NBA Tweets

OKC blowing a 3-1 series lead proves they aren't battletested. Any other team up 3-1 would have already sent their opponents home.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 31, 2016

LeBron isn't playing this year. He's serious about winning a championship this year.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 29, 2016

Look what happened, this tweet came true:

OKC had a chance to close out the series and they let GS get back into it. I see Golden State winning Game 7.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 29, 2016

While Golden State is favored to repeat, this may be LeBron's time to bring home an NBA title to Cleveland.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 31, 2016

Tamar Braxton Axed From The Real

Tamar Braxton's time on The Real was coming to an end anyway. That ghetto persona can only take you so far.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 27, 2016

Social media has been burning up with reports of Tamar Braxton being axed from The Real. There's conflicting stories on how she was fired with some people saying she was let go due to her bad attitude and others saying she cussed out sponsors and Telepictures network executives. Telepictures is the production company that produces The Real talk show. Reports of Tamar not identifying with working & educated women and being overly ghetto have also been rumored to be the result of her being let go. Here's my thought: Tamar has always been ghetto from Day 1, so I fault The Real for bringing her on as a talk show host. Network executives should have known how she was before hiring her. Tamar's being true to herself: Outspoken, loud & ghetto. Tamar's firing proves one thing: When you're on national TV, all eyes are on you. Sponsors and executives are paying attention to what you say and do, and if they see you're a threat to their bottom line, you're done. At the same time, maybe producers gave Tamar repeated warnings to tone down her ghettoness before she's let go, we'll never know. Make it so bad, The Real cast just got finished with a promo shoot for the upcoming season and Tamar's colleagues get word of Tamar's termination. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

Wednesday Wisdom

Even if people think highly of you, never let yourself be defined by others' thoughts. Like chameleons, people's thoughts of you change.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 24, 2016

Marriage should be out of desire, not compulsion.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 23, 2016

Stop Looking For Mass Acceptance

Agreed. One thing about blacks, is that we've never looked for acceptance from other races. https://t.co/lT5LpPJcAs

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 21, 2016

Anyone who's paid attention to the racial division in this country knows this tweet from one of my Twitter friends is accurate. No matter how many positive stories about blacks, there will always be those who will never see blacks in a favorable light. What I like about blacks is that we've never looked for acceptance from the masses. Black people have always marched to their own beat, and will continue doing so. The mindset of many blacks is "You don't have to accept me, I'll get where I need to be with(out) you." There are some blacks who are so worried about some whites and other races accepting them that they're willing to compromise their values so another race will see them in a good light. The problem with wanting to be accepted is that in the eyes of biased people, you'll never be good enough for them so there's no point in trying to fit in with everyone when you're meant to be yourself. Another thing that upset me is a story I listened to on Tom Joyner, where a black valedictorian wasn't allowed to attend his graduation because he wore a beard. Cut the crap, really? This man worked hard to maintain a 4.0 all through high school and the school pulls this nonsense. If that man didn't have his beard, I bet he would be allowed to walk. He'll have to do one of two things: 1. Cut his beard or 2. Protest.

Classic Post #1: Acting Brand New

I've posted a lot of classics on FB, so I thought I'd share with my readers. This is the first of many to come:

"You can always tell those who aren't used to having nothing. They get a little power and start smelling themselves. You weren't always on top. Remember, what goes up must come down."-May 20, 2014 at 10:11am

Treating God As A Spare Tire

Some believers don't need God until they get in a bind, and then everyone wants to start praying. Prayer shouldn't be a last resort.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 19, 2016

