Tag: Online Writing

Say NO to Physical Abuse

Recognizing Warning Signs That Your Man Could be an Abuser

Women are often trapped in abusive relationships because they did not recognize or chose to ignore the warning signs.  Since it is often difficult to get out of these relationships it is very important for you to be aware of the negative behavior of your partner and end the relationship before he gets too much control over your life.

One of the first thing an abuser will try to is to control you.  He will try to make you abandon your family and friends for him.  He needs to get the feeling that he is number one in your life; that he means more to you than anyone else.  I recall a conversation I had with a friend of mine  (who we shall call Sharon) very abusive boyfriend.  Her family was upset about the way he was physically abusing her and was adamant that she should leave him.  I remember him saying to me ”Sharon isn’t going to leave me, she loves me.  She don’t care about her family.  She will do anything I tell her to do so they are just wasting their time.”  I recall him being very smug about it, so very sure of himself.

This is one of the first signs that you should learn to recognize.  If your partner is trying to separate you from your family and friends, pay close attention and ask yourself, why is he doing this?  It could be a situation of divide and conquer.  He could be setting the stage for abuse and by controlling you and alienating you from those who care about you, when the abuse begins you will have no one to turn to for help.  The first step therefore to not set yourself up for an abusive relationship is to make sure the relationship you have with your family and friends remain intact.

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Elementary School Massacre

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Does Lack of Prayer in Schools Have Anything to do With This Tragedy? 

A national tragedy has occurred, one so gruesome that most of us are still finding it hard to process the series of events that have taken place.  It is difficult to understand why something of this nature happened.  I have noticed some Facebook comments which seem to imply that part of the reason for this tragedy is a lack of prayer in schools.  This kind of thinking to me is absurd.  I don’t for one moment believe those little angels died because there is a lack of prayer in our educational system.

Many of us adults go from day-to-day without stopping to utter a word of prayer or give God thanks for all that He has done for us and yet He still protects us what then say He for those little children?  Jesus said “Suffer the little children to come unto Me and forbid them not for such is the kingdom of heaven”  If He takes care of us undeserving as we are wouldn’t He do so even more for the innocent children?

Instead of trying to look outward for answers we need to start looking inwards.  What is happening in our homes?  Are we raising decent upstanding citizens, or are we creating monsters who will at some point in time create mayhem in society?  The home is where it all begins.  It is the place where babies begin the process which will determine the kind of individuals they will become.  If there is an issue with praying, we should all ask ourselves, is there enough praying in our homes.  We need to stop expecting others to do the job that we should be doing.

Adam Lanza appears to have had a lot of anger and hatred inside him;  most mass murderers seem to do.  It is a kind of hatred so strong that they will lash out and kill innocent people without any provocation on their path  We need to look within our homes and communities and try to identify these people. As parents we need to start paying closer attention to our children.  We need to be able to recognize signs of depression.  If you have a son who display unusual or abnormal anti-social behavior pay close attention.  Does he have friends?  Does he get along well with others?  How does he feel about life?  Does he display signs that he might be unhappy with his life or that he hates his family?  Does he feel that life is hopeless and that nothing will make it right?

If someone knows that someone in their household may be a danger to himself and society they should seek help for that person and notify law-enforcers to get help and advice.  We cannot sit by and wait for another tragedy of this nature to occur. We are all in this together and the problem has to be tackled at the source and that is the individuals in our homes whose behavior serve as a sign that they could be a danger to and  society.

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Lost Chance

I caught a glimpse of your face,
Saw the sad reflection of your smile,
And the longing in your eyes,
It spoke the question you were afraid to ask.
It is all so painful, the memories of the past.
When love was right before your eyes you chose not to see
Thinking only of your youth and the need to be free.
The years have gone by and you are all alone
You yearn for something that is no longer there.
Isn’t it funny how we never realize what we have
until we lose it?

Who Will Help Save Lindsay Lohan?

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We are a world of people who thrive on negative news.  The media will go into every nook and cranny to dig up any negative information they can find on people’s lives.  It is almost something of a disease, the pleasure some people seem to derive from other people’s misfortune.   They are the ones who will be quick to point out that something is wrong with someone, yet they fail to see anything wrong with their own actions.

