A Good Place

Discernment penetrates the fronts, words, glitter, and grins to the truth. 

The old me tried to hold on to relationships (all types) in spite of KNOWING. 

The current me does a self-evaluation to determine if the problem lies with me. If it does, I correct it. If it doesn't, it's just not my problem. 

I continue to manifest what's in me: love, but I no longer chase folk down to try to hold onto them so they can receive that love. It is, what it is...

See, I had to learn not to fight what I KNOW, but to accept and rest in it. It was not an easy lesson. There was a lot of heartache and disappointment along the way.

I'm free now in my "knowing", and they're free in their belief that I believe what they say or "act". 🙂

Baggage should not be carried from year to year because each year has a fresh batch of hardships, heartache, aggravation, and disappointment to pile on. 

When I walked into the place I'm in now, unnecessary baggage fell away.  This place is a definite keeper! It's unfortunate it took so long for me to get here...

Tasteless Salt

We will make America a Christian nation again! 

Folk are saying it. Some are prophesying/prophelying it.

I just wonder what that would even look like.  Would America be Evangelical, Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, Lutheran, etc? 

When the proclamation is made to make America Christian again, the speaker is viewing that change through the lense of their own religious practices, theology, doctrine, and understanding of scripture. 

To make America fit their picture of Christianity, their religious practices, theology, doctrine, and interpretation of scripture has to be rammed down the throats of everybody else regardless of their own views of Christianity. 

They even go to the extreme length of wanting their brand of Christianity passed as legislation to ensure the conformity of everybody else to their system of beliefs.

Here's my take on this. 

1.   We are not God and need to stop acting like we own His thoughts and ways.

2.  Salvation is a choice.  We individually choose to accept or reject the work Christ did for us on the cross.  

3.  Choices are a direct reflection of the condition of the heart.  If the heart is changed, choices will also change.

4.  Holiness can NOT be legislated.  Folk will find a way to do what they want to do, taking measures not to get caught.  

5.  The meaning of "let your light so shine" has been horribly twisted to excuse the misguided direction some have taken in the name of Christ.

There's some messed up stuff going on in the Church.  Given all of the hate, nastiness, bigotry, marginalization, and hypocrisy being wrapped up in scripture, is there any wonder more and more folk are giving Christians a side-eyed look?  

There's so much nasty and obviously deceptive political wrangling going on that has absolutely nothing to do with looking out for the interests of ALL the people of this Nation, I get very upset sometimes just thinking about it.  On one such occasion, I was absolutely livid.  Then, I was swiftly and bluntly checked by the Holy Spirit. I wasn't told to participate in a coup, to cut folk out of my life who didn’t agree with me, or to go buy a semi-automatic. I was simply asked, "What does any of this have to do with salvation?"

How in the world can we minister to someone who's looking at us side-eyed?  We will only be effective ministering to those who are just like us: Salt that has lost its savor...

Pretty Colors

He wants to be a werewolf, not a vampire.

He promises to protect any martians living in the US. 

Is this a child saying funny stuff to get a laugh? No, this is a political candidate who received a LOT of votes to become a US Senator.

Folk actually want this man to help draft legislation for our Nation. 

Takes me back to my son's teenage years when he'd do something that defied logic. I'd ask him, "Boy, where was your head at when you did that?"

What are people thinkin'? 

Maybe they aren't thinking at all and are only seeing the pretty colors: red and blue...

Republican (red) or Democrat (blue) doesn't matter if the person lacks the intellectual capability to do the job.

A Nasty Share

I have never understood women who willingly share men.

Regardless of what he may tell you, you're accepting somebody else's left overs.  He's married...he ain't yours.

Listen up: If he cheats with you, he WILL cheat on you.

His wife--the lady you are deliberately hurting--remember her name and remember it well. Why? When the pain you're unleashing today comes back home, you'll be able to put a name on it. It's a returning boomerang. It is coming back.

Here's the thing: Sweetie, you're better than that. You are. Have more respect for YOURSELF and walk away from that cesspit.

