No One's Fault but Your Own...

I was arrested and taken to jail in 1997 for failure to ID an 18 year old who bought a six pack of beer in a convenient store where I worked. I lost my job and became greatly in debt for not being able to pay my bills and using credit to get by. I finally got up the nerve to go back to work at another convenient store that sold beer in 1998. I learned the law and determined I would not go to jail for the same crime again. The law says you have to be over 21 to buy alcohol AND you have to have a VALID TEXAS ID. So I carded everyone, even if they were 50.

One day, the line at my register was terribly long and I was the only cashier on the premises. An older man had his beer and I carded him. He did not have his ID so I said, "I am sorry, sir. I cannot sell you that beer." He threw a tantrum in front of all the people in line. I still refused saying, "I am not going back to jail for you."

As he was cursing and walking out, I stopped him with, "Sir?" He stopped and looked angrily at me. I asked, "Before this law passed, did you know it was on the table to be voted on in the Texas Legislature?" He said, "Yes. But I didn't think it would pass." I said, "Did you write or call your state representative and tell him how you felt about it?" He said, "No, I didn't think it affected me." I said, "Then don't get mad at me for following a law you could have prevented."

Everyone in line clapped and cheered.

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Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 16

After Pekah had ruled for seventeen years, Ahaz ruled Judah. He was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he was evil in the sight of the Lord.

Rezin, king of Syria and Pekah, king of Israel went to war against Ahaz. They besieged Ahaz, but was unable to conquer him. It was during that time that Rezin took back Ahath and drove out the Jews.

Ahaz allied with Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, and he asked for help from the besiegement by Pekah and Rezin. He gave all the gold to Tiglath-pileser he could find from the temple and the king's house. So, Tiglath-pileser killed Rezin and took Damascus captive.

King Ahaz saw an altar in Damascus that he liked, so he had Urijah the priest make one like it and place it in the temple for the king's personal use. Then, Ahaz died and his son Hezekiah became king.

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My Comments
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All of Judah's gold, and all of Israel's gold is steadily being depleted in order to gain political allies and maintain their independence. Slowly, God is exacting His punishment for their failure to follow Him. They still have an opportunity, but will they take such opportunity to turn from their sins and receive the blessings of God and live in the peace and splender that Solomon had enjoyed, or will they continue down the road that will eventually lead to their demise and utter destruction?

Compare this with the America of today. We started as a blessed nation. We won the favor of all the world. Then, over time, because of our tolerance of other gods and other beliefs; and, as we continually let other viewpoints conform us and change us, we put God on the back burner and now we are faced with enemies that get paid to be our allies and terrorism around every corner. Our country, which once was the richest country on earth is now over $16 trillion in debt. Our credit is steadily maxing out, and slowly we are being sold into slavery. There is corruption in every level of our government.

We still have the opportunity, but will we take such an opportunity to turn from our sins and receive the blessing of God and live in peace and splender that God gave us after the Revolutionary War, or will we continue down the road that is steadily leading us to our eventual demise and utterly be destroyed?

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Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 15

When Azariah began to reign, Jeroboam, who was king of Israel, had been reigning for 27 years already. Azariah followed God, but like his forefather, he didn't take down the high places where some of the people of Judah still worshipped. So, God struck him with leprosy. Because Azariah had to remain separated from the people, Jotham, his son, judged Israel for him. After 52 years reigning Judah, Azariah died and Jotham became king.

During Azariah's 38th year as king, Jeroboam of Israel died and his son Zachariah became king. But Zachariah only reigned for six months. He was evil in his reign. So Shallum conspired against him, killed him, and took the throne. Zachariah was fourth generation, So God had lived up to his promise of letting Jehu's sons rule until the 4th generation. Now there was new blood on the throne.

Shallum reigned only a month before he was killed by Menahem, who then became king. When the people of Tiphsah refused to acknowledge him in business, Menahem killed all of them and ripped open the women who were withchild, killing their posterity as well. He was evil in God's eyes, but he ruled for ten years.

When Pul, the king of Assyria came against Israel, Menahem collected taxes from the wealthy in Israel and gave Pul one thousand talents of silver (or $10,760,000) so that Pul would be his ally. Pul then left Israel alone.

When Menahem died, his son, Pekahiah, ruled. He, also, was evil. After two years, Pekah killed him and took the throne. He also was evil.

