"Jumping the Broom" The 3rd production movie by T.D. Jakes.

I went to the cinema last weekend with my wife to watch “Jumping the Broom”, currently showing at the cinemas in Nigeria. I was interested because I heard that Pastor T.D. Jakes was involved in it and that film was about marriage. He is one of the producers of the film and he makes a cameo appearance too.  In my mind, I felt it would be like one of the Tyler Perry’s earlier movies – Why did I get married? , e.t.c. I have a soft spot for African American films and marriage.

This is the third production effort of Pastor T.D. Jakes. Pastor T.D. Jakes is the founding pastor of The Potter’s House in Dallas. Other films produced by Pastor T.D. Jakes, include 2004’s “Woman, thou art loosed” and 2009's “Not Easily Broken”. “Jumping the Broom” is a wedding story which involves two people from different backgrounds. Chaos ensues when the two families are brought together for the big day.  In this case, the difference between the families is class.   I would stop here so that I do not spoil the fun for those who haven’t watched it.

The cast is made up of well-known stars like Angela Bassett [Nothing But the Truth], Loretta Devine [Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family], Laz Alonso, Avatar.

Well, first up, this is not a film for children hence its rating, PG -13 because of its sexual connotation. I was a bit embarrassed about some of the scenes because I didn’t think it was appropriate. But it is typical of our world today and it brings up issues that Christians know about but are not willing to talk about it. It certainly would draw non-Christians unwittingly into thinking about Christian way of dealing with issues.

Pastor T.D. Jakes

Sex is ever-present in this film both as a plot line and a topic of conversation. The movie begins with a scene of lead actress, Sabrina Watson (Paula Patton) after having casual sex. Ooops! A sultry rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” by one of the cast members was almost uncomfortable for me. To some movie goers, this scene might be seen as permissible since the song was approved/applauded and seen as a reminder of one of America’s late, great musicians. Another interesting plot is a college boy’s pursuit of a much older woman which is played for laughs. I thought it gave an approval to the “Cougar” mentality.

To the opening scene, Pastor Jakes says he wanted to portray that although our goal should always be the pursuit to becoming better humans, people will make mistakes on the way.

Overall, it is a surprisingly touching and sincere comedy for mature audiences.

By the way, for those who don’t know, “Jumping the broom” refers to a tradition from slave days, when those who did not have the legal right to marry marked their commitment to each other by a ceremonial hop over a broom.

Go out and see the movie.

For those who have watched the movie, what do you think?

The role of a Father in Generational Succession - Wale Adefarasin

This is an interesting piece by Wale Adefarasin. Wale Adefarasin is the Host of international Talk Show, The Heart of the Matter, which airs every Sunday at 5:30pm on HiNolly (also Sky Broadcasting Channel 204); He is also the Chairman of the Center for Values & Social Change, as well as the General Overseer of Guiding Light Assembly.


An except....


.......Most importantly, a Father is one who is determined to bequeath a legacy to successive generations, who is prepared to pass on all he has to those coming behind him so that they can achieve more than he has.

In the final words of the Old Testament, God through Prophet Malachi (Malachi 4:5-6) warns that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a restoration of Fatherhood; a turning of the hearts (not just the heads) towards each other.......

Please click on the the link below and read more.

http://blog.tariere.com/?p=1945

I know you are married but still do the PIES

Many Christian women (and men) often neglect to take care of themselves after marriage. They believe their spouses should only be focused on spiritual matters and shouldn't be bothered about their physical looks. WRONG!!!

Even though we are spirit beings, we still live in a physical world. Take time out to make yourself attractive physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually (PIES). The husband has no right to have large, round, protruding belly, saying it is a sign of wealth when he could be a hunk for his wife showing her his three-pack. She should be able to look up to him as her knight in shining armour, not the court jester. The husband should be fit and smart. While the wife should not let herself go, putting on weight and blaming it on childbirth.  She should be smart, fit and good looking. Let your king be enthralled by your beauty; honour him, for he is your Lord. (Psalm 45:11). I am not saying we should spend an inordinate time caring about how we look. But we should take good care of our physical bodies and our looks. It is not vain; it is expedient.

Be as attractive as you can be for yourself and your spouse.

I don't need a man to have a child. - "The Switch" starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman

I may seem old fashioned but this trend is now a normal tradition in the African culture. I met a lady friend a while ago who said that she was going away for sometime, specifically a year. She casually said she was going to have a baby. But I blurted out unconsciously, "But you are not married. Are you going to adopt a child? She replied casually that she was going to a sperm bank.

She said she was getting old and she was tired of waiting for marriage and she needed someone to be with her in her old age. My mind immediately drifted back to a film I watched recently titled "The Switch" starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. In this film, Jennifer Aniston acting as Kassie Larson decides she wants to have a baby and decides to do it alone with the services of a sperm donor. But one thing led to another and Jason Bateman acting as Wally Mars accidentally switches the sperm. Even though it was a comedy, the whole scenario played out as a normal scene in everyday life.

