Toni V. Lee

During the horrors of yesterday's deadly whippings, lynchings, death camps, concentration camps, white supremacist persecutions, etc., some folk spoke out. They lost friends and family. They risked all to stand for right.  As it is today, there were also some who dismissively blamed the victims saying, "They should have complied...done as they were told." Those standing for right were not viewed with warm and fuzzy feelings.  As it is today, those opposing the atrocities were considered undesirable agitators, too political, and rebels & insurgents (domestic terrorists). Like yesterday, some of these folk do not claim to be Christians...yet, some do--they teach Bible classes, preach, prophesy, and attend church services faithfully.  Heartless, soulless, and self-centered folk existed during yesterday's atrocities...they exist during today's. Just keepin' it real...

Christians are getting swift and brutal clapback when they rebuke other Christians for posts they don't like--most have made them uncomfortable in their religious zones.  The ones that tickle me are those that begin with "You aren't saved because..." and "That kind of behavior is not in the Bible."  These draw my chuckles, "Jesus would never say or do anything like that..." and "That's not Christ-like..." 🤭  Let's talk about it...☕🍩  Jesus was blunt and didn't bite His tongue. He wasn't being mean or nasty. He saw it and called what He saw.  He called folk... ▪️Blind guides  ▪️Fools ▪️Serpents  ▪️A generation of vipers  ▪️Hypocrites Jesus scolded.  He rebuked.  He told people they were like whited supulchres…full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness. Meaning, they were white and shiny--holy--on the outside but full of decay and rot on the inside.  Jesus was so indignant about what was going on in the Temple... ▪️He...

Buckle up... After studying the preponderance of the evidence, I have come to the conclusion that people need to get over themselves.  If you think the absence of your presence or footprint, stops the show or impacts the significance and validity of the show, you are sadly mistaken. Why? You are important...but not THAT important.  I mean, it's not about you. It's bigger than you. Your participation is welcomed...but not needed. Why? Sweetie, you can't stop the show. Why? You are just not THAT important. What made you have such an over inflated view of the importance and impactfulness of YOU that you think you can stop the show by doing or not doing...whatever?  See, you ARE important...but your are NOT crucial. The show WILL go on with you...or without you.  Communities would be stronger, families would be more cohesive, churches would be operating on a higher level, relationships would be more enduring, friendships would last...if people would...just...get...over.....

It cuts deep when someone confides their heart tears to clergy or other church leadership, then the next time they attend service, they overhear the congregation whispering about their business or they catch folk swallowing their words mid-sentence because the sentence was about them.  During that same service, the Pastor will preach his heart out, the congregation will praise and worship enthusiastically, all while the person sits in their midst with a broken and bleeding heart. The person who was broken is not the problem. No, it's not them. 🙅🏾‍♀️The problem is every single tongue that participated in the breaking/slashing. That's called church hurt. It happens...a lot.  There is no perfect church. I agree 💯. BUT that is no excuse for operating in the flesh and hurting people in a place that should be a REFUGE from pain and heartache. Don't be that church. Just keepin' it real...

Make it make sense! 🤯  Let's talk about it...☕☕☕ It was disclosed that Bill Clinton got up to shenanigans with grown women who were not his wife, then lied about it. Evangelicals said his actions demonstrated a lack of moral character that made him unfit to serve as president. They emphasized the importance of fidelity and honesty in public officials. They rallied for his impeachment.  At that time, it was perfectly correct and Biblical to call out the wrongdoings of the President for the Bible informs us in Acts 5 we should submit to authority but be prepared to obey God, not man. An aside 👩🏾‍🏫: That word "submit" deserves a thorough study and break-down all on its own. It's being used by some as a tool to say, "Authority is given by God, those in authority can do/say whatever they want and it's right", "Do what I say with no questions asked", "I'm the law around here and what I say goes", "Check your brains and your Bib...

When you can see/read people, you want to let them know they're not gettin' over and that you're not stupid. There are times you can't because you're being checked and aren't allowed to say what you really really REALLY want to say 🤐. As blunt as I can be, I also swallow words. I'm not allowed to unsheathe the word knife from my mouth. 😁 But that doesn't stop my mental side-eye 👀 and silent, "Hmmph, they really think I don't know, don't they..." Maybe, it's just me. 🤷🏾‍♀️ I've said it many times before and I'm sayin' it again: People are somethin' ELSE...Christian people too. Sometimes, we're the absolute worse because we sanctimoniously wrap our ugly and "sometimey" behavior in scripture.  If being accepted by people is crucial to your self-worth, you will always wrestle with feeling you're not good enough or always at fault when really you're the victim of someone being messy, their proje...