While Pekah was king, Assyria took eight of Israel's cities and made the people captives. Then Hoshea conspired and killed Pekah.

When Pekah had been king over Israel for two years, Jotham became king of Judah. He followed God, except that he, too, failed to take down the high places. So, God began subjecting Judah to attacks from both Syria and Israel.

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My Comments...
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In Leviticus Chapter 26 God sets before the Israelites the consequences He has planned for their actions if they obey, and if they disobey. Israel and Judah's disobedience was reaping the consequences of those promises in 2 Kings 14.

America, today is also reaping consequences. We still have a chance. We still have a choice as to who we wish to follow, God or the secular world. Jesus did not come to take away the consequences. He came to provide a graceful sacrifice so that we could afford to turn away from our sin. He became the last payment. But, in Leviticus, it says that when we make our sin sacrifice and repent, we still will have to live with what we've done. We still have to pay for our past mistakes, but our way becomes easier and more blessed over time. Paul, in the New Testament, says that God can take our failures and use them for His good and His purpose, and turn them into blessings.

If it was easy, it wouldn't be life. The difference is that we have to pay for what we do while we are here, and then when we are in God's kingdom after we leave this earthly life, we will have all the blessings without any more consequences.

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Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 14

Now, when Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, was king of Israel, Amaziah, the son of Joash of Judah was king. Amaziah did well in the sight of the Lord, except he didn't take down the high places of he idols of Judah and some of the people still worshipped there.

He killed the servants that had conspired and killed his father, but he did not kill their children. He followed God's law that the children should not be put to death for their father's sin, only for their own. He defeated Edom, then he invited Jahoash to visit him.

Jehoash said, "Yeah, right. You defeated Edom and now you are feeling cocky and want to try your hand at me." But Amaziah finally convinced him. Jehoash defeated Amaziah and broke down the gates of Jerusalem, took all the treasures of the temple, then returned to Samaria.

Jehoash died and his son, Jeroboam, took his place.

Then Amaziah was conspired against and slain in Lachish. Judah made Azariah, his son, king. He was only sixteen years old.

Jeroboam did evil in the sight of the Lord, but God let him restore all of the lands that were lost in his father's day.

When Jeroboam died, his son, Zachariah, took his place.

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My Comments...
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A famous movie director, Steven Spielberg, once sported a quote from Shakespeare in his movie Something Wicked This Way Comes. It said, "O, what a wicked web we weave, when at first we practice to deceive." The web was getting more and more wicked as Israel and Judah continued to sin. The consequences were growing worse with each passing king, and continual refusal to repent.

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Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 13

After Jehoash had reigned for 23 years, Jehu's son, Jehoahaz took the throne of Israel. He was evil and this made God angry. So God let Hazael, king of Syria, take Israel. Then, Jehoahaz prayed to God to help them; so God, being a God of mercy and forgiveness, sent them a leader to help break the bonds of Syria, then they went back to their former lives. They continued in their old ways.

Jehoahaz died, and his son Jeroboam reigned.

When Israel was taken by Syria, it was Elisha that Jehoahaz went to for help to talk to God. Elisha told Jehoahaz to beat the floor with his staff. Jehoahaz hit the floor three times, and Elisha reprimanded him for his lack of determination. "If you had hit the floor at least five times, you would have drove the Syrians away for good! But, you will only be able to defeat them three times now."

Elisha was old and sick. He soon died. They placed him in a tomb. Later, the Moabites invaded the land. Once, when they were in a funeral procession for another man, they saw a band of men coming that they supposed were enemies, so they quickly put the dead men in the tomb with Elisha's bones. When the dead man touched the bones, he immediately came back to life.

Hazael, king of Syria, oppressed Israel until he died. Then, his son Benhadad became king. Jehoahash took back all the lands Hazael had taken when Benhadad became king.

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My Comments:
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"I'm sorry" only works if you turn from your actions that you are sorry for and determine not to do it again. If you say you are sorry, and ask for help, you may be helped. But if you turn back to your old ways, the one who helps you may be more likely to let you wallow in your misery. God has patience, to a point. After a while, though, He determines to practice "tough love" by letting you wallow in your misery until you learn why you should turn from your sin and determine to sin no more.

God doesn't want to hear His children cry. But, if they fail to learn from their mistakes, the only option He has is to let them suffer the consequences.

