Freedom Of Religion? Yeah, Right.

People get offended when Christians proclaim their faith, but Hindus, Muslims, and other religions can practice theirs free & clear.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) December 12, 2014

Freedom Of Religion is defined as the freedom to practice one's religion through observation of religious holidays, participation in religious events, etc. If America prides itself on Freedom of Religion, then why do people get offended when Christians exercise their faith? Last time I checked, Freedom Of Religion extended to Christianity so people have no reason to get offended. Hindus, Muslims, and people of other faiths & religions can practice their religion free & clear, but let Christians celebrate Jesus, and it's a problem. It's stupid because if you come to America, you know what you're getting into. What's good for one, should be good for all. For some reason, Christianity has a bulls-eye. Christians can't mention "Jesus" without someone being slighted, yet homosexuals can push their agenda on every sector of society. Bills are being passed forcing schools to teach children about homosexuality.

I'm going to be 100 with what I'm about to say, and I don't care who's slighted. If Hindus, Muslims, and people of other religions can freely practice their religion, Christians should be able to do the same. Who cares if someone's slighted at the name of Jesus? Really, it's time out for Christians cowering at mentioning the name of Jesus. These are the same Christians that are quick to be crude & disrespectful, gossip; basically act no different than the world. America was founded on Christian values, but you'd never know it today because God has been forced out of American culture. Prayer has been taken out of schools, the 10 Commandments can't be publicly displayed, instead of saying Merry Christmas, people say Happy Holidays; and the list goes on. Considering where God has brought me from, I'm going to say Jesus every chance I get, and if someone gets slighted, who gonna check me? Matthew 10:32 MSG tells it like it is: Stand up for me against world opinion, and I'll stand up for you before My Father. If you turn tail and run, do you think I'll cover for you? 

Character Over Shape

A lot of men look at a woman's shape, instead of her character.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) December 9, 2014

I know most men look at a woman's looks when getting to know her. Is she cute or average looking? Nothing wrong with that because as much as we don't want to admit it, looks do play a role in someone's attraction to a (wo)man. Personally, I don't place high value on a woman's looks because unlike most men, I look deep within. A woman can be gorgeous, but if her attitude reeks, then that makes her ugly in my eyes. A gorgeous woman is appealing physically, spiritually, and mentally. She's respected by her loved ones, and acquaintances. Given her reputation, if you asked 5 of her closest friends about her character, you would be listening all day because they would rattle off stories of how she has encouraged them in a time of need. Bel Biv Devoe made a song in the 80's called Poison. The concept of that song is you can never trust a shapely woman. She looks good, but looks can be deceiving. 

It's hard for me to be empathetic towards men who get jammed up with the wrong woman. Those men focus more on a woman's curves than what's in her heart. How is her character? How does she treat her loved ones in her life? Does she have common sense? Some men are scared to ask their prospective woman the hard questions because they're so worried about what her mouth does, instead of what her heart does. 

Close Proximity

#ItsNothingLike living close to where you work, shop, play, eat, etc. You save on commuting (travel time and gas).👌

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) December 6, 2014

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a big fan of convenience. There's nothing like having what you want & need in close proximity. You won't have to go far because what you need and want is right there. For example, if you have a job then it would make sense to live close to where you work. I'll never understand folks who live on one side of town, and work on the other; that's crazy because your weekly commute time can easily exceed 45 minutes to an hour, especially in major cities and peak traffic. I cannot see living far from where I work because that means daily commutes which will eat up gas to and from work. Taking into consideration that after work, you want to go to Happy Hour at your local club, and unless your club of choice is nearby, that's an extra 15-20 minutes depending on traffic. It's something about working close to where you shop, bank, eat, live, etc that does it for me.

There's a show on HDTV that chronicles young professionals looking for residences close to their jobs. Looking at the prices, I assume these young professionals have good paying jobs because anyone familiar with the real estate market can tell you that the closer you live to shopping, work, nightlife, gym, restaurants, and other attractions, you're going to fork out some coins for convenience. You're getting what you pay for, so if you want convenience, you'll pay top dollar for it. By close proximity, I mean living no more than 5 minutes from your job, bank, restaurants, nightlife, gym, church, recreation and attractions/Points Of Interest. You can live 10 minutes from those things, but the ideal for living in close proximity is 5 minutes. The larger the city, the more opportunities abound for living in close proximity to employment and attractions based on that city's infrastructure.

