Monday Encouragement

Taking a break from posting political thoughts to share some encouragement with you folks:

Don’t worry about what other people think. Believe big, dream big, pray big, think big. God is longing to be good to you.

— Joel Osteen (@JoelOsteen) January 30, 2017

Everybody says they want to be successful, but when it comes time to do what it takes, they give up. Keep going and the world is yours.

— Act With Knowledge (@murraymission) January 30, 2017

True freedom is not caring what others think about you, especially if they have no stake in your life.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 29, 2017

Today's Public Service Announcement

Shots Fired: Christians protesting in support of abortion, illegal immigration, same-sex marriage and other issues that God frowns upon are NOT my brothers and sisters in Christ. PERIOD. Take it how you want, I don't care who's slighted.

What's On My Mind? Episode 3

One person protests against Donald Trump, another one does the same, and another & another. Monkey See, Monkey Do.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 28, 2017

I can't be upset when some people say Trump isn't their president because I would say the same thing about Hillary Clinton if she won.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 28, 2017

Men cheat to bust one, women cheat to audition.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 28, 2017

What's On My Mind?

These are a few random tweets I felt like posting, so here goes:

If it's lukewarm in Florida, why do I see folks with light jackets on? SMH.😒

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 25, 2017

Some sports fans are full of 💩for the simple fact that they'll criticize a player for chasing a ring.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 24, 2017

One time for God for allowing me to wake up with a sound mind, for giving me the hustler mentality to better myself by any means necessary.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 23, 2017

When it comes to the Super Bowl, teams will be remembered for winning the big game, not making it through the playoffs only to lose.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 20, 2017

Donald Trump wasn't lying when he said he would hit the ground running. Not a couple weeks into his term and he's shaking things up.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 24, 2017

Illegal Immigration

I can't believe (well, sad to say I can) that some citizens are in their feelings about the US/Mexico wall. Donald Trump's intent is to keep America safe because everyone who crosses into the US does NOT have good intentions. With illegal immigration, the risk is higher that criminals will come into this nation to do harm, and Trump isn't having that. Now, the Mexican president is talking about canceling a US visit. Well, go ahead and cancel. America must be kept safe by any means necessary, and if it means building a wall, so be it. I question those who are against Trump building the wall as to how much they really love this country.

What folks don't realize about illegal immigration is that when illegal immigrants come over here, WE have to take care of them. The money we spend taking care of illegal immigrants is money that could be spent taking care of our own. Some illegal immigrants come over here and don't want to learn our language, and they get services regular citizens have to jump through hoops for. I fault Obama for relaxing the borders to let these illegal immigrants come in. I'm certain not all the illegal immigrants have done crime, but I'm sure they've gotten services much faster than regular citizens. Tell me how much sense it makes where a citizen has to fill out heavy paperwork for public assistance where as an illegal immigrant can come over here and get the same assistance in a week, if not a few days.

I don't mind immigrants coming over to this country for a better way, but do it correctly. Learn the American way of life, the language, all that. If I wanted to move to another country, I would have to learn that country's language and their customs.

The End Times: Monique Conley

One time for my FB friend Monique for this nugget. She wasn't lying when she said this.

"When a pastor can't do their job and speak against sin to their own congregation, then you know it's the #EndTimes"-Monique Conley.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 3, 2017

Donald Trump Has Americans In Their Feelings

Not a day goes by that I'm on social media without reading about how some Americans are fed up with Donald Trump being the 45th President. A few months back, I wrote a similar blog explaining if some people were so fed up, why didn't they get out and vote? The thing is that some people thought that Hillary Clinton was going to get in by default so they decided to stay home. I'm sure those voters who didn't vote wished they voted now because the fact remains that Trump is the President. I read that 40-something percent of eligible voters didn't vote because they weren't pleased with either candidate. Now folks want to protest and riot over Donald Trump being elected president; it's too late because it's not going to change the outcome. If those voters felt so strongly about Hillary getting in office, they should've gotten out and campaigned for Hillary the same way Trump supporters did for his candidate. I have no problem with anyone protesting, as long as there's a purpose behind the protests. Protesting because someone won the highest seat in the land doesn't count.

