God Blocked It - Kurt Carr

I've Got So Much To Give - Barry White

Can You Hear Me Now?

It’s interesting that Verizon uses the term “Rule the Air” and has an outline of the world with the radio tower on top.  I know that it’s a commercial and has a very catchy ring to it but to me, there’s a subliminal message.  I liked the “Can you hear me now?” ad.  It put Verizon on the map, maybe on top.  But, whenever I hear “Rule the Air”, I think of the Biblical meaning.  As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient (Ephesians 2:2).  Yes, we have conformed to the ways of this world, mostly to be accepted.  I don’t think we “Christians” can handle persecution well.  Besides, its tough doing the right thing, isn’t it?  Look around, whenever someone wants to help another, they’re called a socialist or a do-gooder.  These are considered bad labels.  I’m digressing; let’s get back to ruling the air.  We don’t even realize that through modern technology, we are becoming brainwashed and controlled.  We want the latest gizmos to keep us on top of the game.  Yet, recently, it has become known that many of these smart phones are keeping track on us!  The cell phone towers signals map our locations but provide real improved functionality.  I refer back to the cell phone tower on top of the world in the logo.  Remember, I’m giving my own opinion, but so many opinions have been given on so many topics that people have taken them at face value rather than doing an in-depth study on the facts.  The bottom line is this!  Satan is running rampant in this world doing all that he can to cause us to fall away from God.  Whatever it takes to distract us from good and kindness, whenever we can hide behind these monitors and screens to spew our hatred towards others, we are doing what the deceiver wants.  Modern technology, progression is helping man, some of us are using it to take advantage of others.  I personally, question this connection.

He Has Risen!

Happy Easter!  I'm beginning to see a trend during the holidays that peace and harmony towards our fellow man is becoming less and less.  Apparently, the birth, death, and resurection of Jesus Christ is not what people are thinking of.  The thought is what do I look like dressed in that outfit and what am I getting to make me look better?  We all know that the holidays are commercialized but are we also drifting farther apart from Christianity?  We are experiencing more hatred than ever towards each other.  And no one seems to admit it.  We speak of God and announce our religious beliefs but we sure don't seem to practice them.  What a bunch of hypocrites we all are!  Christ died so that we might live.  A father gave up his son to better mankind but what are we doing about it.  Accept the facts, Christ's death didn't mean much when he was crucified and it looks like it means even less now.  Those that do accept Christ has Lord and Savior will have to step up as examples.  Don't make a show of it, just do it!  Little by little, a difference can be made.  Christ has risen!

Don't Label People!

Tia D. is a guest writer.  She is an intelligent, vibrant, energetic, beautiful, young lady who believed that she wasn’t worth much.  She was told at a very early age as a child that she wouldn’t amount to anything and that everything she did was wrong.  She’s an adult who still believe that they were right.  I hope that she sees now that they were very wrong.  I asked her permission to display her thoughts here.  Eventually, Tia will use her creativity to start her own blog.   She has shown us all how well she can express herself.  There’s a lot more personal info about this young woman that I will not share.  She has endured quite a few hardships and disappointments.  Yet, she never gave up.  If you can’t believe in yourself who will?  We all have self-fulfilling prophecies either for ourselves or others.  We label children in schools all of the time.  They are placed in special education classes because they do not “fit” in with the others.  They are repeatedly told by adults that they can’t keep up and need to be placed elsewhere with others like them.  These children feel ashamed, embarrassed, and humiliated.  Eventually they drop out and take the wrong direction in life.  Then society wonders was this a socio-economic problem or a cultural problem, another label.  You know what I’m talking about.  Another easy way out is to give these children medications, get them addicted and then screw up their minds.  Labeled or addicted, these young lives are ruined and even worse as adults.  I can’t stand labels unless they are positive and meaningful.  Teachers during my day didn’t take cop-outs sending you to special classes or requesting that you need sedatives.  They simply whipped our little behinds, told our parents that they did, and we got another one from home because we embarrassed our family.  Understand this!  Our parents had given them permission to cut our butts at the beginning of school year.  Those teachers believed in us and we did our best.  We had something in those days that many of these teachers do not have; respect for each other, the teacher and student.  Most of all, we had parents that loved and sacrificed their lives for their children.

