A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words

This picture speaks for itself. If God lets someone know a person isn't for them, don't you think he knows better than we do?

Distant Family

Once upon a time, family used to be close, but not anymore. Today, it's not uncommon for family to be estranged or distant. Once the children are grown, they get their own lives & leave their parents and younger siblings (if any) behind. From this letter, it seems like the family is estranged. Maybe they’ve been at war so much that they cut each other off. If so, I don't blame them for being estranged because who wants to be in constant turmoil? Peace over conflict. The way I see it is this mother should focus on those who care for her and leave her family to the ravens. If they're not checking for her, she shouldn't check for them.

Today's Message: God's Choice vs. Man's Choice

 

God gives us free will. Upon giving us free will, we are responsible for the repercussions.

The Answer Is In The Church House, Not The White House

Shout out to my dude Alex for this word. The church has the answer to what's going on in today's world, but some Christians are caught up in that name it & claim it preaching style. Feel-good preaching has its place and I'm for it, but today's times are conducive to taking a stand. 

I've Got Something On My Mind

God is pissed at America, and for good reason. We've gone left, when he wanted us to go right. By going left, I mean embracing liberal ideologies. I expect secular folks to embrace liberal ideologies, but not believers. There are Christians who are praise dancing, shucking & jiving over Rev. Raphael Warnock being elected to the Senate as the first black senator. I respect the man's grind to get where he is because anyone who came from nothing and made something of themselves against all odds is good with me. I can't co-sign a pastor that talks down on Israel. If you're a believer, you should know God's stance on Israel, but if not, I'll paraphrase: Those who bless Israel are blessed; those who curse Israel are cursed. Much of the reason America has been so blessed is because we've stood with Israel. Biden & Harris straight up said they weren't standing with Israel once they got in, yet some Christians still voted for them. Historically, Palestine and Israel were bitter enemies during the reigns of King Solomon, David & Saul because at the time, Jews were scattered everywhere and despised by many nations for centuries. It also doesn't help that Israel is surrounded by Islamic nations who can't stand them & want them wiped off the map.

Fast forward to the 20th-21st centuries, and how do we thank God for sending his son to the Cross? Racial division, greed/corruption, abortion, riots, etc. I've said this before and I'll say it again: We're too free. Just because you're free, doesn't license you to do whatever you want because like it or not, your freedom to do as you please affects someone else. It's like in school, where one or two students do wrong and the whole class is punished. Is it fair for the entire population to suffer because of one person's selfishness? No. If this is the world we're leaving for our children & grandchildren, then I feel for the generation coming after because they have their work cut out for them trying to clean up this mess. 

Today's Thought: Costly Mistakes

 

Grateful

 Okay, let’s set the scene. You’re a single parent with a child. You work full time for $14. You bring home roughly $800 per paycheck. Your bills: $1000 rent, $150 electrical, $250 car payment, $150 car insurance. So let’s do the math. You bring home about $1600 a month and your bills average about $1550, give or take. You’re making it, but barely. (This doesn't even include groceries, internet, cable, cell phone, etc., nor does it include child tax credit or child support)

Now, it’s a really cold December and you get a power bill for $600. How do you pay that? To put it simply, you don’t. Because you can’t. So your power gets shut off. But you know what your lease says? It says you get evicted if your utilities are terminated. So now you’re in court, crying to a judge who doesn’t care, and you have 10 days to get out. 

Well, you’re in luck! Because you found somewhere with 3 days to spare and it’s only $650 a month! But to get in, you have to pass a background & credit check. Which you can’t, because you just got evicted. You’ve never been a criminal, but even if you could pass it, you’re looking at $1300 to move in, after paying the deposit and first month’s rent. 

Time’s up! Landlord shows up at 7am with the police and changed your locks. So now you’re living in your car with your 7 year old son and everything you need to get by. You tried to get a storage unit, but you don’t have a billing address so they won’t sell one to you, so you could only take what would fit in your backseat. You pay to shower at local truck stops and eat whatever can be cooked in a gas station microwave. Someone sees you and your son living like this and calls CPS; guess what happens next. They remove your child from your care. As if this isn’t devastating enough, you lose your job too, because “an employee losing their child reflects poorly on this company.” 

So now, you apply for an apartment with the region, where the waiting list is 3-7 years. Then you go into Wal-Mart to put in an application. When you get back to your car, you see that your back window has been smashed and someone helped themselves to your belongings. Remember that it is December, and really cold, and now you have damage to your only shelter. You call your car insurance, who says your deductible is $1,000 AND they’re going to increase your monthly rate since you’re now “high risk.” You call the homeless shelter as a last resort.....and all their beds are full. 

I’ll stop here, because I think you get the point. The people we work with everyday are these people. WE ARE THESE PEOPLE. We are all so close to homelessness and don’t even realize it. All it takes is one unexpected bill, one fender bender, one lay-off, one house fire, etc. 

Instead of talking trash about people who are poor or homeless or need assistance, why don’t you try being thankful that you’re not in their shoes... yet.