Thought For Today: Fake Growth In Churches

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but Pastors: Your church is not growing if the members are coming from other churches. Folks are quick to label a church as growing when 80-90% of the members are from another church. That’s called growth transfer: Members from one church transfer to another.

Family Defends Criminal Loved One: He Didn't Do Nothing

Family Sticks Up For Their Criminal Loved One 

Let me get this straight...this young man robbed Family Dollar and a Good Samaritan fired back, sending him to the hospital AND....the suspect was still charged with robbery. This criminal better be glad he's not dead, and good job to the Samaritan for saving lives in the midst of the robbery. This is why criminals need to be careful who they target because they don't know who else is armed; then again...expecting criminals to have logic is far-fetched. What bothers me is the family defending the loved one's crime. In other words, the family felt the Good Samaritan shouldn't have been armed even though he saved lives during the robbery. The family felt he should've had free reign to terrorize innocents during the robbery. The robber's family should've raised him better, and maybe he wouldn't felt the need to rob Family Dollar. Either way, the robber escaped with his life. You can't do wrong and expect some people to stand by & do nothing. There are people who believe in protecting others.

Student Debt Crisis

Ever notice that Republicans always take issue with any relief that can change lives? It's no secret that tens of millions of Americans owe a collective $1/7 trillion in student loan debt. Of that amount, millions of borrowers already had student debt forgiven through targeted relief, and I'm happy for them. In my mind, student loans are nothing more than punishment for students who want to better themselves. Student loan companies charge ridiculous interest rates, and all Virginia Foxx can say is "The student loan payment pause is troubling." No...she's upset at the loss of revenue from loan repayment. She didn't say anything when folks were repaying their student loans because the money was flowing, but as soon as people started struggling and Biden extended the student loan pause, that's when she & other Republicans were in their feelings. It's all about money with her & many other Republicans. So what revenue will be lost from loan repayments? Loan companies can stand to lose revenue since they charge ridiculous interest rates. I'll take it further and say: I don't care about loan companies losing revenue from student loan repayment; I care about those struggling to repay their student debt through no fault of their own. Then again, this is the same party that used the filibuster to block voting rights legislation.

Watch Your Kids Around Other Kids

Facts. Kids will learn more from their peers than parents. Parents shouldn't want their children around other kids if those kids are a negative influence. 

Black Fathers: What Are You Doing?

I had to repost. Good question. A lot of it has to do with the environment. If all an inner city black kid sees is gangs, then they could be drawn to gang culture even if there’s two parents in the home. Your mind has to be right to survive the ghetto because there’s too many pitfalls that come with ghetto life. On the flip side, if a kid is involved in sports & academics & knows what they want out of life, then being in the streets won’t cross their mind.

 

Don’t Abandon Your Pet

Repost

“ Pets, it turns out, also have last wishes before they die, but only known by veterinarians who put old and sick animals to sleep. Twitter user Jesse Dietrich asked a vet what was the most difficult part of his job. 

The specialist answered without hesitation that it was the hardest for him to see how old or sick animals look for their owners with the eyes of their owners before going to sleep. The fact is that 90 % of owners don't want to be in a room with a dying animal. People leave so that they don't see their pet leave. But they don't realize that it's in these last moments of life that their pet needs them most. 

Veterinarians ask the owners to be close to the animals until the very end. ′′It's inevitable that they die before you. Don't forget that you were the center of their life. Maybe they were just a part of you. But they are also your family. No matter how hard it is, don't leave them. 

Dont let them die in a room with a stranger in a place they dont like. It is very painful for veterinarians to see how pets cannot find their owner during the last minutes of their life. They dont understand why the owner left them. After all, they needed their owner’s consolation. 

Veterinarians do everything possible to ensure that animals are not so scared, but they are completely strangers to them. Don't be a coward because it's too painful for you. Think about the pet. Endure this pain for the sake of their sake. Be with them until the end.”

- Tricia Mo’orea

This hit me harder than anything life has thrown my way. I don’t know what it’s like to lose a pet, but I realize that day will come, so for me; I’m building memories that will last a lifetime. I can’t imagine leaving my pet in their final moment. Yes, it may be hard to watch then leave, but I’ll remember the good times with my dog: The walks, front yard play outside, the trips to the park, car rides, etc. My pet was there for me, it’s my turn to be there for them, even if it’s their last moment on earth.

Christians' One-Sided Stance On Abortion

I get it, Christians are to protect the sanctity of life; and abortion goes against that. Unlike many Christians, I can see both sides of the abortion debate: While life is precious, I also believe that children should be born under the right circumstances. When it comes to the abortion debate, Christians are so one-sided. They scream pro-life, but do any of them consider why some women choose to have an abortion, such as: The risk of having a disabled child, or what about the woman who was sexually assaulted? Is it right to pressure her into keeping a baby born under hellish circumstances? Let's be real, it's a slap in a woman's face to pressure her to keep a baby that was conceived by terrible means. I'm aware of the popular statements Christians make, such as: God can take what was meant for evil & use it for good, or he can make beauty out of ashes. I know that, but how does that help that woman? Her genetic counselor suggests abortion because her child was found to have multiple disabilities. As she ponders the information, she feels she's not strong enough to raise a special needs child, so she does what's best for her and decides to abort the baby. Some Christians don't get how difficult raising special needs children are unless they've been through it. It's easy to criticize, but it takes effort to try to understand why some women feel like abortion is their only way out.

What about the baby who came into this world through rape? How is the mother going to explain to her child that their mom was raped and that's how (s)he was conceived? I didn't believe this until I found out, but: In some states, a rapist has parental rights even if the child was conceived through a violent act. Wow...just wow. What kind of mess is that? A rapist being able to see their child is forcing that woman to relieve that tragedy, and it's dead wrong. I don't stand for that.