In this film, there was really no problem with Jennifer having a child but she just decided she was going to do it alone, and raise the child alone. My friend felt justified that she wasn't doing anything morally or spiritually wrong. She wasn't a practising Christian and I just wondered if she knew what she was getting into - spiritually and what would become of the child she was going to bring into the world WITHOUT a father. Since she didn't have a relationship with God, she wasn't going to believe God for a husband and moreover, she was past her "prime". She felt if it was condoned in the western culture, she was essentially moving with the modern times. But there is a reason why the Almighty God saw it fit to recognize marriage as a sacred institution and the raising up of a child in the care of a home and two parents. We are not wiser than God.

I think we owe it to the unborn generation to give them the right homely condition. Every child deserves to have a father and a mother.

Honour your father and mother so that you may live long.....What if you don't feel like?

The relationship between an individual and his/her parents is a very delicate one which extends through the individual's lifetime. It starts with the individual being taken care of by his/her parents and is expected to also reciprocate when the parents are old. 

As a child you take it for granted that your parents should take care of you because, after all, they brought you into this world without your consent. They should also feed you and nurture you to be the best that you can be. 

But wait a minute, what if they do not carry out their parenting duties; what if they do not show you the love that you "deserve"; what if they see you as a burden, a cost centre; what if you don't see eye to eye with them and you are just waiting to grow up to get out of the house and live your own life. So that you can shut them out equally. Is this right? Exodus 20:12 would certainly pose a great dilemma trying to walk the Christian walk. 

This is one commandment with a promise proposed by God. 

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 

What if you don't feel like?  

The Christian Wife and her Unsaved Husband

How do you feel coming to church alone with the children? And your husband is at home sleeping? Do you feel burdened because you have been praying for him to get born again and it seems he is getting further away from the Lord? How do u you feel when he teases you about your faith and you cannot do anything about it? What about the church programmes for couples that you cannot attend because he refuses to go with you? Or even the remarks from Church that "if you ladies with unsaved husbands would just be more sweet and loving, your husbands would get born again in no time."

Do not feel alone. God is still with you. You may have entered the marriage thinking that you could change your spouse or get him born again. Or you may have gotten born again after your marriage and you can't understand why he cannot see the light. Don't give up, there is hope. Press on. 

Do Christians need pre-nups?

After the presentations at the Covenant Christian Centre’s Singles Summit  held recently, it was now time for questions and answers. A guy came up to the microphone and asked “Do Christians need pre-nups? “ Even though the question was presented to the three couples that made the presentations, I was nominated to answer. Impulsively, I blurted No way. Why should a Christian think of Pre-nups? The premise of a pre-nup is wrong. But before I go on, What is a pre-nup? According to the definition obtained from Wikipedia,  A pre-nuptial agreement, antenuptial agreement, or premarital agreement, commonly abbreviated to pre-nup or pre-nupt, is a contract entered into prior to marriage, civil union or any other agreement prior to the main agreement by the people intending to marry or contract with each other. The content of a prenuptial agreement can vary widely, but commonly includes provisions for division of property and spousal support in the event of divorce or breakup of marriage. They may also include terms for the forfeiture of assets as a result of divorce on the grounds of adultery; further conditions of guardianship may be included as well.  Though the pre-nup seems to have been created with good worldly intentions, the bedrock is totally wrong. The pre-nup undermines a couple’s marriage and may even increase the likelihood of divorce. Jesus had the following words to say when he was asked about divorce (Matthew 19:3-10).

³ Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”   ⁴ “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’^[a] 5and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”  ⁷ “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”  ⁸ Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. ⁹ I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”  ¹⁰ The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

Clearly Jesus was and is still against divorce. When a couple thinks of a pre-nup, they have embraced divorce and opened the door for the Evil one to enter into the marriage. Unwittingly, unconsciously they have embraced the phrase - For better, for stay; For worse, for go.

Why do secular people ask for pre-nups? Two basic reasons account for this – wealth protection and related party’s protection.

Wealth Protection – When a partner brings a lot of wealth into a marriage and the other does not, those that are pro-prenups say a pre-nup helps to protect the one bringing the wealth. However my own point of view is that if the wealthy partner is thinking of his/her wealth before marriage, he does not trust his/her spouse and is not ready to embrace the oneness in marriage.

Related Party’s Protection – A premarital agreement can protect the inheritance rights of children and grandchildren from a previous marriage. My view is that there are other legal ways of protecting the children without a pre-nuptial.

I must reiterate that The Creator said that the Two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. A pre-nuptial opens the door for a way out.

Shalom