Throw Down the Chisels

Violence, fear, intimidation and manipulation do not change people.  Choice does.  Folk must choose to change.

Stop using those ugly tools to try to chisel folk into who you want them to be.

You may eventually get compliance, but not true change. You will also ignite a slow burn resentment that may consume you one day.

Bottom line: Treat people the way you want to be treated. If you can't handle that, leave 'em alone.

This world would be a better place if we could master the simple command to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

God help us!

One Word Description

Sometimes, words, songs and phrases get stuck deep in our heads.  

One word in particular floats up in my thoughts every now and then (actually, more now than then) when hearing/reading political related news.

It's not just the word. It's the WAY the word is said by 2 ladies in particular:  Reba Mcentire & Brett Butler.

I've lost count of the number of private information gathering sessions that have been peppered with the spontaneous word.

It's not nice to call someone this particular word, so that's not something I'd do.  You know...it's better to keep some things behind your teeth. BUT it's definitely an apt description.

What is the word?  Picture Reba Mcentire in the sitcom Reba and Brett Butler in Grace Under Fire. No one can say the word moron (MO-ron) like these ladies.

WWJD

Ever wondered about God's take on the treatment of migrants?

Let's go to the Book...

 

Leviticus 19:33-34 (NKJV)

33 And if a stranger dwells with you in your  land, you shall not mistreat him. 

34 The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

From posts written by some Christians regarding migrants, I'd say they missed these scriptures while they were on their cherry-picking expeditions or maybe their pastors just never preached about them.

If you want to see a recent demonstration of these scriptures in action, take a look at the actions of the residents of Martha's Vineyard in response to the unexpected transportation of migrants to their island by Florida's Governor.

Remember WWJD - What Would Jesus Do? Well...here it is! Love and compassion demonstrated in overdrive. 

In case you didn't know it, Desantis' tactic is not new. White segregationists deceptively bussed black folk to Martha's Vineyard in 1962. The play book already existed.

History...ugly history repeating itself. I wonder how many Christians praised and justified the segregationists' and the Governor's actions?

It's a concerning time in the land...

God help us! 

Who Would Want to Serve Your God?

Man or woman of God. We are very liberal in placing these labels on folk.  

Their lives may be so raggedy nothing is hardly covered anymore and the true state of their relationship with Christ has been exposed. For whatever reason, they still wear the label and still work in ministry like their sinful state hasn't stepped them out from under the umbrella of Grace and separated them from God. 

Spiritually, I was raised old school. We couldn't wear our sin with pride and continue to serve in the church. We had to repent and get our souls right with God, THEN we could continue in ministry. 

We were pointed to the alter until we had repented and fixed our relationship with the Lord. The "posture" of the alter is lacking today. 

Now, it seems everything goes.  Even when sin is exposed, folk continue in ministry and everything is glossed over without a call for repentance. Yet, pastors stand and wring their hands in helplessness when the congregation struggles with pornography, adultery, cheating, domestic violence, homosexuality, lying, etc. 

They opened the door and welcomed those spirits into their choirs, praise teams, usher boards, music ministries, Deacon boards, pastoral staffs and pulpits! Some have placed the Spirit of Jezebel over the administration of their churches and wonder why the ministries won't grow. 

If you proclaim someone who's vulgar, a liar, a cheat, a thief, inhumane, an adulterer, a debaser...as a man or woman of God, what does that say about God? 

Who would want to serve your God? 

God help us!

People

They love you...they hate you.

They support you, then ignore you.

They pray for you, then at you.

They help you, then drag you.

They talk with you, then about you.

They accept you...until they don't.

They laugh with you and at you.

One of the most difficult hurdles to overcome is people. But, you know what? There's so much peace, clarity, and lightness on the other side.

Do you know what helped me? I had to stop expecting folk to treat me the way I treat them--especially some of today's Christians.  

Sadly, I had to lower my expectations. Now, I'm OCCASIONALLY, pleasantly surprised.

People...

It's not Fair!

It's not fair!