Most of the time the people targeted are the ones who are simply screaming for help.  There was Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston  (both of whom are now dead) and let us not forget Britney Spears.  Britney went through living hell at the hands of the media.  She is stronger than a lot of people gave her credit for.  If she was not a strong person she would not have been able to survive with her sanity still intact.  The negative media attention focused on Britney got so bad that at one point I started switching channels whenever her name was mentioned because I knew they were just going to say something negative about her.  I was disgusted that people actually seemed to derive some kind of pleasure from putting her down. I am glad that Britney was able to get her act together and take charge of her life.  I am glad that there were people who believed in her to give her the support she needed.  I am very proud of her  and pray that she will remain on the path she is now on.

Lindsay Lohan is a far way off from the path of recovery but she is not beyond help.  They twenty-six year old needs some serious guidance, moral support and people who  will  help her instead of constantly bashing her.  Try being in her shoe for even an hour.  You turn on the television and you are being made fun off, you open a news paper and you make the headlines about all the things you have done wrong, you turn to the internet and it gets worse, your picture is everywhere and the headlines and comments are all negative.  It is like living in an emotional abusive relationship.  It takes its toll on you, it strips you of your self-worth and self-esteem, it does not help and then everyone wonders why she can’t get her act together?  She might be a star but at the end of the day she is only human yearning for love acceptance and friendship just like everyone else.  For people like Lindsay it is hard to trust you don’t know who genuinely care or who only pretend to care to get a story.

What is really sad is that a lot of the negativity is coming from people in the entertainment business.  You would think they would care enough to look out for each other but hey who am I kidding people are more interested in tearing you down rather than building you up.  Still it would be nice if her critics stopped focusing so much on all that she is doing wrong and instead reach out to her to see how they can help her to make it right.  Don’t let her become another statistic.  So I ask  once more, who will help save Lindsay Lohan?

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A World of Money, Greed, Power and Hate

We are living in a world driven by money, greed, power and hate. These four things have become a growing epidemic which is threatening to take over the world and no sector off society is immune. The church which was once a place where people could find that inner peace, an avenue of escape from what is going on in the world is being infiltrated by people with an unhealthy quest for money, driven by greed and seeking power. The poor and need as usual are their victims.

The airways  are now flooded by pastors who proclaim are teaching the word of God. Everyone wants to set up ministry and have people partner them. Some of them spend more time advertising their products rather than preaching the gospel. Everyone has a book to sell along with the books are CD’s and DVDs. Often times the books are over-priced. The gospel that they say they are  teaching, the very gospel that they ask for donations for so they can remain on the air ways is not free. You make the contribution so they can stay on air and then they ask you to buy CD’s and DVDs in order to hear the full sermons. What can I say, the Church has become a big business and more and more are seeking to get a piece of the pie.

Some of these so-called ministers are very skilled at the tactics they use to convince people to send them money they most famous of which is the planting of seed faith. They try to impress on people that this is the way to get favor from God and they are not interested in small sums of money either so they tell people if you want supernatural blessing you have to sow seeds accordingly. They tell them they deserve to have wealth all of which is good but at the end of the day they are the ones who benefit the most from seeds you plant because they are getting your money.

I am all for people making donations to those who are genuinely interested in teaching the gospel but you have learn to distinguish them from those who are more interested in your wallet rather than you soul. Be careful of those who only focus on money and seek to preach to you only those scriptures that say you are required to sow seeds. Be wary of those who will tell you God tell them to tell you to sow seeds of exorbitant sums and you will receive miracles. When people become driven by greed they will use even the name of God to get to your wallet. There is one particular pastor who was advertising an eight minute miracle if you sent him a seed faith of $273 he said God told him that seven would be watching and that particular miracle was for those seven. This ad ran for some weeks and I was really interested to see what God would tell him next. Well he now has a new ad and this time he has a miracle for a thousand and this time the seed faith they have to plant is $1000. I suppose the next time he hears from God the money will go even higher. This is a perfect example of what happens when people become driven by greed, they are never satisfied and the more they get is the more they want.

Know that there are many things you can do that are pleasing in the eyes of God. The simple act of providing a warm meal or a blanket to your neighbor or someone less fortunate finds favor with God. Showing love to your fellow-man, giving a helping hand to those who need it, sharing words of hope to the hopeless, giving a word of comfort to someone who is grieving, just being there for someone who needs you, this is what God is asking of us. He will supply your needs and anything thing you asking of him believing you will receive whether or not you send money to these people who promise you miracles, The only payment God ask of us is that we obey and serve him and you need to trust Him enough to believe that!!

Power and hate are the two other things destroying our society and our world. Some people use their power to make life a living hell for others. In many work places you find that there is an abuse of power as people at the top look down at those at the bottom. Few seem to realize that the same way you go up you can come back down and the people you pass on the way up will be the same people you pass on your way back down.