Happy King=Flourishing Kingdom

When the KING is happy, the Kingdom flourishes.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) December 7, 2014

 A lot of folks like to say Happy Wife=Happy Life, or If Mama Isn't Happy, Nobody's Happy. Let me flip the script by saying When The KING is happy, the kingdom flourishes. The man is the head of the house, and as the head he's responsible for directing his family. At times, he must make tough decisions the family won't agree with, and that's ok. As long as his decisions benefit the family, they'll come around eventually. People need to understand the man has a major responsibility as the CEO of the family. He can't think about himself, he has to think about his wife and children before he makes every decision. A responsible leader will solicit input from their subordinates, weigh all options and then move forward. A king has to do what's best for the kingdom, and be strong enough to stand firm even if his subordinates won't agree with his decision. Not all the time are people going to agree with the king, but that's the price a king must be ready to pay. For everybody who co-signs the adage of Happy Wife, Happy Life, If Mom Isn't Happy, Nobody's Happy or any other statement, remember one thing: The King sets the tone for the entire kingdom, and unless he has a capable queen, the kingdom will not flourish like it should. If the kingdom isn't flourishing, what does that signal for the inhabitants? It can't be anything good, I can tell you that right now. Strong kings make kingdoms flourish.

No Filter

Having no filter is nothing to be proud of. Some stuff you shouldn't say because you end up looking stupid.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) December 6, 2014

I can't stand this stupid term. Everybody and their mama is saying "No Filter". Having No Filter is nothing to be proud of because some stuff you say can cause you to look stupid, so maybe people should consider having a filter. When people say No Filter, they have no discretion about what comes out of their mouth or what they do. They don't care what others think or feel, they'll lay it out there with no hesitation. Those people are attention seekers because they're trying to get notoriety by their statements. I'm going to be real, and I don't care who's slighted, I will judge any & everyone who uses this term. I'm shaking my head at them in my mind because if they only knew how dumb they sound, they would probably consider having a "filter". That's the issue with society as a whole, people have gotten comfortable with letting their mouth shoot off like a rocket. It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than open your mouth and remove all doubt. I know the First Amendment guarantees free speech, but in a way there's no such thing as free speech, because anything you say can and will be used against you. There's a thing called libel and slander; you can be sued for both offenses and rightfully so. You can't just say whatever you want and not expect repercussions. You tell me, is having no filter something to be proud of? I'll wait.

I Want To Be Like You

Doing what others do does not make you look cool. Just be what you are.
— Life Diary (@diariezolife) December 2, 2014

Today's message is about trying to be like someone else. From an early age, most of us are taught socialization skills. Socialization skills are taught so kids can learn how to relate to others, which I can agree with to an extent, but I have a problem with trying to fit in to the point where you become a cookie-cutter version of someone else. If someone has a Maserati, you go out and get one without realizing the other person probably can afford one. If you see someone dressed to impress, you upgrade your wardrobe to compete with them, and so on. Honestly, it's a bunch of nonsense trying to do what someone else does to make yourself look cool. I would expect this from children & teens because they don't know any better for the most part. Peer acceptance is critical for children & teens because they want to be liked to the point where they end up doing detrimental things.

If a child sees his friends looking crazy, that child tries to emulate their friends because they don't want to be an outcast. If (s)he doesn't go along with their friends, (s)he risks being outed from the group, and their name is dragged through the mud. What do they do? They go along because they value peer acceptance over individuality. There are some children & teens who value their individuality to where they enjoy standing out. They could care less about peer acceptance because those same people they're trying to be like, could care less about them. It's nothing for some people to stand out because in their mind, they're staying true to themselves. Those are the people I respect because they don't need acceptance from the masses. As long as their loved ones value them, that's all the acceptance they need. For me, I'm not trying to be like anyone else. I may be inspired by others, but I'm not going out of my way to emulate them because I wouldn't feel right.

In conclusion, stop trying to fit in when you were born to stand out.

God's In Control: On My Terms

Many people say God's in control, but what they really mean is God's in control as long as it's in a way that they approve.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) November 30, 2014

The general consensus among the Christian community is that God's in control, regardless of the circumstances. When things work in our favor, God's in control. When things don't work our way, God's in control, but he has his own reasons for things not working out in your favor. All you can do is keep your faith and prayer life strong, and trust God. That's the hardest thing for anyone to do is trust God, even if we think we can figure things out.You know what: People believe God's in control, as long as God did what they asked him to. The minute God does something higher than us, we want to blame God or try and fix it ourselves. Many Christians don't know how to say "You know what Lord, I give this to you. I can't fix this situation, and I'm not going to try. Your ways are higher than mine." It baffles me that people want God to be in control on their terms.

Why do folks want God to be in control on their terms? Because people want to control God. They want to be able to dictate how God plans their life. If God has them go one way, and (s)he goes the other, they want God to co-sign. If God co-signs, then it means that God is in control. If God was in control on people's terms, God would be nothing more than a puppet; you pull its strings and it moves however you desire. What people fail to realize is that God Is Sovereign, meaning that his ways and thoughts are higher than ours. It's easy to say God's In Control, as long as God's answering every prayer. Are these same people going to believe that God's in control based on rampant injustice in this country? Believe it or not, God's in control even if we may not understad what, why, when, or how.