It's the current cry of many folk regarding the Federal government's latest rollout of student loan forgiveness. The majority of my acquaintances are Christians and those are the voices I hear. 

My response: I so wish somebody had done this earlier when I was struggling to pay back my 20K plus student loans and LIVE. I could have really used the help.

Remember those stimulus checks you thanked God for? We ALL helped build the Federal funds used for those payouts but some of us didn't receive a penny. Yet, you are crying foul when someone else receives assistance from the Federal government in a different form. 

Do I have to talk about churches that have become political tree stumps while enjoying tax-exempt status and Federal grants? Those Federal dollars are sourced by church members, folk who don't attend church, don't believe in God, believe in different doctrines, you, and me.

Is there REALLY a concern for equity  here?

Slavery? What slavery?

What's next?  Where are they going with this?

A Florida teacher shared the Civics curriculum they now have to teach. The history of slavery in America is being white washed and the atrocities minimized. 

Where will it end? Will they eventually wash it completely out of history? 

The brutal and inhumane treatment of the people who helped build this nation from its infancy with their blood, sweat, sorrow, and anguished tears...is being white washed and minimized. 

And this is ok? For a lot of people, yes, it is. They want it buried. They want to be comfortable in their actions--whatever those actions may be.

With the way things are going now, our schools may eventually be teaching something like the following:

       * Nobody was forced to come to America, they volunteered. 

       * They didn't mind being chained and packed into ships like sardines because that made room for more of their family to come with them.

       * And those chains? Those were just accessories.

       * The forced illiteracy? They didn't want the workers to be mentally stressed out trying to learn new things.

       * The slave price? Yes, money changed hands but it showed how highly the individual was regarded. 

       * And Massah? There wasn't a master/slave relationship. Everyone was equal with different accepted roles that all worked together for the greater good of America.

      * Whippings? They asked Massah and the Ovaseeah to beat them because it meant they were getting attention from the boss. Crippling and disfiguring blows meant they got a LOT of the attention they wanted.

       * The female rapes? Well, the boss (his relative, family friend, or overseer) thought they were cute and wanted them to have their babies.  

          For those of you who are comfortable believing they never mated with their slaves, I have over a hundred white DNA matches that map back to one white man so...

       * The male rapes? I have no idea how they'll rewrite the homosexual "breaking" of the male slaves. It's been written that after they were broken, they had to broadcast their shame to everyone by sagging their pants low around their hips. This also let the perpetrators know who had already been broken for future attacks.

       * Separating the families? They were merely being taught how to be independent in their new nation.

       * Slavery? What slavery? It never existed.

All of this is ugly, but it happened. It’s a shameful part of the history of our nation and my people. 

Do I want schools to teach shame and guilt? NO! 

I want schools to teach true and complete historical facts. The good, the bad, and the ugly for only then will there be higher odds of the ugly history never repeating itself.

Are you woke, yet?

 Woke.

Definition: Aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).

Even though the word is used as an accusation and a put down, there's nothing negative in the true definition of the word. Rather, it rings with compassion, intelligence, and justice. None of which can be demonstrated without true and consistent love for people.

The important question:  Does Christ have a problem with a person being woke? Does he have a problem with compassion, intelligence, justice, and love? I think not! 

If He doesn't have a problem with it, it's a clay (flesh) thing.  We need to make sure we separate God's Word and His expectations of us from the demands of clay.

Are you woke, yet?

Deception - When the Grounded Fall

I've been trying to put a label on the feelings I had while watching the last January 6th Committee hearing. There was a mixture of sadness, disbelief, and trepidation.  

Understanding that it's crucial to provide the facts surrounding that horrific event in a coherent and precise way to the Nation, the Committee has done an awesome job of stepping through the timeline with corroborating evidence and testimony.  Sworn testimony from Trump's people. His own supporters who were there with him when it all happened.

So many people were deceived. Folk you thought were too grounded to ever fall under the power of a deception were also deceived.

The Bible talks about deception in the last days but I could never understand how so many people could possibly be blatantly deceived.  I do now. This past decade has been an eye opener in many ways. 