When God asks you to do something that will help you, then you should do it whole-heartedly. If you just half-heartedly do it, you will only get a half-hearted result, and the problem could come back at full force later. It's best to whole-heartedly take care of the problem once and for all.

Elisha had so much faith and spirit in him that the power God gave him even permeated his decaying body.

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Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 12

When Jehoash of Judah began his reign, Jehu had been king of Israel of seven years. Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord, except he never took down the high places of t, he idols of the land, and some of the people still worshipped other gods there.

Jehoash ordained that taxes and offerings should be made to the temple, to be set aside for repairs on the temple that age had set in disarray. After he had reigned for 23 years, he noticed that the repairs had still not been made. In a meeting with the priests, it was settled that he would no longer collect taxes from the people if it was not going to be used where it was supposed to be used.

At this point, Jehoiada put a bucket in the temple on the right side of the altar and asked for donations to be placed in that bucket. After a while, there was found quite a bit of money in that bucket, and they took it to the king and told him that they found the money in the temple and started the repairs.

Then Hazael, king of Syria, took control of Gath and started toward Jerusalem with intentions of taking it, too. So, Jehoash took all the dedicated treasures from his forefathers houses and gave it to Hazael to keep him from invading Jerusalem.

Some people didn't like how Jehoash handled the problem, or the kingdom, so his servants conspired and killed him.

His son, Amaziah, took his place.

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My Comments:
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Just like today, there is corruption in the highest offices of the land. No matter who is the leader of our people, there are going to be people who are constantly criticizing how he handles things. People are so full of hatred, they can't tell the difference between truly good intentions and outright attacks on our beloved system.

Ecclesiastes says it best when it says "There is nothing new under the sun." Maybe the way that things are carried out is different, but the reasons behind it are one and the same.

Jehoash was doomed to die anyway because of his neglect to take down the high places of the gods. But, God was merciful on Israel with his leadership for awhile because he tried to be a good person for God in spite of his failure.

God won't let your failures go unpunished, but He is more tolerant of those who try, and He gives them more room to come to their senses.

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Learning to Trust Him

Years ago, I spent every hour I had every day to update a web site and make people who came there aware of the evil being perpetrated on our own people by our own government. I spent so much time doing it, in fact, that I lost track of what I was doing it for.

When I finally started longing for the things I was missing -- time with my family, smelling the roses, appreciating the stars in the sky, just simply taking time out to commune with God and His creation -- I gave it all up. I even gave up television and radio. I didn't want to hear the news. I didn't want to see it. I wanted relationships with real people, real things, real life. I wanted to get to know what I was fighting for.

I spent ten years doing nothing but living. During that ten years, I lived. For the first time in my life, I found myself alive. I got to know people. I learned to love the differences in people. I learned to love as God does. I owned several businesses. I worked in several different places. I travelled the 48 states. I joined a church.

At one point, I found myself homeless and learned that God was watching me, wondering how much faith I still had in Him. I never waivered. I remained positive. And, over and over again, I saw Him bless me.

I met some really great people with nothing. I met some really great people who had everything. I learned that material possessions have nothing to do with a person's character. I learned that only those who knew how to give were the ones who were really living. I learned that the ones who took without ever giving back were the ones who were most ungrateful and bitter with their lives. They were not living at all.

The whole ten years was a lesson on stewardship. In the end, I came to understand that God had given me chance after chance in this life. If I took the opportunities and used them wisely, I was blessed. If I failed to use those opportunities to work with-in His will, what little I had was taken away. My patience, my sanity, and my faith were tested over and over during this time, until I had learned well what it was He wanted me to learn.

Each time I failed, I went to the Father and inquired as to why? I sought to understand where I had gone wrong. I dug into His word, and stood tall on my knees declaring that I would not stop believing, and that I would trust Him, no matter what. I had a lot to learn.

Finally, I came to the realization of what it means when it says to completely trust in the Lord. I now understand that I can do nothing. He is really the one who does all things through me. When I take over, I fail. When I let Him take over and lead me, I succeed.

For the first time in my life, I am fearless. I know that no matter what I am going through, God will provide for all my needs according to His riches in Glory. If I have no food, somehow, He gives me food. If I am bored, somehow He stimulates my senses. If I have no clothes, somehow, He clothes me. If I am without shelter, He protects me. I have never done without, and I know now that He will never let me. All I have to do is keep trying, keep working toward whatever goals He sets for me, and keep seeking to be more like Jesus every day.

