It's the last day of July, the second hottest month of the year. Thank God it's about over. This was a pretty difficult month but one thing I can say is that last night, I laughed like the jokers used to laugh on Def Comedy Jam (when Martin Lawrence was the host, no offense to Joe Torry). The brothers got together last night to help one of the couples at our church move to their new "mansion." We were bagging on each other the whole night. I was clowning Mr. Rowland because he let his wife Mrs. Rowland pack all the boxes except one I helped him pack. My other friend Mr. Williams was clowning Mr. Rowland for carrying a light box full of tissues like it was heavy. Mr. McCallum was clowning me for how I can't sing when really he's worse than I am (I'm just saying). Mr. Williams was clowning Mrs. Rowland's brother Mr. Baptiste because everyone else was loading the truck while he was stuck in happy land looking at photos he hasn't seen in years. Dude, we clowned on each other for like 3 straight hours. It was a good night. While I was driving home, I was thinking the wonderful gift of laughter. We take this gift of God for granted. Solomon said in Proverbs 17:22 that a merry heart (that includes laughter) is like a good medicine. Laughter relieves stress. It helps us let go the cares and problems of the day. It helps us forget our worries of future events. The tension that's in our bodies is gone and we feel lighter than we did before. My beautiful wife Dionn is always showing me these videos by the Playmakers (http://www.youtube.com/user/thePlaymakers1), Phil Wade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hFoTamYzuY), and Sweet Brown videos (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udS-OcNtSWo). Man, I just cry up a storm because those videos are so funny. Sometimes, I get so frustrated and stressed about certain things in my life, I don't enjoy it. Then, something funny happens and I just laugh. I laugh my little heart. Those tears of pain become tears of joy when I laugh. It's such a good release for the body, soul, and spirit. Research shows that it provides us three benefits (materials from HelpGuide.org):
1.Physical benefits: relaxes muscles, boosts immunity, decreases pain
2. Mental benefits: relieves stress, improves mood, eases anxiety and fear
3. Social benefits: improves relationships, enhances teamwork, helps diffuse conflicts
The spiritual benefits are the following:
1. trusting God in tight situations and believing He will help us in times of need
2. releases the burdens of oppression, frustration, bitterness, and stress
3. helps us appreciate God, friends, family, and even our enemies
I experienced all this last night and of course when I'm chilling at the house with my cupcake, Dionn. Most of us think that God is always serious. Yes, He can be but He has a crazy sense of humor. The next time you're going through something or notice something strange (that's funny of course), you'll see that's an indicator of His great humor. Sarah knew about it when He said she would have a child when she was passed 90 something years old. David wrote about it because he had to laugh so many times when he went through. Shoot, the Bible says God rejoices over His people when their ways please Him (Isaiah 62:5). You want to know what that includes? Laughter. We make God laugh all the time. Like the old saying goes, "you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans." He's probably falling over His throne 24/7 days in the week at us crazy jokers. My friends, preachers, lawyers, doctors, atheists, politicians, law enforcers, kids, parents, husbands, and wives, you better learn how to laugh. It's God's gift to us, a stress relieving, burden lifting experience given to mankind in the midst of his most arduous labor called life. Plus for some of us who are so knowledgeable, educated, and spiritual, we need to learn how to loosen up. Dude, chick, relax. Chill. Take a breather. "Saddown (Madea voice)." Some of us are just too serious. We need to loosen up and enjoy life through the gift of laughter. Aiight?! Go on YouTube (JackValeFilms my favorite), go to the movies, talk with your friends and family about events of funny moments. Shoot, go to Walmart, you'll always see interesting things and people there that'll make you laugh. You'll feel better and life in general will get better. And this will make God laugh because we've learned to rightly use this wonderful gift.
Til next time, dgwo.