Christians have a tendency to revere--almost worship--their spiritual leaders, forgetting that those leaders are clay. Their every word is taken as a Word from the Lord, with no discernment. 

I have sat in services where the pastor spent a lot of time talking about politics, promoting their own personal politics. Of course, they put a wrapper of scripture around it to make it easier for their followers to swallow.

In these situations, deception that begins with the leadership will also flow through the followers and continue to grow exponentially. 

There's no shame in being deceived, but it's very shameful and pitiful to choose to stay in that deception.

Our Nation is a great nation because it's built on a foundation of democracy and freedoms supported by that democracy. We came very close to losing all of that on January 6th because of deception. 

A deception that ended in an attempted coup--a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government. A coup. Here...in the United States of America.

Please God never again! 

Pro-life...Really?

If the last time you cared about an individual was when they were a fetus, you are pro-birth, not pro-life.

If you don’t care if and how that mother and child will survive after the birth, you are pro-birth, not pro-life.

If you consider transgenders and homosexuals to be sub-human and want them to be treated as such, you are pro-birth, not pro-life.  Yeah, I've seen your posts where you shared your hatred for these individuals and then your next post was about the love of God.

If you're a bigot or racist, you are pro-birth, not pro-life. Period.  Bigotry and racism will NEVER allow you to have compassion and empathy for all humanity.

If you have a problem with struggling and deserving families receiving governmental assistance to eat, have shelter, and medical care, you are pro-birth, not pro-life.

If you automatically think, "Don't work, don't eat," when you see someone struggling financially, you are pro-birth, not pro-life.

Do I have to even mention that whole, "Guns don't kill, people do," thing?

Pro-birthers only care about individuals from conception to birth. After that, not so much.  Their care is reserved for only those they deem deserve it. This includes, but is not limited to those of acceptable race, skin tone, nationality, dress, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, educational level, employment, and bank account.

If you say you're pro-life, be pro-life for life does NOT end at birth.

This post serves as a mirror, not an accusation.

 

Train Speeding into Regression

1950's America. Folk have stated they long for it. It was the happiest time for them. 

What was it like for all Americans in the '50s? Does that really matter? For some, the answer is a resounding, NO.

Folk incorrectly use the word fascist when describing opposing political parties. Yet, they're ecstatic when true fascist behavior is displayed, labeling it patriotism.

Relationships have been destroyed because of almost worshipful loyalty to a man...a MAN who doesn't even know they're breathing. Yes, it happened in the Church, too.

What is it going to take to wake folk up out of the almost cultic stupor into which they seem to have fallen? Being personally impacted by the backward movement of our country? 

For instance, interracial marriage was illegal in some states in the 1950s. A Supreme Court Justice is ready to challenge a law whose foundation is the law that legalized interracial marriage.  Would it stop there? What would happen to the foundational law? Now, for some, this would be counted a good thing and would be praised as "God at work". Even though there are a lot of interracial marriages among church folk, some Christians actually believe the Bible forbids interracial marriage. 

It's a very scary world.  Right is castigated as wrong and wrong is praised as right.  What's even scarier is this world has been here before--on this slippery slide into regression.  The end result was atrocious.  

Imagine how awful it would be if it had been forbidden to teach about the atrocities that occurred back then in our schools. History would be throughly white-washed and we'd have no yardstick to measure and check recurring like behaviors.

Forget denominations, loyalty to man--clay, religious sects, and politics. We had better be sure and very sure our foundation is anchored in Christ and His Word.

Toss the Paint Brush!

Don’t paint people with the paint brush you’ve been handed.

It’s very easy to go with the flow but doing so can cause us to miss out on some great relationships.

I walked into a situation that had existed for years.  No one really understood why things were the way they were, but they noted it, accepted it, and went with the flow:  disregarding, ignoring, disrespecting, sidelining, etc. 

I questioned the situation internally and observed, observed, observed.  That wasn’t how I was “raised” spiritually so I just couldn’t feel at ease with the whole thing.  Eventually, it reached the magnitude of becoming a burden. 