I'm involved in my church's Prayer & Healing Ministry because I have a passion for prayer & healing. I'm tired of seeing people suffering from sickness & disease, hurting, etc. so that's why I got involved. One of my fellow prayer & healing team members made a comment that stuck with me to this day. He said, "When I come to Tuesday Night prayer, I see the same two people (myself & my mother) and that made me mad because more people should have a passion for prayer." That comment stuck with me because it's the truth. Some believers treat God as a spare tire, they only use him when needed. They don't need God when things are going good in their lives, but the moment all hell breaks loose, folks want to flock to the church's prayer & healing team. Too many people use prayer as a last resort instead of a first resort. Just like believers should pray in the bad times, they can pray in the good times. During my walk with God, I've learned how to pray in the good as well as the bad times. For me, I need God more in the good times because I understand those good times probably won't last always, so if I can lean on God in the good times, leaning on him in the bad is second nature. Depending on where a believer is in their walk with God, this may be a learning process for them. Veteran believers (those who have walked with God for decades) understand that prayer should be a lifestyle choice, instead of a spare tire.

Babette Glenn And then wonder why the answer they expected to receive didn't come on time or at all.

Sometimes, It Doesn't Pay To Be A Rat

Living by the following tweet can mean the difference between avoiding drama and getting wrapped up in it.

Sometimes you have to act like you don't see, hear or know what's going on.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 12, 2016

Thought For Today

Judging others' actions can lead you to make the right decisions.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 15, 2016

Plenty To Go Around

There's enough success for everyone, so there's no need to be jealous of someone else's blessing(s).

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 2, 2016

Last time I checked, there's no reason for people to be jealous of another's blessing(s) because God has enough blessings for everyone. The same way someone got theirs is the same way you get yours, through faithfulness and obedience. I never understood the purpose of being jealous of someone else's breakthrough. You don't know what they went through to get their blessing so the least you could do is congratulate them. It's easier to be jealous of someone's blessings, than doing the work to get your own. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm too busy trying to get my blessings that I don't have time to be jealous of another's blessing. The way I see it, blessings are up for grabs, and it's up to each person to get the blessings God has set apart for them.

Besides, my blessing may not be the same as yours and vice versa. You know what I think? I think some people want a monopoly on blessings. Some people don't want anyone else blessed but them and that's stupid. I'm here to tell those people that I don't care how they feel, but I'm determined to get every blessing God has for me, and if you have a problem with it, take it up with God. There's enough success for everyone, so there's no need to be jealous of someone else's blessing(s). The same way some people envy another's breakthrough, that's the same energy they could be putting towards bettering themselves. 

Friday Gospel

Pressure Busts Pipes: When you're a private person, you should be cautious of who you open up to, because what you say can & will be used against you. The issue...is when someone genuine comes along who wants to put you at ease, and you refuse to open up because you think they can't handle the results. That pressure builds up for so long until that pipe bursts, meaning you finally open up because they aren't going to let it go.

Sometimes you have to act like you don't see, hear or know what's going on.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 12, 2016

Thursday Random Thoughts

Readers know how this goes, so I'm going to post random tweets:

There needs to be another ATL movie. I liked the first one T.I. starred in.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 12, 2016

Karma has no deadline for George Zimmerman. He has no choice but to lay low because he'll NEVER be able to live in peace after what he did.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 12, 2016

Black Love is everything. pic.twitter.com/wxATdoI4wV

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 8, 2016

I like how Twitter lets you pin tweets. Every month will feature a new pinned tweet from me.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 12, 2016

This was so good, I had to post again

Ministry has become so watered down that ministers are preaching to fill seats instead of preaching the truth according to God's Word.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 4, 2016

Wednesday Thoughts

These tweets are like protein, they'll encourage and strengthen you at the same time.

My definition of helping someone is giving them the tools to get something on their own. Enabling doesn't do anyone any favors.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 2, 2016

A 10 year age difference matters in relationships for one reason: Two different outlooks on life.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 1, 2016

If men aren't given props for being independent, why do some women feel they deserve accolades for doing what they're supposed to?