P.S. - To Mr. Carl Rowland - I told you I was going to get you back. :)
Reference:
-Proverbs 17:22
-HelpGuide.org - http://www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Count It All Joy
Usually in the mornings, I have a thought before I write down my blogs. Today's blog, I really didn't want to sound to "churchy" but making Christ's messages relate to everyone. Well, here it is. Count it all joy. This is a phrase James shares with us over a millennium ago about keeping your joy in the midst of various temptations. There are so many things in this life happening to us we don't understand and can't control. I believe there are many of us right now going through situations we never thought we would be experiencing. Foreclosures on our homes, car repossession, kids calling the cops claiming you abused them, family walking out on you, your best friend having an affair with your spouse, or people on job conspired to get your fired from your high-level executive position. These are the issues of life that are pushing many people on the brink of mental breakdowns or even suicide. Speaking of which, the potency for suicide and other erratic mental behaviors are becoming a norm in American society. So, in spite of all, this man from the first few decades of the A.D. era tells us "count it all joy?" Some of us (including myself) see our situations as irreparable and impossible. We don't have joy because all we see is gloom. However, we must understand that God has given us the breath of life; therefore there must be purpose in all this. As Pastor C was preaching her message to the church yesterday, one thought came to my mind. There has to be a purpose within all this hell (torment, not saying this word in a derogatory way) that is raging in my life. Things trying to destroy my marriage with my beautiful wife Dionn. Setbacks in moving forward with my books and career. Seeds of discord trying to destroy my church family. Lies being spoken throughout my surrounding community. Destructive ways destroying my country from the inside out. All of these things are disparaging but God gave me this thought, "count it all joy." What does it mean to count it all joy? That's a good question but I'll try to tackle this. Counting it all joy means to learn to be happy and in love with God despite the temptations going on in our lives. It means keeping a positive attitude in the midst of harsh times and believing God still favors you when the enemies of your life say otherwise. Counting it all joy is still praying and praising God, seeking His perfect will in your life every single day. Counting it all joy is understanding your going through the same things your next door neighbor is going through but you have the answer to your situation. Counting it all joy is making the best of our a prison situation when most people give up, lie down, and die. It means keeping your head up to the God who hasn't forgotten you. It means believing that God hasn't forsaken you although you don't feel, see, hear, or perceive him. It means us learning how to look past the muted tones within a picture and seeing the beauty of other colors trying to shine through. It's keeping the faith in Jesus Christ when everyone calls you a holy rolling idiot. It's keeping the faith and knowing that if things never go right here on earth for us; we have a heavenly home He has promised to those who have trusted and stayed faithful to Him. The joy of God exceeds happiness and this is what we have to pursue in these times we've living in. People like David and Paul had to experience great hardships in their lives. I truly believe they survive their storms because they counted it all joy. They sought and fulfilled their purpose as God had already predestined. They were tried in their faith but thereafter it became as pure gold being tried in the fire. So let's take heed to these words from a man just like you. Problems just like you. Issues just like you. Setbacks, disappointments, failures, regrets, and mistakes, just like you. Let's learn to count it all joy, in all that we go through, He will make it alright (BeBe & CeCe Winans). This is the hope that we have as we continue to make the decision to trust God anyhow.
Til next time, dgwo.
Reference:
Hebrews 11
Hebrews 12:1-3
James 1:1-8
Til next time, dgwo.
Reference:
Hebrews 11
Hebrews 12:1-3
James 1:1-8
Friday, July 27, 2012
The Condone Wars
My friends, there's a war going on. I call it "The Condone Wars." A lot of us don't know what the word condone means, so here it is.
condone: accept and allow (behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive) to continue. approve or sanction (something), esp. with reluctance.