In small ways, I started trying to reach out and be more inclusive.  That’s not really all that important in the whole scheme of things.  The most important and productive thing I did was to pray.

I sat in my office one morning praying about the situation and a wave of deep pain and sorrow swept over me.  Uncontrollable gut-wrenching sobs began to flow.  It wasn’t my pain and sorrow.  It belonged to the person I was lifting up in prayer. Then, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was a narrative different from the one being told and inferred about the person.

I’m so glad I pushed past the status quo and whole-heartedly embraced this individual.  Their down-to-earth goodness has been a tremendous blessing to me.  Many times, when I am having a valley moment, a phone call from them—which always includes laughter—lifts me up. 

If I’d taken the paint brush handed to me when I walked into that situation and just added another coat to the individual, I would’ve missed out on a great friendship.

You Can't Change What You Ignore

Critical Race Theory (CRT) recognizes that systemic racism is part of American society and challenges the beliefs that allow it to flourish.

It refutes the statement, "The past is the past." Rather it seeks to show that today's laws and policies are a direct extension of our past. 

Whether you admit it or not, racism is still very much alive today. It may not involve whips and chains, but its woven through our laws and policies:  prison sentences, voting restrictions, housing, etc. It blatantly sits in our Congress and throughout all levels of government. 

This is hard for some to hear, but it's even in our religious establishments.  I know...I personally experienced it.

It's not propagating hate. It's an acknowledgment of the truth. 

Until the truth is acknowledged, racism will flourish in one form or another.

Acknowledgment follows knowledge. Crush knowledge and racism will continue to flourish.

You can't change what you ignore.

Choice is Sweet

Critical Race Theory (CRT) has a lot of folk up in arms. A quick listen or read of their posts illicit chuckles for clearly they don't even know what it is and are just repeating popular buzz words. Jumping on that bandwagon has become a thing.

Okay, I get it.  For whatever reason, folk are against CRT. They can do that for choice is sweet, right? You know what? It's even sweeter when we remember not to take choice away from those who disagree with our choices.  Sadly, that's gotten lost somewhere along the way. 

Let me be clear here.  We do not live individually isolated from each other. I am not referring to choices that can cause harm to others. That shows a serious lack of love, compassion, and humanity.

Regardless of your choice to support or oppose CRT, I hope we can all embrace being COR--Critical of Racism.

History is a great teacher. We can embrace its lessons or make informed choices to ignore them.

Mountain Top

I like to keep it real. 

Life gets hard sometimes.  I'm not on the mountain top every day. Heart deep praise doesn't constantly roll from my lips.

There are times when the churchy phrase, "Blessed and highly favored," earns a "Yeah, right!" Why? Because I'm feeling anything but...

And then...those times when folk tell me they love me, but I don’t feel an ounce of it and their actions actually reflect casual indifference...

During those times, I have to do what King David did.  I have to encourage myself. 

I remind myself of how good God has been to me.  I remember the times He comforted me when no one else was around or understood. I recall all the times He helped me to see that He was there all the time.  He's always been constant.

I have to remind myself to focus on  Him and not the circumstances or my emotions and call forth the praise He deserves. As David said in Psalms 103, "Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me..." 

What happens? God is exalted...He becomes bigger in my focus...and my circumstances and emotions become smaller.  My perspective is corrected and I  head back to the mountain top again.

Power over Principle

Blunt. 

Serious.

A wake-up call.   

I just listened to President Biden and VP Harris addresses on the January 6th horror.  

I think Biden stated in simple terms the core motivation for that horrific day and everything that contributed to it happening:  Power over Principle.

I hope a US president never again has to give another speech to this nation and the world addressing this kind of travesty and blow to our democracy.  

No amount of white washing will ever cover the stain of Wednesday, January 6, 2021.

Hurdles

 Life throws a lot at us. We can rock with it and evolve or rollover and stay down. 

Getting over people is a huge hurdle. There's a lot less stress, aggravation, pain, and disappointment on the other side of that hurdle.