That's not all, some Americans are talking about leaving the country because of Trump's victory. I must be cut from a different cloth because I couldn't dislike a candidate enough to want to leave the US.

Trump Inauguration Speech (FULL) | ABC News

After watching Trump's inauguration speech, I think he's going to do a great job. Those who spoke against Trump will have to give him credit when he starts doing good for this nation. He even gave ex-president Barack and 1st Lady Michelle Obama credit for the great job they did (they have done a wonderful job serving this country.), so I wonder what the haters have to say. Just seeing how divided this country is proves the ignorance of some Americans to hate a man for speaking the truth. I bet if Trump did everything he said he'd do, people would be giving him credit. Anyway, I'm looking forward to Trump's first presidency term.

Tweet For Today

Either believers are going to serve God or the enemy, no straddling the fence.

You can't dance with the devil and praise God with the same tongue.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 16, 2017

What's On My Mind?

What's On My Mind?

Is it me or does being wealthy create laziness? What I'm getting at is you have wealthy people who hire maids to keep their home clean, chefs to cook meals, chauffeurs to drive them around and their children to school, etc. They have it like that to where all they need to do is focus on how to make more money, so if they like it, I love it (I guess). The way I'm set up, no matter how rich I may get, I'm not hiring anyone to do what I can do for myself. If I need to go somewhere, I get in my car and go. If I'm hungry, cook myself something to eat and move on. Once you're accustomed to independence, you don't want to give that up for any reason.

Serving Two Masters

You can't dance with the devil and praise God with the same tongue.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 16, 2017

Friday Night Wisdom

There's nothing like doing for self.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 11, 2017

There's nothing wrong with fighting the good fight as long as someone is showing consistent progress. Know when to hold, know when to fold.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 11, 2017

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

One time for my FB friend Torrance Locke aka T.Locke for this real talk

1. Torrance Locke

   · Yesterday at 10:06am · Dallas, TX ·
2. I'm sick of hearing from black people who say....WHAT DID OBAMA DO FOR BLACK PEOPLE?? WHAT DID HE DO FOR ME??
   My response is quite simple
   What the fuck did you do for black people??
   What did you do for YOURSELF
   ...

   Get a job, stop expecting hand outs and bail outs .......GO TO WORK LIKE EVERYONE ELSE...Obama didn't sign up to be president for JUST BLACK PEOPLE.... he signed up to be president of the United States which includes all Races

Making Your Own Moves

One time for Paulette Singleton (Facebook friend) for this nugget:

When you make your own moves and have money coming in from different directions, you don't fear Trump. You don't have to settle at a job where you are disrespected on a daily basis. You don't have to worry about anyone taking anything from you. Learn to do for self because movers and shakers don't have time to complain.

She told the truth. When you can do for self, nobody can hold anything over your head about what they gave you or did for you. You got it on your own.

Would God Know Your Voice

Would God recognize your voice if you spoke to him with the same frequency as you do your friends, parents, pastor, etc?

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 9, 2017

 This is a rhetorical question for believers. It goes without saying that the more time believers spend in God's word, the more God speaks to them. God is always speaking, but some believers don't take time to listen because they're too busy seeking counsel from their friends, pastor, parents, etc. The aforementioned people may have sound advice, but God has the best counsel of all.

God: That's Richard, he talks to me several times a day. He doesn't always ask me for things. He just wants to hear my voice.

Children Should NOT date

Allowing children to date is NOT a good idea.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 7, 2017

Why do I feel children shouldn't date? Simple: Children aren't mature enough to handle the ups & downs of a relationships. You're talking about entrusting yourself to another person, and that takes time. It takes time to get to know someone and even then, you don't know them. People will only share what they feel is necessary about themselves to you. Children have school to contend with and a relationship is only going to complicate matters. What if your child gets themselves into a situation they aren't ready for? I rest my case. Too many parents allow their children too much freedom, then wonder why & how their children got caught up. Had parents set the tone early, maybe the child would have went a different path. Allowing children to date is equal to Russian Roulette.