Right now, we're living in the "New Age" belief system, which we are the masters of our own destiny. We live in a time when it's almost against the law for parents to punish their kids with the belt when they intentionally do bad things. When someone sees something messed up, people always try to shut them down. Nowadays, people don't want to be corrected, they want to be accepted. It doesn't matter if their behavior is appalling or belligerent. These types believe people including the God on the throne is supposed to overlook their actions that are plain evil (WHAT?). These types of people try to intimidate, manipulate, and coerce others to accept their lifestyle. From the LGBT movements, to people believing they don't need to go to church (because they believe no man or woman has the authority to pastor them), to kids disrespecting people over them, to rappers sending messages corrupting entire generations of youth! There are countless others I can't name but they all have the same prideful demeanor, "you can't tell me nothing." Most of us are taking a blind eye to various things each of us knows are blatantly wrong. However, we let things slide. We let our kid's behavior slide when they're being promiscuous or disrespecting their elders. We let things slide when we don't hold our coworkers accountable for providing customers with poor customer care. We let things slide when we see public officials misappropriating funds before our very eyes and we don't take that information to the authorities. We let things slide when we know a family member of ours is going around stealing people's identity and performing credit fraud. These are all battles within "The Condone Wars." Even within ourselves, we know certain behaviors, beliefs, and standards aren't right but we try to overlook them. We try to do all these good works to keep us from getting our own houses in order. I remember the movie New Jack City. There was a part in that movie when an old man was coming to see Nino Brown to warn him of the effects of his drug activities. Nino Brown along with a well-known preacher were sitting down with children giving them money. Those kids along with the preacher knew what type of guy Nino was. Cold-blooded, heartless, greedy, violent, and lustful. When the old man came in, he told those kids to leave and the preacher was trying to leave, too. But Nino sat the preacher down; I guess to help support (condone) his work ethics. The old man derided Nino and called out the preacher for condoning Nino's actions. What if the preacher stood up and told Nino the truth instead of condoning his behavior? When we take a stand, we're telling others the truth and provide an opportunity for change to impact their lives. But, most of us continue to be aiding and abetting "The Condone Wars." Hmmm....I guess what I'm saying is we need to be way more sensitive to God's desires and statutes than we are today. For some time, we've been "winking" and overlooking things, but that jig is up, dude. If we continue to condone, the generations behind us is going to be in a world of hurt. Look at us now! Look at how our kids are acting. Look at how our churches are operating. Look at how our governments are operating.. There has to be a standard, dudes and dudettes. Like my father says, "if you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything." That's true. A lot of us are fallen and don't even know; even those of us who know the truth. Do you think God is condoning our craziness? I don't think so. Jesus loves us but He's also taking account of what we do and how we do things (. Now, this ain't fire and brimstone rap, it's just real talk. Today, I really encourage us to know what the standard is and stand in it. People around you ain't going to like it but that's how it's been designed from the beginning of time. You may get persecuted and hurt, but that's the price for standing for what's right in God's eyes. No longer can we facilitate wrong through our various actions of condoning. It's not fair for anybody. It's not fair to ourselves. Most importantly, it's not fair to God. I know this for myself.
Til next time, dgwo.
Reference:
Proverbs 27:5
Acts 17:30-31
condone: accept and allow (behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive) to continue. approve or sanction (something), esp. with reluctance.
Right now, we're living in the "New Age" belief system, which we are the masters of our own destiny. We live in a time when it's almost against the law for parents to punish their kids with the belt when they intentionally do bad things. When someone sees something messed up, people always try to shut them down. Nowadays, people don't want to be corrected, they want to be accepted. It doesn't matter if their behavior is appalling or belligerent. These types believe people including the God on the throne is supposed to overlook their actions that are plain evil (WHAT?). These types of people try to intimidate, manipulate, and coerce others to accept their lifestyle. From the LGBT movements, to people believing they don't need to go to church (because they believe no man or woman has the authority to pastor them), to kids disrespecting people over them, to rappers sending messages corrupting entire generations of youth! There are countless others I can't name but they all have the same prideful demeanor, "you can't tell me nothing." Most of us are taking a blind eye to various things each of us knows are blatantly wrong. However, we let things slide. We let our kid's behavior slide when they're being promiscuous or disrespecting their elders. We let things slide when we don't hold our coworkers accountable for providing customers with poor customer care. We let things slide when we see public officials misappropriating funds before our very eyes and we don't take that information to the authorities. We let things slide when we know a family member of ours is going around stealing people's identity and performing credit fraud. These are all battles within "The Condone Wars." Even within ourselves, we know certain behaviors, beliefs, and standards aren't right but we try to overlook them. We try to do all these good works to keep us from getting our own houses in order. I remember