Monthly Archives: July 2018

Faith is

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Webster defines air as the mixture of invisible, odorless, tasteless gases (such as nitrogen and oxygen) surrounding the earth. Invisible, odorless, and tasteless, yet It is vital that living things respire to get the oxygen for living cells to function. Without air, there is no life.
Faith is much like the air we can not see. We cannot use physical proof of the Lord’s existence, but instead, our faith validates his being. Those with faith believe without seeing. We feel His presence, not in the physical sense but the spiritual sense. We accept unconditionally that while He cannot be seen or touched, His hand is touching our soul, guiding us, walking with us, protecting us. We feel His aura as it surrounds us. We recognize that He has no beginning and no end and that with Him, nothing is impossible; without Him there would be no life.

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It is through our faith that we shall be relieved of despair

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There are times we feel overwhelmed. Times when we put too much on our shoulders, we blame ourselves for all that is wrong. We each have to deal with our issues in our way. However, it is more comfortable dealing with our problems for all of us when we know that there is someone who loves us, there to pick us up when we fall, lean on when we cry. For those of us with faith, we know that someone is the Lord.

When we were conceived, we were pure and free from worry. It was that purity that bonded us with the Lord. But we corrupted it, swayed into disobeying the Lord by the forces of evil we ate from the tree of knowledge and were stripped of that purity and thrown out of paradise. We would now know adversity and hardship. Despair and heartbreak would become part of who we were. Man would no longer live in harmony but look to take advantage of each other for their selfish reasons. Fortunately for us, the Lord is forgiving, and he did not give up on us as it is written in John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The Law of Attraction uses the power of our mind to translate whatever is in our thoughts and materialize them into reality. When we honor the Lord through praise and prayer, we are embracing the Lord, strengthening our faith in him and thus discovering the roadmap to eternal life and materializing his blessings on to us. These blessings include the strength, a strength so strong only He can truly give to us, to overcome any adversity in our journey to happiness. When we would connect with the Lord on this spiritual level we come to understand that He is all-powerful and He is the only ally we need.

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As my praise increases so too does my blessings ten fold

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I have always believed in the Lord’s existence, but there have been times my faith has wavered, to be honest. When I suffered setbacks in my life, I prayed to the Lord for help when health issues arose. When that help did not come fast enough or in a manner that I fully understood, I would wonder why me? Why has the Lord forsaken me?
Lately, though, I have had an awaking. I have begun to understand that my conversations with the Lord could not-only be in times of despair but in times of happiness as well. That even in times of distress, I needed to talk to the Lord and praise him for all that is good in my life. To understand that the times of despair, while often painful as-is may be it, I am reminded of and appreciate the good that has been bestowed upon me. That no matter how difficult my situation may appear to be at that moment, I still needed to praise him in his holy name. To praise him for the opportunity to merely awake that morning and walk upon beautiful this blue ball that he has blessed us with. As my conversations with the Lord turned from only asking for help in times of tribulations and praising him each day for all the blessings he has bestowed upon me, those blessings increased ten fold. That he wants to bless me with an abundance of good. That there is no need for me to worry that he has forsaken me but to have faith that he is working to give me the strength and courage to overcome any adversity I may be facing. For with the Lord, the possibilities are endless with the Lord, nothing is impossible, and for that, I praise him in all times.

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Given a next life I realize faith is my strongest ally

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Oracle: But you already know what I’m going to tell you.

Neo: I’m Not The One…..

Oracle: Sorry, kid. You got the gift, but it looks like you’re waiting for something…

Neo: What?

Oracle: Your next life maybe, who knows?

About a month and a half ago, my heart stopped for what I was told was 30 minutes. Doctors told my family it doesn’t look good, that if I did survive, brain damage was likely. Yet I was told the team continued to work to bring me back long past the time they would typically work on someone; thankfully, I had that AR always resuscitate order LOL. Less than a week later, after being heavily sedated, I was awake and alert with no brain damage. Some hospital workers and the hospital chaplain started calling me miracle man. Since that time, I have been in the hospital recovering, unable to walk or sit up as my core/trunk muscles had atrophied. Having to rely on others to clean you after going to the bathroom on a bedpan is a humbling experience. Depression began to set in. With family and friends’ help, I realized there was no need to be depressed; instead, I should celebrate this “next life” that I had been granted that I had the gift and was given this new chance to realize my destiny.