One thing always leads to another. If youth are in a relationship, they'll think it's ok to hold hands. Then it escalates to hugging & kissing. Hands will start roaming which will ultimately lead to sex. All of those things feel good until one or both ends up being a parent; worst case scenario is that one or both people end up with an STD. Explain to me how it's a good idea for children to date? I'll wait. The Bible says there's a time for everything, and children dating is not the right time. Children have goals to accomplish, an education to get and after having achieved those two, they can bring a (wo)man in the mix.

Strawberry Letter: Nude Pictures Sent

Nude Pictures Sent

If she knew her children would be upset, why would she take the pictures? This is why you have to be careful about what pictures you take because once your kid(s) see them, it's a wrap. They'll forever look at you a certain way and there's nothing a parent can say to make it right. Assuming the mother's shapely and attractive, she has nothing to be ashamed of. The oldest boy's friends are probably telling him how fine his mother is; boys notice attractive mothers, you know. Yes, she made a mistake and deserves forgiveness but that doesn't mean she'll be forgiven. Mistakes can haunt for a while. She doesn't know how it happened? Let me tell her: She resynced the pictures to the IPad because she has the same Apple ID on both devices. She could've prevented this by setting the photos to private, where only she can see them. If she couldn't do that, then maybe she shouldn't have taken the pictures at all since her children saw her in an unsavory manner.

Kim Burrell Under Fire

Famed gospel singer Kim Burrell has come under fire from the LGBT community for hateful comments about their lifestyle. I don't see why the LGBT folks have a problem with her statements since they're backed up by God's word. The Bible clearly states that homosexuality is sinful, yet folks want to say "what about the other sins?" I get that no sin is greater than another, but God's word does refer to homosexuality as an abomination, so y'all can do the math. The reason why the LGBT community has a problem with her statements is that deep down, they know they're living foul but refuse to admit it. They've convinced themselves that they're born that way. If God doesn't sugarcoat his thoughts on homosexuality, Kim Burrell did right by telling it like it is regarding God's thoughts on homosexuality, so she has nothing to be ashamed of.

Where's her gospel family? Why isn't her fellow gospel singers standing with her? They're nowhere to be found, and that leads me to believe they support the homosexual lifestyle. I've lost respect for Yolanda Adams because of all people, she should've been the first to stand with Kim, but she didn't. In other words, Yolanda Adams felt that Kim was wrong for her statements. There's no unity in Christianity because if one believer is under attack, it's a matter of time before more believers start being attacked for their faith. Kim Burrell has nothing to be ashamed of. She did right by speaking the truth according to God's word. She's not the first, won't be the last to be persecuted because of her faith.

Joel Osteen: Fresh Start, The New You Begins Today

I'm getting back to reading this year, and Joel Osteen's book Fresh Start is a great way to do it. Joel provides valuable insight and encouragement to help believers stay connected to God so they can receive his best. I'm looking forward to this book. I'll review after I've finished reading.

2017: What Can I Look Forward To?

For 2017, my prayer is to continue growing as a man and believer, so if folks are expecting some New Year's Resolutions, forget it. I don't see why people make New Year's Resolutions knowing they're not going to follow through. Anyway, I'm looking to continue my progress from 2016: Growing In Christ, keep delivering these fire blogs, and look into other income streams. Also, get back into reading more. Unlike many people who post that New Year, New Me foolishness, I'm not getting into all that this year. For me, I shouldn't need a new year to make changes in my life. If I'm growing as a man all year long, then each new year is a chance for me to further my growth from last year. The only thing I can look forward to is being better in all areas of my life, and as long as I stay focused on God, I'll have favor the likes of which I've never seen.