the movie New Jack City. There was a part in that movie when an old man was coming to see Nino Brown to warn him of the effects of his drug activities. Nino Brown along with a well-known preacher were sitting down with children giving them money. Those kids along with the preacher knew what type of guy Nino was. Cold-blooded, heartless, greedy, violent, and lustful. When the old man came in, he told those kids to leave and the preacher was trying to leave, too. But Nino sat the preacher down; I guess to help support (condone) his work ethics. The old man derided Nino and called out the preacher for condoning Nino's actions. What if the preacher stood up and told Nino the truth instead of condoning his behavior? When we take a stand, we're telling others the truth and provide an opportunity for change to impact their lives. But, most of us continue to be aiding and abetting "The Condone Wars." Hmmm....I guess what I'm saying is we need to be way more sensitive to God's desires and statutes than we are today. For some time, we've been "winking" and overlooking things, but that jig is up, dude. If we continue to condone, the generations behind us is going to be in a world of hurt. Look at us now! Look at how our kids are acting. Look at how our churches are operating. Look at how our governments are operating.. There has to be a standard, dudes and dudettes. Like my father says, "if you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything." That's true. A lot of us are fallen and don't even know; even those of us who know the truth. Do you think God is condoning our craziness? I don't think so. Jesus loves us but He's also taking account of what we do and how we do things (. Now, this ain't fire and brimstone rap, it's just real talk. Today, I really encourage us to know what the standard is and stand in it. People around you ain't going to like it but that's how it's been designed from the beginning of time. You may get persecuted and hurt, but that's the price for standing for what's right in God's eyes. No longer can we facilitate wrong through our various actions of condoning. It's not fair for anybody. It's not fair to ourselves. Most importantly, it's not fair to God. I know this for myself.
Til next time, dgwo.
Reference:
Proverbs 27:5
Acts 17:30-31
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Be What We Say & Do
hypocrite: a person who indulges in hypocrisy.
hypocrisy: the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one'sown behavior does not conform; pretense.
In street terms, a rat, fake, poker face, not keeping it 100, not keeping it real, a two-face, you do the math.
Hypocrisy is one of the worst poisons disrupting the world today. Hypocrisy leads people astray. It manipulates the truth, it gives people a disfigured version of the truth, and it's just a big ol' lie. We should already know that God loves everybody but He doesn't much care for hypocrisy (along with any other sin). Even the gangster street hustler hates hypocrisy because hypocrisy breeds ulterior motives. Hypocrisy is like telling somebody you love them in their face but deep inside your heart you want to put a gun to their face. Hypocrisy is saying we do all these good works like feeding the hungry or pray for others but deep inside we're trying to gain acceptance and prestige amongst others. Hypocrisy is saying and doing one thing in front of a lot of people; mostly done to gain attention and to keep others from seeing our other side. Hypocrisy is making ourselves to be something better than the next man based on gender, creed, race, and class status when inside we're filled with nothing more than gutter trash. Hypocrisy is a dangerous thing. Hypocrisy creates within us a since of pride; kind of make of us feel like we're untouchable. Hypocrisy makes people become untrustworthy and causes people to watch their back a lot more than what they would normally do. Hypocrisy influences people to always fix everyone else except for themselves. Hypocrisy keeps all record of wrong and influences people to say I have no flaws (sin, perfect, like a god). We can claim to be this and that but what do our lives really say about us? I remember my grandma used to say, "if walls could tell." What would the walls of our homes (lives) really tell? We say we pray but our attitude is still shifty. We say we love God but we hate the pastor over us who's giving us the truth in love. We do all these things but it's just to please men and not God. Dude, that's a hypocrisy. I know it for myself and that's why we've got to keep ourselves looking at the mirror. The mirror is going to show us the true nature of our being, whether we're real or fake. Our mirror is the Word of God, our friends, our bosses, our enemies, our children, the dude we pass by when we're walking through Wally Word (Walmart). What do they see? Are they see in realness or fakeness? When speak, can people resonate with what we're saying or do they hearing us faking? When Jesus spoke, He spoke with authority and the people believed on Him. They saw within His life authenticity, realness, pureness, and no hypocrisy. The same couldn't be said about the Pharisees. They loved to be in the high places. They made long prayers glorifying themselves rather than humbling themselves before God's sight. They taught and made others do things they wouldn't do. This was hypocrisy and it's alive and well today. I truly it's time we be real with ourselves and be real with God. We got to ask ourselves, am I a hypocrite? Do I do and say things but do the contrary? Am I trustworthy? Does my life in spite of my faults say I'm a real person? Am I doing all these good works to please men or to please God? Something to think about, huh? I know I am. So before I close this out, this is all I have to say. Let's stop faking around and be honest. Hypocrisy hurts others and keeps us from coming to God with all our broken pieces. Walking in truth ain't popular because it gets passed good feelings and gets down to the nitty gritty. It's better for people to hate you but respect you because you're walking. It's a shame for everybody to like you but don't respect you from the case of being a hypocrite. So let's give the gig up and walk honestly.