“I am a Jedi. I’m one with the Force, and the Force will guide me.”

“For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is.”

“Close your eyes. Feel it. The light… it’s always been there. It will guide you.”

“Now I know there is something strong than fear — far stronger. The Force.”

Having realized that I was given this second chance to realize my destiny, I needed to understand how I could begin to accomplish it. First, I needed to heal myself physically; I needed to get stronger. Thoughts of pumping my body full of pills and merely doing the exercises the therapists were showing me would accomplish this were flawed as my progress was minimal. But then, what night I had a breakthrough in my thinking, I came to understand that to heal physically and mentally, I needed to tap into my belief in myself and my faith in the Lord. As with the fictional Force, I understood that the Lord is a powerful ally and has always been there. I simply needed to close my eyes, listen closely, feel his healing power and allow him to guide me in my recovery. Once I became one with the Lord, I knew nothing would be impossible.

I have subsequently been transferred to a rehabilitation center, and each day, I close my eyes and call on the Lord to give me the strength to move forward in my rehab to get stronger each day. I visualize that he is wrapping me in bright white light and that his healing hand is touching my soul, giving me the belief that I have it within me to overcome the physical issues before me that I can sit up, stand up and walk. As each day goes by, I have seen myself gaining strength. I can pull myself up; I can stand, I can walk.

I am still searching for what my ultimate purpose is. What my “gift” is. Why have I been given this next life? Who knows, maybe it as simple as sharing my story of faith and belief to help others find theirs. Whatever it may be, I do believe now that in this next life, I have been blessed with the Lord is guiding me, and with the Lord by my side, nothing is impossible.

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Who are we and what is our purpose?

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I often find myself gazing up at the night sky, awed by the magnitude of the universe. So many stars with numerous planets revolving around them, is it possible that we are all alone? The odds alone would seem to say no, that somewhere out there is other intelligent life. But what if there isn’t? What if Earth is unique. Teeming with various species, this great blue ball we call home travels around the sun not too close and not too far, just the right distance to sustain life as we know it. The moon is our constant companion as we journey through space, unique in its size to Earth compared to other planet’s satellites, serving as a defense to shield us from asteroids and comets that would have impacted Earth. As well as serving as a significant player in the evolution of life on Earth, could all these factors just have been luck? Is life on Earth something that defied the odds and is unlikely to have happened anywhere else, or is it all part of a master design?

Since science has taught us about the creation of the universe and the evolution of life here on Earth, it has been at odds with the concept of creationism. But what if there is some truth to both? What if there is a higher force that started it all? What if the universe’s existence in all its wonder is developing the way science teaches us but is doing so as part of a higher force’s grand design? If that is so, why are we unique, as far we know, in the vastness of space? That question itself begs the answer to another question. What are we here for, what are we meant to do, meant to be?

Since the beginning of humanity, we have found ways to hate, subjugate, and kill each other based on whatever excuse is convenient at the time. We have evolved to the point that we are a danger to each other and our most important living force, Mother Earth. This could not be our purpose. We must have a greater significance, or our very existence is pointless. After all, when all the prejudices that fuel our hate are wiped away, we are all the same. We may look different, speak different languages, live on one side of imaginary lines we have divided this planet into or the other. Still, we are all human reliant on this beautiful blue ball that we seem to take for granted as we continue to abuse her. I choose to believe that if we embraced each other, showed compassion to each other, and stopped our abuse of the planet, we would be able to connect as a whole, each individual with each other and subsequently with the Earth itself. The sheer thought of what that connection would unleash within us, what we could accomplish as a species, is beyond description, and maybe just maybe that is what we are meant to accomplish. Perhaps the higher force gave us the ability to make our own decisions to see if we would embrace the concept of unity. To see if we could work together to uplift each other, to build a better society, one in which all individuals would live without the fear of hunger, homelessness, poverty, terrorism, and war. If that truly is our ultimate purpose, we are a long way from realizing it. But we have taken baby steps in the right direction as the fictional Captain Kirk once uttered – We are a promising species, and maybe in a thousand years or so, we’ll be able to prove it. After all, our existence is unique now; we must prove we are worthy of that.

