choice as interim director, I found it odd how the vitriol and controversy betwee…
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Wednesday, January 09, 2019
- By James A. Washington
As believers we really have a lot on our plates. From our perspective, however, that doesn’t mean we are challenged beyond our capacity to fulfill God’s destiny for us. It just means life still happens to us. It just does so with a purpose: God’s. The more we understand and internalize that,…
Wednesday, January 02, 2019
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
- By James A. Washington
Faith usually is a minefield to navigate. If you’re not careful, your faith will wilt from the constant barrage of just living. Be it grief, worry, betrayal or just hard times, life has a way of making you think it’s just too hard. Some things are just not worth it. The answer is simply, jus…
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
- By James A. Washington
We live in a world, this physical one, where the devil has some sway. He even shows up at times with a little bit of swag. And if you don’t or can’t accept this, try removing the “d” and think “evil” in its place. Conceptually some might find it easier deal with the fact that we live in a wo…
Wednesday, November 07, 2018
- By James A. Washington
I went to church intent on hearing a particular preacher, only to find him absent from the pulpit. The guest minister’s sermon on humility was a stark reminder that’s it is all about the message and never the messenger. Fortunately for me, that was one of the spiritual lessons I learned from…
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Wednesday, October 03, 2018
- By James A. Washington
As I get older I have become even more fascinated with the concept of time. I’ve always found time as it is talked about in the Bible to be an awesome concept if we can just grasp it and apply time and its value to our own lives. What is time, and what are the consequences of actively experi…
Sunday, September 16, 2018
- By James Washington
Sometimes words alone cannot convey meaning and feelings the way we’d like them to. Trust, for example. The reference point for my meaning is “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all things acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.…
Sunday, September 02, 2018
Sunday, August 26, 2018
- By James A. Washington
As a Christian, no matter how devout, life will put you in the dumps about your particular situation or circumstance. Being a Christian does not guarantee a life void of trial and tribulation. As a matter of fact, being a Christian is tantamount to sending VIP invitations to Mr. Temptation a…
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Wednesday, August 08, 2018
- By James A. Washington
My word for today is steward or stewardship. I haven’t found this very important word in the Bible yet, but I have heard many a pastor preach on it. From the pulpit I’ve heard the question asked, “Are we good stewards of our own sexuality?”
Wednesday, August 01, 2018
- By James Washington
Right before he was about to be installed as the new pastor of his own church, he said, “When Satan knocks at the door, let Jesus answer it.” I found the thought behind this saying absolutely awesome. I try to imagine actually being able to do this.
- By James Washington For The St. Louis American
I’m sure I’ve written on this before, but I thought the significance of obedience was important enough to repeat here. It occurs to me that obedience to God is, or certainly should be, an exercise in ‘want to’ as opposed to ‘have to.’
- By James Washington For The St. Louis American
There is a perspective in our faith that I subscribe to and it is that our challenges and tests are an integral part of God’s plan to ready us for the struggle of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.
- By James A. Washington
There is one sure way to absolutely get the devil’s attention and that is to begin to turn one’s life to Christ. You’ve probably heard many a pastor refer to a person’s lifestyle as an open invitation for the devil to gain access to his or her world. Supposedly, as long as you engage in the …
- By James A. Washington
Sometimes I have the audacity to think that I know just what it takes to guarantee salvation, only to discover with minimal soul searching how wrong I really have been. Time and time again I’m reminded that I had nothing to do with my own salvation. No matter how hard I try, I cannot earn my…
- By James A. Washington
Confidence and discipline are spiritual concepts. Better yet, confidence coupled with discipline must surely be godly. This coupling should by no means be confused with arrogance and ego. Faith requires discipline and, together with spiritual confidence, the godly result is power.
- By James A. Washington
Confidence and discipline are spiritual concepts. Better yet, confidence coupled with discipline must surely be godly. This coupling should by no means be confused with arrogance and ego. Faith requires discipline and, together with spiritual confidence, the godly result is power.
- By James A. Washington
Have you ever gone to church expecting to hear a certain minister, only to have a substitute guest preacher in his or her place? It has happened to me on several occasions and, after my initial disappointment, I am always reminded that it really is all about the message and not necessarily t…
- By James A. Washington
Have you ever gone to church expecting to hear a certain minister, only to have a substitute guest preacher in his or her place? It has happened to me on several occasions and, after my initial disappointment, I am always reminded that it really is all about the message and not necessarily t…
- By James A. Washington
I heard something recently that has stayed with me and has rapidly become embedded in my spirit, so I thought it was worthy to again pass along to you: “God is not schizophrenic.” It sounds simple enough, but, at closer inspection, you might want to seriously consider it implications.
- By James A. Washington
We all understand the concept of “card-carrying member.” As a matter of fact, you can be categorized by what affiliation you hold by what cards are in your purse or wallet. We’ve got card carrying Democrats and Republicans. You can get a membership card for every organization from the NAACP …
- By Stacy M. Brown, The NNPA
Sometimes words alone cannot convey meaning and feelings the way we’d like them to, Dallas Weekly Publisher James Washington wrote in one of his popular “Spiritually Speaking” Columns for BlackPressUSA.com.
- By James A. Washington
Speed can kill, whereas a slower pace, a more deliberate pace, can be much more enlightening. At these times it is more important to be still rather than be quick to do something. Given the pace of what is going on in this world, things like prayer, peace, intimacy, personal, intimacy and ba…
- By James A. Washington
At the end of the day, any day, I sometimes wonder if many of us reflect on what we could have done to support a theory, a hypothesis, a professed belief that one is a man or woman of God. I’m talking about serious reflection that requires a definitive yes or no to the question, “Was this a …
- By James A. Washington
How many of you have ever been too embarrassed to pray, too afraid or really just too ashamed? Maybe you were afraid, or perhaps just feeling a little guilty. Because we claim to know Jesus, it is during very difficult times, that to kneel down before the Lord, (especially after you’ve done …
- By James A. Washington
Allow me to talk about freedom. The freedom I’m talking about is the freedom afforded you when you come to Christ. There is something quite liberating when you know or realize that you’ve been, as they say, set free.