He does not do all this because I deserve it. He does this because I am His child. He does this because I believe in Him. He does this because He loves me. The most precious thing He has ever given me was His son, Jesus. If He would give me His only son, who died so that I could live, and then turn around and adopt me as His own child, how can I not fully trust Him?

My journey is far from over. There is still a lot my Father wants me to learn. This is evidenced by the fact that I am still here, on this earth, with you. Each experience I have brings me closer to Him, and teaches me to be a better person to you. I look forward to where He will take me next and what experiences I am destined to have. I hunger to see His every day miracles, and how they will affect me, which will in turn affect you. This is what the "abundant life" is all about.

Finally, I invite you to take this journey with me. It's simple: all you have to do is trust in Him. Let Him lead the way. Listen to what He says in His word. Live according to the example of Christ. Learn from your failures. Thank Him for your blessings. Give Him credit for where you are and who you become without blaming Him for your mistakes. Accept the offering that He made for you in His son, Jesus. Then, let Christ live through you.

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Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 11

When Athaliah heard that her son, Ahaziah, was dead, she killed all of his sons. Joram's (late king of Israel) daughter was Ahaziah's (late king of Judah) sister, Jehosheba. She took Joash, Ahaziah's baby son, and hid him from Athaliah in a bedroom with his nurse. She hid him for six years. Jehoiada the priest knew of this.

So, when the child was seven years old, Jehoiada called all of the military leaders together for a meeting. He made them swear an oath of allegience and then he introduced Joash to them. Then, he assigned all of them a station to protect, as Joash's bodyguards, charging them that if anyone comes within those perimeters without permission, they should be killed.

Then, they all went to the temple and made him King. Jehoiada put the crown on him, gave him the testimony of the Lord to keep, and they all shouted, "God save the king!"

Athaliah heard all the commotion and went to see what it was about. She was not happy at all when she found out what was happening. She rent her clothes in mourning and cried, "TREASON!" to them all.

Jehoiada commanded the men to take her outside, and slay her outside the House of the Lord. He did not want to desecrate the temple with her blood. They took her to the king's house and killed her there.

Jehoiada then made a covenant with the King, between the Lord and Joash the king and the people, that he would lead them according to the Lord, and that they would be God's people. Then, all the people went and tore down the house of Baal, and then they praised the king, and lived in peace.

Joash, the new king of Israel was only seven years old.

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What we have learned...
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Joash was the answer to the predicament that Judah had found herself in by following other Gods. He represented innocence, and newness. He was God's way of "starting over". Being so young, he was easily influenced by the priest of God to do what was right in God's eyes, and having no other man around to be his role-model, Joash depended on Jehoiada for instruction and advice.

When God doesn't like the direction something is going, He initiates a cleansing. With this cleansing, He raises up a shepherd to guide the people in His ways. He never leaves His people without a leader.

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Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 10

Ahab had seventy sons. So, Jehu wrote letters to Samaria, and to the rulers of Jezreel and told them, "You have all of Ahab's sons with you. So, when you get this letter, choose one that you would have as king, then get ready because I am coming to fight you."

Those who received the letters were afraid, seeing that Jehu had already killed two kings. So, they wrote him a letter back saying, "We don't want to fight you. We will let you rule over us as King. We will be your servants."

So Jehu wrote them back and said, "If what you say is true, then I want the heads of all seventy of Ahab's sons in Jezreel by this time tomorrow."

So they took Ahab's sons and cut off their heads and sent them to Jezreel. A messenger went to Jehu and said, "The heads have arrived." Jehu told him to put them at the gate of the city in two heaps until in the morning.

In the morning, Jehu went to the gate of the city, where the heads were and said to all who were standing there, "You be the judge: Yes, I conspired against my king and slew him. But, I didn't kill these. Who did? God told Elijah that these things would happen. Nothing God says ever fails to come to pass."

Then Jehu killed all that remained, the servants and priests including, that were a part of Ahab's house there in Jezreel. Then, he left to go to Samaria. On his way, at a shearing house, he met up with two-hundred and forty of Ahaziah's brothers who were going to see the king and his family in Samaria. Jehu ordered them taken alive, then killed them at the pit near the shearing house.

