Category Archives: Uncategorized

Spirituality, Uncategorized

Rush to Judgment

For as long as I can remember, some parts of society believe you are guilty until proven innocent. Our laws believe it is the other way around, thankfully. If we are accused of wrongdoing, we are still assured of our due process under the Constitution.

My favorite book (and movie) is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The book is fiction, and it is enriched by a great plot and subplots. In the main theme, a man, Tom Robinson, is accused of raping a woman. The story is set in Alabama in 1933. Tom is black. The woman is white. You see where the story is going. Tom was automatically guilty because he couldn’t be trusted around white women. This was untrue then and it is untrue now. Yet, because of this work of fiction as well as many real life stories, the south has forever been deemed to be racist. It isn’t.

Rushing to judgment clouds the thinking. It’s difficult to see truth when you are looking through the lens of guilt. Facts matter.

I encourage you to steer clear of judgment, all judgment. Put yourself in the same situation and treat others as you would like to be treated.

Freeing yourself from judgment opens you up to seeing people for who they are. And isn’t that what we all want?

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Salt of the Earth

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus told the crowd they were the salt of the earth. How many times have we read that and skipped right through it without any further consideration? Let’s examine it.

Salt is used millions, probably billions of times daily. It’s the most widely used seasoning on earth. Salt enhances flavor. It’s used as a preservative, a cleanser, a weed killer, and it can be used to remove stains from your teeth. During Jesus’ day, it was a rare commodity that was used as currency.

All the ways I just listed can be applied to us! We can enhance the lives of others and lift others through our words and actions. We can remove negative thinking (weeds) and, through changing our thoughts we can cleanse our minds. And when we consider the scientific marvel the human body is, we are worth more than any nation’s gold.

Yet, we have something salt doesn’t have. When salt loses its flavor, it is worthless. We can rise and reclaim our lives after setbacks and hardships. We never lose our value.

Be the one who encourages the hurting, the lost, and the ones who feel forgotten. Be like salt…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Dignity

What do you think of when you hear or read the word dignity? It’s defined as, “the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect.” Dignity is something that must be earned.

In society today, we see the “look at me” impostors everywhere we turn. You might catch our attention for a moment, but if you don’t have substance you won’t keep it.

And we have the mediocre to contend with in the world. Those who are unwilling to go the extra mile because “that’s not their job” will never rise with that attitude.

The truth is, you can bring dignity to anything you do. This applies whether you are a CEO or a janitor. Consistently doing a good job will be noticed.

Dignity lies within the person. Be willing to give more than you receive…

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#inspiration

False Information

There’s so much false information on the internet nowadays. No one has the time to separate facts from fiction because of the sheer volume that hits us.

Most of the lies are designed to get us riled up about something. Oftentimes it’s political posting, but there are mainstream lies as well. For example, someone recently posted a meme that Aunt Jemima would be returning in 2025. Not true, yet I wish she was. Stuff like this is such a waste of people’s time.

If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Question everything…

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#inspiration

Do More

Are you going the extra mile as you live your life, or just doing the bare minimum? Here are a few thoughts on giving more of yourself.

People are expected to work, typically, eight hours per day. This is what they are paid for. From my observation, many people are not working a minute more than the minimum, and they aren’t even working all eight hours. Many people are simply going through the motions, trying to get by. Not only are they cheating their employers, they are cheating themselves.

Doing more than you are expected to do will pay great rewards in the long run. Payback is rarely immediate, but it will happen. Someone will notice and someone will recognize your efforts.

There’s a caveat: you must be doing work that engages you, inspires you, and you would do it for free if you could. If this isn’t your current situation, it’s in your hands to take a leap of faith and do what turns you on. Make the change and experience life more fully.

There will always be ups and downs. Yet, when you are fulfilled it makes the downs sustainable.

Make your move…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Consistency is Key

How are you doing with your resolutions? This week is our first full week since New Year’s, so the grind begins.

I encourage you to stay consistent in your pursuit. Change isn’t like flipping a light switch, and real change is challenging. Don’t fool yourself. The temptation to give up is going to present itself regularly. Stay true to your new, better course.

In your mind, see yourself as having already won the battle. Believe it. When you can bring emotion into the equation, you have become unstoppable. Whatever you believe about yourself will manifest. Guaranteed!

If you slip back into old habits along the way, pick yourself up and begin again. Nothing can stop a person who refuses to quit…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Undeserved

Have you ever taken the time to consider the love of God?

We know God is love, and His Spirit is all around us all the time. But God gives good things to believers and nonbelievers alike, and He gives to the people who curse and blame Him. He doesn’t discriminate.

As humans, it’s hard to get our heads around this kind of goodness. When others mistreat us or cuss us out, our natural inclination is to strike back. And sometimes we do. One thing I learned about the character of God is, He can take a punch. In years past I hit Him pretty hard or ignored Him altogether. God never sought revenge.

How do we show that we love God? We can’t see Him. He doesn’t need anything from us. I believe Jesus told us how when he said, “what you do for the least among you, you do for me.”

Please take a moment every day to acknowledge God’s love for all of us. Do it even if you’re mad at Him…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Gotta Lotta Flushing To Do!

Recently I posted about cleanses for our internal organs, and what a farce most are. This doesn’t imply we don’t have things that need cleansing. In fact, let’s call it a flushing.

It’s time to flush every negative thought you have about yourself. You are a miracle. Think about it. You have between 640 and 850 muscles operating in harmony with your bone structure consisting of over 200 bones. Your cardiovascular system, lymphatic system, digestive system and others are working within your body without any effort from you. And let’s not forget the gifts of sight, hearing and thinking. Don’t take these for granted. They are gifts from the Creator.

And every now and then give yourself a break. We must hold ourselves accountable, but when you fail or make a mistake, forgive yourself. Let go of it and learn.

Flush the past and start living. It’s time…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Political Fallout

Did you lose any friends over politics? I did. Two people decided their political beliefs were more important than our friendship. This didn’t anger me. It made me sad for them because I’m a lot of fun to hang out with!

From my observation, people have become more isolated than ever before due to political divide. Living in an echo chamber is dangerous. You can begin to believe you are always right. Our problems in our country are “the fault of the other side,” they say. Sometimes they yell. Everyone bears some responsibility.

Who shows up in life when the shit hits the fan? Your representative in Congress? No. Your friends and family, the ones who truly care about you arrive. Sadly, I have many friends who have lost children. The government can’t bring a child back, but those who care about you can share some of your pain by just being there.

Not much changes in government, but I remain optimistic. Optimism is how I’m hardwired. I really don’t know any other way to be.

I encourage you to remember this: it’s people that are important, no matter which side of the aisle they identify with…

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