A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton

Tia D! Thank you!

**This blog entry, while omitting specific details is my most vulnerable yet. Please read with care.**

Up until recently, I held a strong resentment towards people who I considered to have had “life handed to them.” I was utterly jealous of them and sometimes even angry although they never knew it. Nearly everything in my life that I consider “worthwhile” I’ve had to go through hell to attain. Pretty much from day one (conception) the odds were against me. I always felt like the line between my life and death was very fragile. Personal mistakes were not learning experiences they were something to greatly fear. At a young age I subconsciously developed the motto: If it’s easy I must be doing it wrong. A motto that has no doubt followed me into my young adulthood. My whole life I’ve been told what I couldn’t do and what I would never be able to do…and I believed it. I’ve lived my life until recently believing I’d never amount to anything. I was so focused on my faults I was unable to fathom that I had gifts and talents. Sure many people told me I was gifted/talented but I denied it…and not out of humility. I just knew they were wrong!

The past few weeks I’ve been forcing myself to look back. At first the emotional pain was intensely overwhelming and at times very scary. In doing so, however, there was also great freedom. I realized that until I faced the crap behind me I’d never be able to see the possibilities before me which to my surprise really are endless.

So here I am just a few short weeks till I turn 23 discovering who I am…really. I call it my quarter life crisis. I’m done surviving life. I’m ready to thrive! With God for me who would dare be against me!? Sure, some days are downright brutal and I feel defeated but I am a survivor. No…I’m a fighter dangit! I will not give up!

That said, please join me as I prayerfully consider several specific future directions that in the past I had barely allowed myself think about. My whole life God has made the “impossible” possible. I expect nothing less in the days, weeks, and years to come! Gloria A Dios!!!

*Editors Note: I think Tia has come a long way! She is more confident of herself than ever.  There's a great deal of potential in this young lady.  I believe that she will find it, too!  Let's keep Tia in our prayers and each other.  Thanks againm Tia!  You Can Do It!

Can’t Make You Love Me – Various Styles – Same Meanings!

Tank’s song is being rotated on the radio now.   No offense his fans but to me, he can’t come close to either of these people on this blog.  Don’t get me wrong, Tank can sing but I’m not sure he’s feeling it the way Bonnie, Nancy, and Will are feeling it.  There have been singers who tried to duplicate but these three takes us where we all had wanted “that” person to love us but wouldn’t.  We can’t claim broken-hearted if they never cared in the first place but we can feel “broken.”  For those of us that have that loved returned, cherish it and protect it.  Close your eyes, lay back, relax, and meditate.  I wish you well.

I Can’t Make You Love Me – Nancy Wilson

I Can’t Make You Love Me – Bonnie Raitt

I Can’t Make You Love Me – Will Downing

The House That Built Me - Miranda Lambert

God Is Here - Karen Clark-Sherard

I Wish I Wasn't - Heather Headley

In My Mind - Heather Headley

Share My Life - Kem

A Mother's Love - Kem

Motivation - Kelly Rowland - Lil Wayne

So Far Away - Marsha Ambrosia - Wow! A Real Twister!

“Lo, I Am With You Always”

When tragedies and hardships come our way, so many of us question why?  If we look around, everybody has some kind of tragedy to overcome.  This past weekend, tornadoes and thunderstorms went through Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and the Carolinas leaving deaths and destruction.  South Carolina had some rain and some lightening but the others caught the bulk of the force.  We heard reports how the parents and children died together and how some parents died shielding their children to keep them alive.  What are we willing to go through in times of danger?  What was going through their minds being in the middle of harm’s way?  Homes and buildings were destroyed and where was God in the midst of this?  I believe that he was there and that God never leaves us.  Who am I to question God’s actions?  God’s own son was sacrificed for us and Jesus suffered some serious hardships.  How can I even begin, being created by Him, to presume I even understand why things happen?  I don’t have a clue?  I don’t think we are ever absent from God, if anything, we are absent from His love.  Even in our darkness absent of His light, God is still with us.  Somewhere and somehow along our life’s experiences when we lost our innocence, we also lost our faith and trust.  When we were children, we just knew that we would be provided for.  We didn’t always get the things that we wanted but we quickly seemed to forget it and move on to something else.  As adults, we hold grudges.  We might forgive but we can’t forget.  Even though we might have the same experience, those experiences affect us differently.  I don’t have to get into what is a positive or negative attitude, you can figure that out.  But we can agree that it might have something to do with our way of handling tragedies.  I can say this, it’s not ever easy.  That’s why we need to remember that through it all Jesus is always with us.