When he left there, Jehu met up with Jehonadab. Jehu asked, "Are you still my friend?" To which Jehonadab answered, "Yes." Jehu took him by the hand and pulled him into his chariot and said, "If that is true, come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord." So, Jehonadab, having no choice, rode along.

When he got to Samaria, he killed everyone who was anything to Ahab.

Then, Jehu gathered all the people together, and in trickery, he said, "Ahab served Baal a little. I want to show you how a king REALLY serves Baal! I have a great sacrifice to make. I want everyone who follows Baal at the temple of Baal for a solemn assembly." So everyone throughout the kingdom who served Baal came to the temple. Jehu ordered that all the uniforms and supplies for serving Baal be brought to him. Then he set forty men outside the temple and ordered them not to let anyone leave or escape, or it would be their heads. Then after the sacrifices were made, he killed everyone in the temple. Then he took all the images and things that pertained to Baal and destroyed and burned them, and tore the temple down.

But, Jehu left the golden calves that Jeroboam had built.

God was happy with Jehu for what he had done, and told him that his seed would sit on the throne up until the fourth generation. But, Jehu followed Jeroboam in his sin with the golden calves, and God began to cut Israel short because of it.

Jehu ruled for twenty-eight years, then his son, Jehoahaz, took the throne. They buried Jehu in Samaria.

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What we have learned
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I have always wondered how it is that someone can give God credit for events and victories, yet refuse to keep following Him. It doesn't make sense why anyone who knows the power of God would not let God be the King of their lives.

In verse 10, Jehu says, "Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the Lord hath done that which He spake by His servant Elijah." (KJV) And yet, in verse 31, "But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin." (KJV)

Perhaps, if he had followed God with his whole heart, God would have given him the same promise he gave to David, that his seed would forever rule the throne, that there would always be a place for him in His kingdom.

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I'll Make It

This poem was written by me in 1984, when I was 14 years old. It was later published in "Field of Dreams", a compilation of poetry for a poetry contest, which I didn't win. It was rewarding, however to see it published.

I'll make it throughout it all;
I'll be just fine, you'll see.
This won't be the first time I fall
And get a bruised and splintered knee.
But, mom, you can't keep holding on;
You've got to let me go.
If I don't try life on my own,
How will I ever know?
The older I get, the tougher life seems
But if I don't make mistakes,
Faster turns and broken dreams
Will be the only turns I take.
If I don't make them all right now,
They'll be there later waiting;
And I'll be tempted to jump right in
Without even hesitating
Please, mom, try to understand,
I don't want to see you sad;
But the more you keep on holding my hand,
The more I make you mad.
If my life will ever be
The success that I intend,
I must have a moral support
Only love can comprehend;
But, mom, you can't keep holding on.
You've got to let me go.
If I don't try life on my own,
How will I ever know?

Joshua and Caleb wouldn't give up...

Today I feel like I am Joshua or Caleb when they went to scout out the promised land. Ten men were sent. Only two came back with optimism. No one wanted to hear it, so God let them wander in the wilderness for forty years until someone finally listened.

This is how I see it:

We now have four years of fighting to do. We have to make sure our Representatives in the Senate and House are doing their jobs. We have to publicize every time the President picks up his EO pen to write, and we have to watch his every move with scrutiny and common sense.

If we fail to educate the public about what they have done, they will be just as careless if there is a next time. There will be, and next time is going to be a whole lot nastier on their part, because they got away with it this time.

As a mother, I'm a firm believer in "nipping it" in the bud. So we need to show them that no matter who is president, WE THE PEOPLE still rule this land!

Who cares if the main stream media doesn't want to publicize the truth. Social media has already proven to be a viable competitor. We build on what we have. And, we work on creating our own networks. Sources? I got plenty of them. It doesn’t take much, just the effort. The main stream networks are already worried about their ratings due to social media.

We can do this. Don’t doubt. God is with us and He has provided a way. AND...you cannot assume God’s will in this. God has never told anyone to give up. God has never said, “Well, it’s lost, so don’t try”. He has said “Wait.” and “Watch” and “Do not fear” and “they will know I AM THE LORD!” So, let's show those anti-God pansies that our God is faithful to do all He has set out to do.