Til next time, dgwo.
Reference:
Proverbs 11:9
Matthew 7:28-29
Matthew 23 (in its entirety)
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
The Doors Of Success Are Open!
Opportunities to become successful are always in front of us. We just have to be in the right position to walk through the doors. We all have dreams and/or goals we want to accomplish in life. They necessarily don't have to be monetary or getting a new job. Opportunities include becoming a spokesperson for homeless affairs, fixing up a old "ride-dirty", or maybe spending more time with our kids. The doors of opportunity is always open but the distractions of life always come to block our view. The issues of life have a funny way of cluttering our thoughts, which produce nothing but negativity. But the doors of success are still open. One of the mottos for the church I attend (Shiloh Worship Center, 700 Glen Hollow Ln, Belton, TX, 76513) is "the doors to success are open, evil is cut off, and we shall not know defeat." Man, we used to say that a lot! Just this morning, I felt like the doors of success were all closed for David G.W. Overton. I felt like man, why does it feel like other people are successful and able to accomplish their goals and I feel like I'm always having my own at the back burner? I'm just being real, my friends. The lesson that I'm learning about walking through the doors of success is just walking through them when you see them. Don't hesitate, don't worry about what other people will say about you or think of you. You just have to walk through. God has predestined a purpose for us all (Jeremiah 1:10) and when He shines His light, we will see those open doors of opportunities. When our lives are lining up with the perfect will of God and we understand His grace isn't about what we do or earn, but His unmerited favor in our lives, we will walk through those doors. As I stated earlier, success isn't about us being rich, having the baddest car, the most beautiful children, or the biggest house. It's not about having the biggest house or the most successful company in the city. Success is about fulfilling each and every goal found only in Jesus Christ. It's about accepting the call in our lives and doing it the way He show us to do it! It's about walking through those doors even in the midst of opposition. Remember this, true success ain't success if there isn't some type of opposition coming against us. One of my favorite characters is Apostle Paul because he faced many enemies in his lifetime but nothing stopped him from walking through the doors of opportunity. He didn't stop traveling and did all he needed to do in his lifetime. No matter what he went through, he kept his eyes open for opportunities. So who is the one who opens these doors of opportunities? It's God, my friends and He moves on the hearts of people to make a straight pathway for His people to walk in (Proverbs 21:1). As my dad would say, we've got to be in position, we've got to be in our place. One of the major reasons why a lot of us aren't successful is from not being in our place. Then when see the door of opportunity, it may be closed to us. The time is now my friends. We can't be slothful, we can't live in the term ignorance is bliss any longer, and can't afford to allow these issues of life to keep us down. We've got to press through and walk through the doors of success. We'll never be satisfied until we become who were predestined to be and do (Psalms 17:15). We'll be like some of the people I see at my job, bitter and angry because they screwed up opportunities to walk in their full potential. Jesus said that He has given us life and that more abundantly (John 10:10). Why not take Him at His word? If God has given us a dream to start a business or become a college professor, why not take Him up on the opportunity opened to us?! It would be crazy not to, dudes and dudettes. I'm just saying... These open doors aren't just for us, it's for others as well. In this time, God is raising up Josephs; people who will feed nations with education, food, and shelter. Now, we become a conduit of success because we walked through the doors of success. Understand? I guess I'm done for the day but please take to heart what I'm saying because I'm trying to eat and digest these words to. And if we experience stumbles along the way, don't stop; don't ever stop. As the old saying goes, our stumbling blocks are our stairs to the door of success.
Til next time, dgwo.
Reference:
1st Corinthians 16:9
John 10:10
Til next time, dgwo.