There is a saying that the more things change the more they remain the same. This is so true in regards to racism. There are people intent on hating each other simply because their skin is of a different color. It is sheer stupidity but try telling that to these people. We are all made up the same there is so superiority in regards to the brain or any other part of the body for that matter in black or white folks the only thing that is different is the pigmentation of the skin. It is stupid to hate someone because their skin is a different color from yours. Blacks who hate whites and whites who hate blacks need to learn this; God is not going to have a separate heaven or hell for whites or blacks so you all better learn to get along here on earth. There is no room for haters in heaven so you will be spending eternity in hell.

Finally I must say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Remember that Thanksgiving is about giving thanks to God for all that he has done for us. Let us not lose focus and let Black Friday take precedence over Thanksgiving. Focus on giving God thanks first and do whatever else you have to do after.  Again Happy Thanksgiving and if you can try to make a difference in someone’s life.  One love and God bless!!

Autumn Reflections {Alice J. Christianson}

With early autumn come the days
I love the best of all,
When the sunlight gilds the landscape with
The mellow light of Fall.
October’s trees don leaves of gold,
Bright red and amber too;
No treasure chest could boast
Jewels of so rare a hue.
The harvest has been gathered in,
Vineyards their riches yield;
In little, sheltered garden, one
Last rose may be reveled.
I love to see the roadside stands
That offer up their treats…
Pumpkins and juicy apples, grapes,
And cider, sharp and sweet.
With Autumn comes Thanksgiving,
That special time when we,
In church and home gather to join
With friends and family,
To thank God for the blessings He
So graciously bestows:
May we never take for granted
The freedoms that we know.

 

Life Isn’t Always Easy {Linda C. Grazulis}

Life isn’t always easy,
‘Oft we shed a tumbling tear or more,
Dreams can unexpectedly shatter
As we take a nosedive to the floor.

Heartaches can arrive in all their fury,
As our heads with worry start to throb;
But praise God for fervent prayer to lean on
As we bow our troubled souls and sob.

We were never promised a bed of roses
Strewn on our path below;
And trials are often heavy burdens –
A meadow full of dandelions and woe.

But please believe in a divine purpose
For every fiery lash
That sets our feet off balance
As our hopes set sail, but crash.

Oh, take heart weary pilgrims –
Look up to Heaven’s throne,
Dial the prayer line to the Master –
You need not bear such pain alone.

It isn’t always easy to trek this journey
‘Cause thorns sprout along the way.
Nevertheless, rosebuds are prone to blossom –
Weary pilgrim lean on God’s timing today.

 

Help From Above {Oran W. Donner}

If your day seems dull and dreary,
If your troubles get you down,
If you feel you are in deep water
And certain you will drown,
If you’re shackled by a burden
Held fast within its grip,
You wish you could be rescued
Your life’s a sinking ship;
Then it’s time to turn to Jesus
Who is reaching out to you
To take your hand to guide you,
Show you life anew.
Trust Jesus as your lifeline,
To still the storms you face,
He will take you to safe harbor
And provide a resting place.
He will be your friend and love you
No matter where you roam,
Then at your journey’s end
He will take you safely home.

Sandy’s Wrath

Hurricane Sandy has come and gone leaving a trail of destruction and devastation behind. Millions were in one way or the other affected by her fury. She unleashed her anger in the Caribbean them moved on to our area uprooting and moving anything that stood in her way.

For many it was a humbling an eye-opening experience. A valuable lesson can be learned from all of this. It is important not to take hurricane warnings lightly. Some people were reluctant to evacuate when asked to do so because they wanted to stay to safeguard their homes. People must understand there is nothing they can do to control nature and there is no point in staying when you might not live to occupy that house. There are times when we have to forget about materialistic things and instead focus on staying alive. A few learned this lesson the hard way. I pray that others will take heed so these mistakes will not be repeated in the future.

The months ahead is not going to be easy. Thousands have lost homes and property, but there is life and as long as there is life there is hope. It is not going to be easy but in time they will recover, they shall rise again. We all have to give thanks to God because it could have been worse.

 

God Can Do Anything {Loise P Fritz}

God takes the darkest midnight,
Turns it to morning bright,
He takes the darkest moment,
Transforms it into light.

He takes away the raindrops
And makes the rainbow shine;
He takes away our worries
And gives us peace of mind.

He takes away the teardrops,
Put smiles upon our face;
He sets aside the dark clouds
And grants us sunny days.

He takes away our sorrows,
Puts joy into our hearts.
Our gracious God uplifts us;
From us He’ll never depart.