Whatever you do, giving up is giving in and letting them have it. God will not tolerate that. He will punish us even more if we do that. But if we stand for righteousness God will bless our efforts in the end. We are called to endure, to fight the good fight. To let the world know that our God is God and He will not be mocked. We do that by keep fighting, until we are called home if need be.

None of this is new. We’ve done it before. We create alternative media sources and we advertise them. We build our own lists, we start our own newspapers and we network with alternative media personalities: anyone who has a web site, talks on radio, owns or writes in a newspaper or magazine, or books. We supply them with information, they get it out, and we promote them. That’s how it works. It CAN BE DONE. I’m telling you, STAND. God is still with us. We may be in the wilderness, but HE IS STILL IN CONTROL.

Bad Day? Praise God!

by Shonda M. Ponder

It is so much easier to praise God when things are going right. But, when things are going wrong is when we should praise Him the most. It is when things go wrong that we should be most assured that everything is in control. We should have faith that God knows what He is doing, and we should let God be God and do what God does.

When the Israelites were travelling to the Promised Land, they would sometimes worry and fret. They worried about food. They worried about water. They worried about their potential enemies. If there is one thing that gets on God's nerves, it's a child, who is supposed to be His, who worries.

Every time the Israelites would whine to Moses, Moses would tell them, "Why are you whining to ME? I'm not God!" It doesn't do any good to whine about things to other people. All that does is show other people how little faith you have in your God. But, the people demanded that Moses get them out of the situation that they perceived he got them into. Moses could never make them understand that he didn't get them into that situation, God did. God was leading the way. God was holding the reins. God was in the driver's seat.

God gave Moses the task of leading His people out of bondage because Moses did understand that. Moses may have felt inadequate, or insecure, or unsure of how to proceed or what to say at times, but he knew who was in control; and, he knew where to go when things got tough. The people saw that Moses was always calm (except when he got angry with them, and he had a temper!), always collected, and always willing to do what it took to get where he was going. So, naturally, they came to him when things went wrong. And, because he was something they could see, touch, feel, and talk to and listen to audibly, they blamed him when things seemed to go wrong.

Moses did what he was supposed to do, he pointed them to God. He gave God the credit for all that happened. He directed them to follow God's instructions. However, Moses didn't like repeating himself over and over again, and God is a God of patience. God will do anything for as long as it takes to see to it that His children are safe and cared for. So, when Moses lost his temper with them, God punished him by letting him see the Promised Land, but not letting him enter it.

When things seem to be with-in your grasp, but somehow alluding you, it is always best to reflect on how you are acting and what you are doing wrong. Maybe it's time to make a change in your own attitude, and praise God for getting you as far as He has, and be patient with those around you who don't understand the pressure that you are under to stay with-in God's will.

Psalms 100:2 says, "Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing. " God wants you to serve Him joyfully, not in contempt or bad humor or impatient grumblings.

Remember, your job is to lead by example. If you are worrying and fretting, you are not a Moses. You are an Israelite. Try to be a Moses, with your feet going forward, your head held high and, remembering that the Great I Am is leading the way, "I can" should be your motto.

Things I've Learned This Year...

I always write down ten things I've learned each year around my birthday. Here goes:

1. "I'm sorry" only works when the action that you are sorry for is not repeated.

2. Stubborness can be a virtue if used for the right reasons.

3. It is a crime to keep your mouth shut if others are using theirs to badly influence the future.

4. It doesn't take guts to ensure that justice is done. It takes determination not to accept less than what is just.

5. Memories are there to be shared. Others never know what you meant to them until they know the things that you remember about their past with them.

6. God does His best work when you trust Him completely with your problems.

7. When you stand for righteousness, God always has your back.

8. You will never BE the person you want to be until you decide to ACT like the person you want to be.

9. Forgiveness sets you free to be yourself. Humbleness helps you stay that way.

10. If you can't be grateful for what you already have, you will never achieve all you desire.

My Birthday

Today is my birthday. It brings back memories of a lived life:

I was fixing to turn 12 years old. I had moved in with my dad about a month before, and I was in the 6th grade. I had never had a surprise birthday party. My dad hadn't been there for most of my birthdays before, so he was surprised to hear that I had never had one. On my birthday, it was a normal school day.