Reference:
1st Corinthians 16:9
John 10:10
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Cutting Ties
I really didn't want to write anything today because I've had a busy couple of days. But today, I just had a thought I wanted to share with you all. It's about cutting ties. Cutting ties is an old verbiage from the old school, maybe from the mafia or from people like Al Capone. Although their "occupations" were illegal, they knew what and who to keep but whatever or whoever to let go. To all my history buffs and street wise men, we've seen many people in the past and present having to cut ties to keep the business going. One thing as human beings we don't like to do is change. Change includes letting go of the past, letting go of habits that are killing us, and letting go of people who aren't any good for us. Change causes a different level of thought process, intellect, and procedures in our actions Change is growing up and realizing things as they are and looking beyond the horizon; you know, the bigger picture. However, most of us are still holding onto things and people that are dragging us down. These ties we're unwilling to cut are draining us of our time, money, potential, and the mental proficiencies to make the right decisions. It's crazy and I see this 7 days a week within myself and those around me. To people who know me, I'm a 31 year-old who still loves to read comic books (that's right I said comic books!-Tyrone Copple {Jamie Foxx Show}voice). There is an old storyline when Spiderman had became one with an alien entity known as a symbiont (either of two organisms that live in symbiosis with one another). These two organisms, Spiderman and the symbiont became one and gave Spiderman a living uniform. It exponentially increased his powers, which became limitless. Everything he did before, it was magnified to the highest level. However, this symbiont era in his life created changes in him that was turning him into an evil character. Usually, he would beat his enemies and leave them to the police. However, he would be at the point where he was going to kill them. He behavior changed and disconnected himself from Mary Jane, his future wife. Then one day, he took a look in the mirror and saw something was wrong with this new suit which the symbiosis provided him. One day, he had enough and took himself to the top of bell tower, rang the bell tower, and the symbiotic entity was "cut loose" from Spiderman. You see, we're living in a day and age when we're connecting ourselves with things and people that are "presumably" opening doors for us. However, there are various strings attached that we don't see until things around us and in us are turning for the worse. We're in relationships with people that are draining us financially and abusing us physically, sexually, mentally, and emotionally. We're holding tight to belief systems and thought processes that are hurting our families, friends, and even our enemies. We're still performing business practices that are aiding and abetting to the economic crisis America is experiencing in our own special way. We're still stuck in addictions and habits that are destroying us from the inside out. I myself within these past 8 months see a lot of people, places, thoughts, and things I need to cut loose from. They aren't any good for me and if I don't get rid of them, it'll be the end of me and my family; everything I've suffered to gain lost in an instant. I can't let that happen. You can't let that happen, either. Cutting ties is good for us because it causes us to grow. In John 15:1-6, Jesus talks about how He is the True Vine and we are the branches. Every branch not connected to Him would wither and die but every branch found in Him would be purged (pruned, cut) so that each branch would bear more fruit. Everyday, God is trying to get our attention, to get us rooted in Him so He through various situations and processes, cut away those ties that will cause us to die and be unprofitable. However, we run from this process because it hurts. But this is the essence of growing up, we must experience growing pains so we can cut off bad ties and grow into new and better ties. It's good for our life's business and calling. But how many of us are willing to grow through this process? How many of us are ready to let go of those things killing us, our destiny, our families, and our future? Are we willing to cut away childish and evil things from our lives? Let it marinate for a minute. Now, these words just ain't for church folks but for the extortionist, for the businessman, for the politician, for the atheist, and for whoever else______. In order to live a life that's pleasing to God and to fulfill our life's purpose, we've got to be willing to cut ties to things and people not good for us. If you're ready to be that one to take it to next level in your life, find some shears, get your sword (the Holy Bible), and get to cutting....
Til next time, dgwo.
Reference:
John 15:1-6
Hebrews 12:9-11
Til next time, dgwo.
Reference:
John 15:1-6
Hebrews 12:9-11
Monday, July 23, 2012
The Great Double Dip Recession
My friends, America is in a very bad state. To be honest, I think all that is going on from underemployment, to homelessness, to unemployment could have been prevented. Well, maybe not prevented but various implementations to help the millions of Americans losing their houses, living with no food to eat, and can't pay their bills but still working a 9 to 5. These situations and many more has become a common occurrence for many of us. I remember telling people a couple of years ago that we were in a recession. Some people believed me yet other mistook my synopsis as a joke. Come now into the year 2012, a time when some economists say we're experiencing a double-dip recession and everybody (and I mean everybody) in more ways than one is feeling the burden of it. A lot of us hear it and read the headlines but a lot of us don't know what a recession is. Here is what the dictionary characterizes this word:
recession: a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters.