- By James A. Washington
Have you ever wondered how the lawyer who knows his or her client is guilty but is able to get the person off based on a legal technicality feels? Legally, the person is innocent, but morally they are as guilty as, dare I say, sin.
- By James A. Washington
A minister friend of mine once told me that a person can have theology but no faith. He told me this because at one time I was considering going to school to study the Bible. My friend, recognizing that I was a rookie trying to crack the starting ,lineup for Christ, suggested maybe a diffe…
- By James A. Washington
It is not always through guile and deceit that the devil works his evil. He can accomplish his goals if he can convince you that what is very important is of little matter and no consequence. This love thing is pretty well documented throughout the Bible and Christ certainly clarifies its im…
- By James A. Washington
They say no one can ever lead a perfect life. Flaws, faults and mistakes are the unavoidable consequences of being human. God lets us know through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that how we handle our imperfections is about as important as acknowledging that we do indeed have them.
- By James A. Washington
They say no one can ever lead a perfect life. Flaws, faults and mistakes are the unavoidable consequences of being human. God lets us know through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that how we handle our imperfections is about as important as acknowledging that we do indeed have them. Allow me t…
- By James A. Washington
Hopefully, this a different take on a familiar subject. Scripture refers to one’s faith, “the size of a mustard seed,” as a true indicator of its power. Faith, for all we talk about it, is probably one of the more misunderstood and unappreciated concepts in Christianity. I believe this becau…
- By James A. Washington
How many of you have ever been too embarrassed to pray, too afraid or really just too ashamed? It is during very difficult times that to kneel down before the Lord (especially after you’ve done exactly that thing which represents the absolute worst in you) seems impossible.
- By James Washington
I remember as a high school senior going to a religious retreat and listening to a recording supposedly between the devil and one of his soul recruiters, who was having little to no luck at populating hell. The devil gave him one more chance to succeed before suffering the vilest of consequences.
- By James A. Washington
I remember as a high school senior going to a religious retreat and listening to a recording supposedly between the devil and one of his soul recruiters, who was having little to no luck at populating hell. The devil gave him one more chance to succeed before suffering the vilest of consequences.
- By James A. Washington
God made a covenant with His people. He made us a promise. If you’ve lived as long as I have, you’ve had many people make promises to you that they have no intention of keeping or they failed miserably while trying to keep it. I know I’ve broken a promise or two in my day.
- By James A. Washington
As I get older I have become even more fascinated with the concept of time. I’ve always found time as it is talked about in the Bible to be an awesome concept if we can just grasp it and apply time and its value to our own lives.
- By James Washington
There is a perception (right or wrong) in our faith that our suffering is an integral part of God’s plan to ready us for the struggle of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Many believe that suffering in some ways is a prerequisite for strengthening one’s spiritual muscle. I think it is…
The bate-n-switch continues unabated in Missouri’s Republican-controlled government. In his January 16 State of the State address, Gov. Mike Parson requested a $350 million bond issue to replace or repair 250 bridges. This request is apparently in response to the smackdown delivered by taxpa…
The scant coverage by The American regarding the National Blues Museum continues, especially in the face of the recent “resignation” of Jeffery Hardin as the executive director. Although Bernie Hayes is a solid choice as interim director, I found it odd how the vitriol and controversy betwee…
- By James A. Washington
As believers we really have a lot on our plates. From our perspective, however, that doesn’t mean we are challenged beyond our capacity to fulfill God’s destiny for us. It just means life still happens to us. It just does so with a purpose: God’s. The more we understand and internalize that,…
- By James A. Washington
Faith usually is a minefield to navigate. If you’re not careful, your faith will wilt from the constant barrage of just living. Be it grief, worry, betrayal or just hard times, life has a way of making you think it’s just too hard. Some things are just not worth it. The answer is simply, jus…
- By James A. Washington
We live in a world, this physical one, where the devil has some sway. He even shows up at times with a little bit of swag. And if you don’t or can’t accept this, try removing the “d” and think “evil” in its place. Conceptually some might find it easier deal with the fact that we live in a wo…
- By James A. Washington
I went to church intent on hearing a particular preacher, only to find him absent from the pulpit. The guest minister’s sermon on humility was a stark reminder that’s it is all about the message and never the messenger. Fortunately for me, that was one of the spiritual lessons I learned from…
- By James A. Washington
As I get older I have become even more fascinated with the concept of time. I’ve always found time as it is talked about in the Bible to be an awesome concept if we can just grasp it and apply time and its value to our own lives. What is time, and what are the consequences of actively experi…
- By James Washington
Sometimes words alone cannot convey meaning and feelings the way we’d like them to. Trust, for example. The reference point for my meaning is “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all things acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.…
- By James A. Washington
As a Christian, no matter how devout, life will put you in the dumps about your particular situation or circumstance. Being a Christian does not guarantee a life void of trial and tribulation. As a matter of fact, being a Christian is tantamount to sending VIP invitations to Mr. Temptation a…
- By James A. Washington
My word for today is steward or stewardship. I haven’t found this very important word in the Bible yet, but I have heard many a pastor preach on it. From the pulpit I’ve heard the question asked, “Are we good stewards of our own sexuality?”
- By James Washington
Right before he was about to be installed as the new pastor of his own church, he said, “When Satan knocks at the door, let Jesus answer it.” I found the thought behind this saying absolutely awesome. I try to imagine actually being able to do this.
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