I loved my new school. I had made everyone my friends (which was REALLY new for me...) and had started going to church a couple of blocks from my house, also. My class only had about 14 kids in it. Our school was so small that we were in the same classroom with the 5th graders, with the same homeroom teacher who taught in 30 minutes intervals to each class, so while one had class, the other had study period. I loved all my new friends and classmates.

As kids used to do, we passed notes around during study period. Today, there was a lot of notepassing going on. My friend, Rosa Edwards (Jones) was giving me note after note to pass to different people. Being all honest and filled with integrity, I never read any of them before I passed them along. After school, when I got home, everyone in my class was waiting for me with a big "SURPRISE!!!" I was so taken.

I was even more taken when Rosa informed me that I had passed out my own invitations!

Obama's Racists

Today at work I fell victim to Obama's racists. As we were getting ready to open the doors, one of the girls on the line was loudly proclaiming to everyone that they should vote for Obama. Well, since she was voicing her opinion, I felt it was safe to voice mine.

My response was, "If you vote for Obama you are a fool." Mind you, all the girls (at least seven of them) were black. I was white. In my workplace, I am a BIG minority.

She said I didn't have a right to call her a fool for voting for Obama. I told her it was foolish to vote for Obama, again, and said, "and that is how I feel. That is my opinion. In my opinion, he is a treasonous coward and a traitor to our country after what happened in Benghazi." She said, very loudly, "and I don't have a right to my opinion?" I said, "No one is taking away your right to an opinion, but if you can state your opinion then I can state mine."

Then she got volatile and called me "White trailer trash" to which I got volatile and called her racist while she was threatening, with all of her friends there to gang up on my "white trailer trash a**"

I said, "I hope you do"...and I didn't back down. I went off on her about her racist remarks and said that she cannot expect to be permitted to call me such without me calling her things I didn't say. What she was doing now was crossing the line between having an opinion into committing a hate crime.

I went to the back of the restaurant near the office and she met me there and got in my face. I forgot what she said, but I told her again how I was not going to tolerate her using hateful speech toward me that I couldn't use against her and I was two inches from her nose, looking UP at her. (She's a BIG TALL girl)

At that point, my boss came out and told us both to clock out and go home. I did so, with the determination that I did not want to work in a place where I am forced to hear other's opinions without being allowed to state my own, nor do I wish to be bullied or have racist remarks forced upon me that I do not use on other people.

The next morning:

I got to work about 9:15 and clock in. I just non-chalantly go to work. Then, Richard calls me to the office. He wasn't there yesterday when Bryce sent us home. He came in later yesterday afternoon.

I went to the office and he asked me, "What are you doing?"

I said, "Working. why?"

He said, "You don't work here anymore. Bryce said you called in yesterday and quit."

I said, "That is a lie. I did not call in, I was already here. And, I didn't quit, he sent me home, and I can prove it." I went and got my time card to show him.

Richard said, "Well, you don't work here anymore."

I said, "Does Latonya still work here?"

He said, "Yes."

I said, "Then so do I. Excuse me, I have work to do."

He said, "You will leave or I will have you removed."

I said, "Then I will sue your ass for discrimination. Either you fire her or I am not leaving."

He wouldn't tell me he would fire her so I told him, "Then do what you have to do. I won't leave peacefully until I know she is gone too."

I told him what happened and why I had to leave. I also made it a point to let him know that I didn't leave yesterday until I knew she left, too.
Then I told him I was not leaving until I knew she was fired too.

He said, again, that I should leave before he calls the cops. If I could have reached the phone I would have handed it to him. I pointed at it and told him, "Call the cops." Then I went back to work.

A few minutes later, one of the girls, who was there yesterday during all the yelling, came to me and said, "The cops are here, Shonda."

I said, "Good. They can come and get me." I kept working.

I was halfway done with my duties when Richard called me to the office.

The cops just looked at me and said, "We were asked to escort you out of the building."

I said, "You do what you have to do, but I'm not leaving until I know Latonya is fired, too."

They said, "That is none of our business."

So I asked Richard, "Is she fired?"

He said, "None of your business."

I said, "Oh, but it is. I am being discriminated against if she isn't being fired to. I want justice."

For about fifteen minutes we went back and forth over whether I was going to leave peacefully, whether or not it was any of my business if she was fired, or whether or not they would arrest me.

I told them, "Do what you have to do. But, if you don't arrest me, what can I do to make justice happen?"