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The secret to overcoming setbacks. Embrace the whole and rely on your faith

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The reality of life is that we all will face setbacks and obstacles. It is our reaction to this that defines who we are. We can accept it as our fate, we can take it on head first alone or we can face it with the help of those around us and with a faith that whatever deity you believe in will give you the courage and strength to overcome.

For some going at it alone is the best course of action. You believe you got yourself into this you can get yourself out.  You believe it is a sign of weakness to rely on others. But this way of thinking is flawed as the universe connects us al on higher plane. We are part of the whole and choosing to reject this limits what one can accomplish.

Tapping into the power of the whole is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength. You understand that those around you will provide your soul with a motivation to press on when you might be ready to give up. That they can provide you with sounding board to express the range of emotions you are going through. That they are the light that will help guide you even in the darkest of times.

Your faith is equally important. You will be stronger simply in the belief that a higher power is working to provide you with the strength to overcome. You will be comforted in knowing that a higher power is touching and uplifting your soul. You will be relived of your worry because you believe that the higher power is working to heal your body, clear your mind, remove your obstacles and provide you with a roadmap toward a better life.

So embrace the whole, rely on your faith and your problems will be a thing of the past.

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The NFL’s Anthem problem. Whose Wrong or is Everyone Right.

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This week the Miami Dolphins made public that any player who participate in a protest during the national anthem would be subject to a four game suspension, although they also said they don’t plan on enforcing it. As an African American I have conflicted emotions regarding this subject. No one can deny that racial injustice and social inequity is a very real thing. Colin Kapernick began this protest movement to bring light to these issues through his celebrity and it cost him his career.  As other joined in the protest President Trump saw that this was the perfect opportunity to appeal to his base by hijacking the issue and essentially changing the narrative to one of a protest against the national anthem and called those who protest unpatriotic. Owners worried that fans would turn away from their game thus hurting their bottom line, and in the NFL nothing is more important than the bottom line, felt the need to draw a line in the sand.  Through it all the original intent of Kapernick message started to get lost. It began to seem as players were protesting simply because they were told they couldn’t and fans had brought into the President narrative that the protest were unpatriotic. After much thought I have concluded that since the NFL is a business and the players are in essence employees of that business, highly paid and famous employees but employees nevertheless less, they should play by the same rules as everyone else. To that end when most of us in society are told we are prohibited from doing or saying something while on duty that the company feels would hurt their bottom line or be perceived as a negative, whether in reality it is or isn’t, we do it.  Failure to follow the rules often leads to termination of one’s employment. As NFL players are “on duty” representing their teams during the national anthem it is not outrageous to say they have an obligation to follow the rules set by the team’s owners.

This however does not mute the player’s voices, they need look no further than their NBA brothers as an example. In a league overwhelmingly African American NBA players stand as required for the national anthem. Are we to believe NBA players are oblivious to the injustices of society around them or that they simply don’t care about issues such as social inequality because they stand instead of protesting. The answer is of course no. But NBA players use their celebrity during their “own” time to draw attention to these issues. Who can forget when LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade teamed up to deliver a powerful speech during the 2016 ESPY  in which they called for fellow athletes to use their fame to heal a country divided by racism, injustice and gun violence.  They referenced fatal police shooting of African American young men they called on fellow athletes call to educate themselves and to speak up and use their influence.  They urged fellow athletes to go back to their communities, invest their time, their resources to help rebuild them, help strengthen them, help change them. Their message could not be hijack the narrative not changed. No one could question if they were giving the speech because they were told not to and most importantly they showed the power of their voices away from their jobs on the hardwood.

NFL players can follow suit. Hold workshops in the community mentoring young people of color while at the same time calling attention to the injustices those same young people face on a daily basis. Work as a group with local police to meet with and come to a better understanding of the community they are policing. Use public events such as the ESPY awards to speak out and condemn the issues that the protest during the national anthem were intended to bring light to.

This issue is bigger than if players do or don’t have the right to protest during the national anthem. It is bigger than NFL players versus NFL owners and the President. Rather than get bogged down in that fight, rather than provide even the smallest of opportunity for others to change the narrative NFL players should use the multiple avenues available to them on their “own” time to help build and strengthen their communities and to call attention to the issues of social injustice and racial inequality.