Annual Memorial Service for Highway Fatality Victims – April 9, 2011

Too Many Names

Each year the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) holds a memorial service to residents and visitors who have lost their lives on South Carolina highways. The memorial brings together families and friends of the deceased and hopes to educate the public in an effort to prevent future loss of life on the state’s roads. We lost more than 800 in 2010 in traffic collisions. They never returned home not even able to say goodbye. More than 700 people across South Carolina and other states attended this solemn service. You never know what people are going through, so always try to be understanding towards each other. There is more than enough pain and sorrow for all of us.

Something About That Name Jesus - Rance Allen Group

Old Minds In New Places!

Please go to this website and read the Pastor’s Update, click here. I enjoy talking to this pastor. His conversations are basic but still complex, woven with intricate, interconnected parts, which give us listeners something to think about long after the conversation has ended. I have quoted Reverend Colley before in this blog. In fact, you can reference the Wizard of Oz sometime ago. It was his discussion that caused me to dig deeper into what the featured characters were all about.

I know that I find myself using old thoughts in this new day and time of modern technology. We often talk of “back in the day” when everything seemed so good. But where were we “back in the day?” How old were we then? Did we have these burdens to carry and obstacles to deal with? Or were we younger with little or no responsibilities? I imagine that to some people “back in the day” wasn’t a very pleasant time and is glad that it’s over. Life’s experiences should have taught us something if we wanted to learn from it. But, I have to refer back to what Rev wrote in his update. Something that we all tend to forget when we overcome our problems and forget what we just been through. That is what do we have now compared to what we didn’t have? Just as the Israelites felt when they were led out of Egypt towards freedom and independence "they compared God’s grace and mercy with Pharaoh’s whips and chains and they preferred the whip." They forgot that they were traveling with God, Who makes all things possible! We can’t operate with the same mentality as we undergo internal and external changes. We must include God in our daily functions, even our most ordinary actions that we take for granted. They should always be done with faith and hope that we are serving a greater purpose than ourselves.

Can't Be Friends - Trey Songz

She Really Is Not Into You!

Fellows, I learned that no matter how much a man tries to appeal to a woman’s best interest, if she doesn’t want you, nothing is going to work.  She doesn’t want a relationship and she doesn’t want to be with you.  A “friend” is a term that she’ll use to keep you at arms distance.  In other words, “friends” don’t have to talk to you until they want to talk or need something.  Remember; she doesn’t want a relationship, she just got through a bad one.  She’s just not into you!  She really doesn’t want a friendship but she thinks that you might be a nutcase and do something stupid.  So, to avoid all of that getting to know each other and spending quality time doing so, she simply avoids talking to you during prescribed times.  Fellows, we’ll just need to fade out of their lives.  It’s not that they want us in it, anyway.  All the woman has to say is, “You don’t fit the profile of the type of man, I’m looking for.”  Or she can say, “You’re not my type and there is no chance in hell, I want you as a part of my life.  I don’t want to go to concerts or events with you.  I don’t want us to visit each other, and I definitely can’t see us as a couple.”  Understand that there is always one person in a potential relationship that loves the other more.  If you’re not compatible, drift away, my brother.  No use fooling yourself.  There’s no harm if you were buying her things, if you thought they she would look good in them.  You just might not ever see how your gifts would look on her but that’s life.  So regardless of how good you think she looks or how much she will make your life better, get out of the way and get a life.  Stop hoping, wishing, and praying that she’ll see the good in you.  She really is not into you!

My Heart Says Yes - Troy Sneed