They told me to go and talk to Judge Hadaway because it is a civil matter. They said he would tell me what to do from there. As I was speaking to the police about this, Richard finally said, "I have decided that I WILL take action against Latonya."

So I agreed to leave peacefully; and, Richard had me banned from the property.

I have decided I am going to talk to Judge Hadaway, anyway, to find out what I need to do if such action ISN'T taken care of.

Journalism and Controversy

When I was a student at Hooks High School, my passion then was as it is now: writing and news gathering. I took 2 years of Journalism. My column was the opinion column in the school paper.

During one year, a number of students were allowed to smoke on campus with their parent's permission. There was a smoking area. Then, the school board decided to do away with the smoking privileges and get rid of the smoking area, forcing students who smoked to go off campus. That seemed fine, since smoking is bad for you, and we don't want our children to think it's okay.

One day I went to the teacher's lounge to get something for a teacher. When the door was opened, you could smell the smoke coming from the teacher's lounge. As a smoker, who was now not allowed to smoke on campus, this infuriated me. The teachers had no right to ask us to do something they weren't willing to do for themselves. I determined to write my column that week on smoking on campus, and why teachers could smoke and we couldn't.

My teacher thought it was a great idea. When I finished, and turned in my work, she showed it to our principle. Then she came to me and told me that she would not be running it in the newspaper, but that my grade would reflect an "A".

I was angry. At this point, I didn't care about the A. I had worked hard on the article. Why couldn't she post it? She explained to me that our principle was, in essence, our editor. And, if I were to work for a newspaper, anything I wrote would have to meet the approval of the editor. In this case, the editor of our school newspaper considered the article "too controversial".

What about freedom of press? What about freedom of speech? I asked her. What about all those things we learned from our textbook? Isn't it the job of the paper to expose controversy?

She agreed, but would not budge. So, I determined that one day, I would own my own paper, and I would be the editor. Then, I could post whatever I wanted.

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Just One Thing; How Hard Can That Be?

There is only one thing God asks us to do. And that is to "endure until the end" "He who endures until the end shall be saved." We can't stop the things that are happening, we can only be accountable for ourselves. However, that means we also have to do everything in our power to make sure that the people we care about know and understand the truth, that God IS. And, that His son came to seek and save us, and died in our place. That we have everlasting life -- only if we accept it. We do that by believing in Jesus and accepting his sacrifice for us. After that, we need only to hold steadfast to our belief and point others toward the way, the truth and the life.

Are we infidels?

The Bible verse for today is: But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. (1 Timothy 5:8)

I thought of this after seeing this picture posted on facebook about how we are sending money overseas to other countries when we have our own that need to be cared for. God has been talking to me about this for years. I pray He talks to our leaders in Washington, too.

A few years ago I did a study on "Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby. If you have not done this study, I recommend it. One of the ways God communicates with us is through His word. The other way is by personal experience and learning from your mistakes, and the other way is through other people and their experiences. There are other ways, but these are the main three.

When I got that post, I remembered the verse from God's Word. That was God speaking to me. So, I'd be remiss not to speak to you.

Gizmo

This morning's events left me saddened all day, and deep in thought with survivor's guilt. My pet squirrel, Gizmo, died this morning, not due to negligence, or lack of trying, or lack of love, but due to ignorance, pure and simple. I just didn't know how to properly care for an unweaned baby squirrel.

While he was alive, he filled a void in my heart that needed to be needed. He came to depend on me and to see me as the loving nurturer I wanted to be. He would show his love by not wanting me out of his sight, and by trying to be as close to me as possible, even when I was holding him.

Now that he's gone, all day, I wondered, what's the point? Why would God put him in my life to take him away? What reason did He have for that? But, I know. I learned from Gizmo things that I didn't know before I met him. I learned what I did wrong. I learned much of what I did for him too late for him, but the next time a baby squirrel needs me, I'll be better prepared to care for him.

Gizmo, you did not die in vain. Because you lived, the next squirrel that comes into my life will have an even better fighting chance than you had. And, you had one. Because of you, the next squirrel may survive. I thank you for being a part of my life the brief time you were.

What to do now? What we are supposed to do when we fall down. Get back up, dust off my knees and try again. That's what God wants. That's what I intend to do. Otherwise, I let my Gizmo and my God down.

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