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) April 20, 2016

Listening ears become running mouths.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 6, 2016

Watering Down God's Word

Ministry has become so watered down that ministers are preaching to fill seats instead of preaching the truth according to God's Word.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 4, 2016

One of my FB friends (who's an independent minister) made a statement that I'm going to paraphrase: When you're an independent minister, you have the freedom to preach the uncompromising truth according to God's word.You're not accountable to a ministry board so they can't ask you to water down your sermons in order to attract a bigger crowd. Ministry is a business, and a pastor's responsibility is to draw a crowd because the larger the congregation, the more money a pastor makes and the board looks favorably on that. Because some pastors are focused on numbers, they will preach watered-down messages because they don't want to offend their flock. Any pastor can preach about how to get blessed, but it takes a strong pastor to tell it like it is, even if his church membership may suffer. There are some people who appreciate no-nonsense preaching; those are the ones who are serious about growing in Christ. They've heard enough fluff preaching, so they want something real. There are those who prefer preachers to tell them what they want to hear. Those church members don't want to hear no-nonsense truth; they want to hoop & holler their way to hell. They care nothing about growing in Christ.

Friday Wisdom

A little something for readers to think about on Friday.

Listening ears become running mouths.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 6, 2016

Ministry has become so watered down that ministers are preaching to fill seats instead of preaching the truth according to God's Word.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 4, 2016

There's enough success for everyone, so there's no need to be jealous of someone else's blessing(s).

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) May 2, 2016

Respect comes from your house first, and it is a representation of how you were raised.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) April 30, 2016

When God gives you a talent, you better use it or run the risk of having your talent taken away and given to someone who'll run with it.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) April 28, 2016

Thursday Real

You learn a lot about a person by their political beliefs.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) April 22, 2016

A big booty and smile won't cut it for a man who's about his business becoming successful.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) April 22, 2016

People want honesty until you give it to them.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) April 22, 2016

Random Thoughts About Christianity

Some Christians REALLY need to stop being so one-track in their thinking. You can think in the spiritual AND natural realms.

Unlike many Christians, I think spiritually AND naturally. You can't understand the spiritual realm unless you know the natural realm.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) April 23, 2016

Every area of the city has them, big or small. Popcorn churches are nothing more than competition between ministers to see who can draw the biggest crowds. This competition between pastors needs to cease. 

Popcorn churches are churches that pop up every mile down the city. There can be two churches across the street from each other. Craziness.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) April 23, 2016

America is NOT A Christian Nation

Ever since America has turned away from its Godly foundation, it has lost the right to call itself a Christian nation.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) April 23, 2016

America was founded on Christian principles, hence the "One Nation Under God" staple. As time progressed, America has gotten away from the very foundation that has caused it to be blessed. Look around at what's going on, and tell me whether America is still a Christian nation. Same-sex marriage, sexual perversion, greed, people stepping on each other to get ahead, abortion, etc. Last time I checked, none of those things should be going on in a "Christian nation." Those things became prevalent because America has turned it's back on God. When Adam & Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit, sin entered the world. A by-product of sin is sickness & disease. The only way America can become a Christian nation is if believers get serious about asking God to heal this land. Unsaved folks aren't going to ask God to heal America because some unsaved folks have no concept of spiritual matters, so it has to be the responsibility of believers to pray & fast for this nation. As I see it, some believers can join the church choir, but they can't fast & pray for this nation. When their pastor calls for corporate prayer time, it's crickets & tumbleweeds. Some believers (myself included) like to have prayer time at home, and that's good. But when it comes time for corporate prayer for this nation, believers should have no problem coming together on one accord. Until America turns back to God, it cannot call itself a Christian nation. From what I see, there's nothing Christian going on in this country. 

Public Service Announcement: Abortion

I understand why some women choose to get an abortion. If a woman is raped & gives birth to a rapist's child, why would anyone tell her to keep the baby? That's foul. She would be reliving the horrible ordeal all over again, and what about the child? She's explaining to him/her that (s)he's a product of rape, and there's no telling how the child will feel. A woman should not be judged for getting an abortion if it's in her best interest, meaning her child(ren) have a high chance of becoming severely disabled, or she could lose her life as a result of the pregnancy.