All Smiles Aren't For You

When you have discernment, you'll know when someone's smiling for you and smiling in your face. 

Should Fewer Americans Get Stimulus Money?

Should Fewer Americans Get Stimulus Money? 

Why should Americans making over $100,000 a year get stimulus money? COVID has affected low-income folks the most, so that's where the stimulus money should go. I'm just saying...if you're raking in $100,000 a year or more, you should've been saving even before the pandemic. "Many high-income Americans need stimulus money for financial stability" I can't justify giving stimulus money to high-income Americans. There's a reason public assistance programs are set up for low-income people, because that's where the greatest need is.

Today's Thought: Shut Up

Everyone (myself) has been or is guilty of this. I'm learning to keep quiet because I want ALLLLLLL my blessings. 

The Worst Rise To Power

Politicians reflect the worst side of human nature: The reason why I say this is because it seems like the worst people rise to power. For example: Law enforcement. There are good cops, but there are also too many dirty cops. It's the dirty cops that get promotions & raises while the stand-up officers who do right are under the authority of the abusive higher-ups. If a good cop exposes his crooked colleagues, the good cop can lose his pension, retirement & his job because he gets no support from his superiors. It's not fair to be punished for doing the right thing, but that's what happens when you live in a fallen world. I don't care how many policies against retaliation a company has, who's to say the offenders will be held accountable? Chances are, they won't because most times, the offender knows some higher-ups that can get him/her off. It's the same with police misconduct cases involving law enforcement & blacks. Police & prosecutors work closely together so there's a high probability an officer will get away with misconduct.

Don't get me started on politicians: Apparently, you have to be willing to backstab in order to rise to power. Honest politicians won't get very far because they refuse to play political games to get ahead.

Today's Thought: Suffering

 

I get it, suffering is the by-product of a fallen world. Bad things happen to good people, but people aren't obligated to wear suffering as a badge of honor. Not everyone can deal with constant suffering, so they do whatever it takes to get rid of it. Even better, preventing suffering is a virtue because if you can avoid hard times, go for it. No sense in suffering just for the sake of suffering.

Friendship & Finances

 Everybody has had financial ups & downs, and that has translated into their friendships. If we're honest, we mix finances with relationships, meaning rich friends have rich friends, poor friends have poor friends, and somewhere along the line, there's a mix. If I can't afford to join in something or go somewhere, I thank them for the invitation and tell them its not in my budget. Maybe that will trigger a discussion about alternatives, maybe it won't. Maybe there aren't any. I don't turn cartwheels trying to justify why something is too expensive for me, just keep it simple. IMHO, a friendship good enough to keep won't be affected. A very good friend senses a little more about your circumstances anyway. They probably know if the tables were turned, you'd treat them with the same consideration. Rough times can weed out the non-essentials...in expenditures as well as friends! If your friends drop you because your money dries up, they weren't real. They were checking for you because you had money. The reality is people in different financial situations do things differently including choice/price of restaurants, entertainment etc. Financially, it's best not to try and keep up with the Jones's. Many 'friends' will get frustrated when people in financial woes have no change in their situation especially if they complain without change. It's going to happen. Life changes in different income brackets. It doesn't have to suck, but things change. 

Women To Men: You Get My Respect If You Pay ALL The Bills

 

By FB standards, this post went viral (200 comments and counting). This thread ties into what I've said before: Respect is dictated by finances. If a man pays all the bills, his woman will respect him. If she goes half, she'll give him half respect or none at all. In the eyes of many women, all men are good for is provision. What if the man becomes disabled & can't provide like he used to, is he still worthy of respect? That's the question many women avoid like the plague. It's mindsets like this that are the reason why I'm glad I'm single. I refuse to break myself down to take care of a lazy woman (I refer to lazy women as those who expect the man to do 100% while she does 0%. These same women like to use the Bible to dictate men's role, but want to call themselves a Proverbs 31 woman😄). Some of the blame falls on men because men with means offer to take care of women with lesser means. She becomes accustomed to the lifestyle and God forbid the relationship ends, then she's looking for the next man to pick up where her ex left off. This rhetoric would cease if men & women dated on their level: Men, look for women to build with and vice versa for women.

Today's Message: God Does NOT Bless Mess

 

What Does God Say?

God does speak through pastors, prophets and Bible teachers, but ultimately, God has the last word. 

Tuesday Encouragement

We all need encouragement from time to time. 

Monday Gospel

My first tweet is in reference to pet ownership. 

Today's Thought: Black Power

 

I don't know who needs to hear this, but black people in power positions aren't the black community's savior, nor have they ever been. The reason being is that blacks in authority have to do what's in the country's best interest. That, and other groups would be in their feelings over why that person isn't doing for them. When President Obama got in office, blacks were rejoicing over Obama being the first black president. They had high hopes for Obama & look what happened, Obama did more for certain groups than he did for blacks. Truthfully, Obama's hands were tied in what he could do for the black community because other groups would be in their feelings. "Why is President Obama doing for black people and not us? What about us?" 

Keep It Real Statement Of The Day

 

Costly Mistakes

 

I'm referring to innocent people who were wrongly imprisoned for decades, or executed. What do you say to the families of the wrongfully imprisoned/executed? I'm sorry. Your mistake cost someone their life, and that can never be repaired.

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.

Thriving Black Neighborhoods

 

Before I answer this question, I want to state there are thriving black neighborhoods, although they're seldom heard about. When people think of black neighborhoods, they think violence-prone & drug-infested, which to an extent is true. Before the drug epidemic, many notable black neighborhoods nationwide were successful. In many black neighborhoods nationwide, you see the following businesses: Check cashing, low-income grocery stores, $.99 discount stores, liquor joints, hole in the wall clubs, soul food restaurants, corner store churches, etc. Two possible reasons are: 1)Lack Of Financial Literacy. Most people made more in the last 12 months than they did working, & have nothing to show for it. 2)Not Investing like we should & buying everything but property. The most successful black business owners invest not only in their business, but their community.

Jane Elliot: Reverse Racism Doesn't Exist

 Jane Elliot: Reverse Racism

A while ago, she did an experiment in her class where she asked how many white students would want to be mistreated like blacks are, and not one of them stood up. The logic behind the experiment was to get whites to understand what blacks go through with being mistreated based on skin color. In this video, she explains how reverse racism doesn't exist & she's right, it doesn't. Racism is rooted in white supremacy, the belief that skin color makes one superior. Historically, blacks haven't been in a position of power to be racist against whites or other minority groups. Blacks can be prejudice, but not racist.

Is It Ok For Christians To Shack Up Before Marriage?

 The Bible indirectly forbids Christians shacking before marriage because of temptation & desire. I can understand why many couples (Christian couples included) would shack because living together helps a couple understand each other better. When you're living together, you get a feel for each other's good & bad habits; you find out who leaves the dishes in the sink after dinner, who left the toilet seat up, etc. If living together before marriage prepares a couple for marriage, then it can work, but if not...it's a red flag. Among Jews & Christians, a man & woman living together who planned on marriage was rare, meaning if a couple lived together before marriage, there was no incentive to marry because the couple was already getting marriage benefits. It's still that way today. Many Christians are adopting secular ideologies, so it doesn't surprise me when I hear of Christian couples living together before marriage. Even if fornication doesn't take place between Christian men & women living together, there's always temptation. If you're a Christian, 1 Thessalonians 5:22 instructs Christians to avoid behavior that can be considered evil. When a Christian couple is feeling each other to where touching & smooching happens, it's a matter of time before clothes come off, and...y'all know the rest.