America is experiencing a double-dip recession and we've been in this state for a very long time. Ever since the collapse of various big time banks in late 2007, this country has yet to regroup. The bailouts, which I think should have went to the American people and other social services, only condoned the actions of these crooked businessmen and politicians. International corporations like JP Morgan are still doing horrible, recently admitting to a 5 plus billion dollar shortfall. Right now, we're experiencing a "hiring crisis." Some reports say that unemployment claims are falling and some say they're rising. Do you really want to know the truth? The estimated average rate of unemployment in America is between 13.5 to 15.1 percent. In certain parts of the east coast, south, Midwest, and western states, these rates are almost up to 19 to 20.1%. Now, we're experiencing a great wave of underemployment. Many magazines like Newsweek, Time, and Bloomberg Businessweek are discussing the topic of college graduates within the past 4 years not able to find jobs. From engineers, to business administration workers, to even people wanting to be educators, they can't find a job or a good paying job to save their life. More people in America are in ground zero being laid off, having their hours cut, and they're benefits taken away. You even have certain towns laying off or reducing the pay of cops and firefighters to minimum wage while the mayor and other city officials boost their own pay. We're seeing about 90% or more of our "representatives" (excluding the president and vice president) in Washington D.C. making millions while the rest of America is barely making it. More jobs are being sent overseas and jobs aren't giving the younger generation to utilize their skills in the workplace. The cost of education is increasing and many people who have taken on student loans are defaulting on them. Even in my area, if you've defaulted on your student loan but try to get a certain federal job, you won't get hired based on your credit (unless you know somebody-in Central Texas-it's about who you know not really based on your skills/potential). To quite honest with you, we might as well admit that America has lost its business savvy consisting of ethical business principles. I think two major things continue to contribute to this double-dip recession; greed and the unwillingness to invest for the future. The Bible states that the love of money is the root to all evil (1st Timothy 6:10). Although some people think those words are just from men, when you look at our society, you can't help but agree with this quote that was given by God's foresight of our hearts. There are people in our society who are filthy rich and care less if the next man's family is homeless and don't have any food to eat. These people are found in law making, politics, and run the bureaucratic affairs at our jobs. These people are the ones causing many of our finest institutions to drastically increase the cost of education and decrease the quality of education in our public school systems (without knowledge, we have no power). In terms of investing, I mean investing in people; giving people a chance. Back in the days, people used to have apprenticeships to guide the next generation along so they could learn and be masters of a trade. Today, that is hardly seen in our society. My age group and the ones under my age group probably don't have a trade. Most of the kids I see in my area want to be a rapper or a pimp rather than a doctor, nurse, or a mechanic. They want to be the next Lebron James than be the next Ben Carson. It's crazy. Instead of seeing investments in people with knowledge of certain trades and business concepts, we're seeing investments of trash, mess, and all things that pulls people down. It's sad and these two have just some of the problems out of many contributing the lingering affects of the double-dip recession. Even in the Central Texas area, I see many jobs willing to pay or invest in the older generation than investing in the newer generation. So what will the newer generation do, they'll get into trouble. One finance book I remember reading was talking about how the affects of poverty increasing the rates and probability of crime. Company executives will hire their good for nothing friends or family instead of hiring Mr. or Ms./Mrs. Do It Right The First Time worker. For some reason, people pick the messiest people instead of picking the people who may hold others accountable but will become a jewel for that company. My friends, we're in a decline and instead of ignoring what's going on around us, we need to acknowledge it. We need to acknowledge that we're going down instead of going up. We're experiencing the great double dip recession. A lot of us don't know the business cycle, but I'd like to share it with you:
We're in a trough, meaning a low point of activity in our economy. Don't be fooled by the new IPhones, wireless technology, and all the gadgets. There are still millions of America out of work or having to work multiple jobs to even see one end meet halfway to the other end. There are still millions of college graduates ready to be hired to take a company to the next level but shunned because companies still run in the good ol' boy system. There are millions of Americans in need of a good samaritan to help them get back on their feet and become a contributor in our society. However, people are just passing them by judging them because of their race, age, creed, criminal history (of which they never get a chance-I see it everyday at my job), and so on. The only way we're going to make it out of this pit is when the powers that be stop being greedy (in DMX's voice) and invest in the right people. It's time we as the American people start to hold our politicians accountable for their undercover actions as well as their lack of action. Why should they get paid thousands to millions of dollars of our hard earned tax money while we struggle to provide for our children? Are they better than us? It's time to hold these crooked businessmen and women accountable for their prejudices hiring schemes so that these college graduates' skills don't go to waste. It's time we hold accountable these school boards who are inserting crooked tools of educational practices and information infecting our kids with garbage (history, social sciences). It's time we learn to invest in one another, namely the next generation. It's time we stop the other half of greed called selfishness and spend time with our kids; making sure they do their homework and excel for success. Dudes and dudettes, it doesn't take much. All it takes is using the business principles correctly and we'll see a turn around. It won't be overnight but it will happen. In Haggai chapter 1, God had got on Israel for these same practices and situations I've talked about in this blog. They have business savvy but used it wrongfully; causing the work of God to experience a double dip recession. He told them what to do and the fire kindled in them once again. The person that spoke to them on God's behalf had held the people and the leaders accountable. They had no other choice but to heed to the wisdom higher than them and get to work the right way. Then the work of God was getting complete. They experienced an expansion like never before. So as I end today's blog, don't take my words as gold because I'm just a man and I can lead you wrong. I'm just concerned about the welfare of our nation; looking passed the glitz and seeing the ugly side. I'm done.
Til next time, dgwo.
Reference:
Haggai 1
recession: a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters.
America is experiencing a double-dip recession and we've been in this state for a very long time. Ever since the collapse of various big time banks in late 2007, this country has yet to regroup. The bailouts, which I think should have went to the American people and other social services, only condoned the actions of these crooked businessmen and politicians. International corporations like JP Morgan are still doing horrible, recently admitting to a 5 plus billion dollar shortfall. Right now, we're experiencing a "hiring crisis." Some reports say that unemployment claims are falling and some say they're rising. Do you really want to know the truth? The estimated average rate of unemployment in America is between 13.5 to 15.1 percent. In certain parts of the east coast, south, Midwest, and western states, these rates are almost up to 19 to 20.1%. Now, we're experiencing a great wave of underemployment. Many magazines like Newsweek, Time, and Bloomberg Businessweek are discussing the topic of college graduates within the past 4 years not able to find jobs. From engineers, to business administration workers, to even people wanting to be educators, they can't find a job or a good paying job to save their life. More people in America are in ground zero being laid off, having their hours cut, and they're benefits taken away. You even have certain towns laying off or reducing the pay of cops and firefighters to minimum wage while the mayor and other city officials boost their own pay. We're seeing about 90% or more of our "representatives" (excluding the president and vice president) in Washington D.C. making millions while the rest of America is barely making it. More jobs are being sent overseas and jobs aren't giving the younger generation to utilize their skills in the workplace. The cost of education is increasing and many people who have taken on student loans are defaulting on them. Even in my area, if you've defaulted on your student loan but try to get a certain federal job, you won't get hired based on your credit (unless you know somebody-in Central Texas-it's about who you know not really based on your skills/potential). To quite honest with you, we might as well admit that America has lost its business savvy consisting of ethical business principles. I think two major things continue to contribute to this double-dip recession; greed and the unwillingness to invest for the future. The Bible states that the love of money is the root to all evil (1st Timothy 6:10). Although some people think those words are just from men, when you look at our society, you can't help but agree with this quote that was given by God's foresight of our hearts. There are people in our society who are filthy rich and care less if the next man's family is homeless and don't have any food to eat. These people are found in law making, politics, and run the bureaucratic affairs at our jobs. These people are the ones causing many of our finest institutions to drastically increase the cost of education and decrease the quality of education in our public school systems (without knowledge, we have no power). In terms of investing, I mean investing in people; giving people a chance. Back in the days, people used to have apprenticeships to guide the next generation along so they could learn and be masters of a trade. Today, that is hardly seen in our society. My age group and the ones under my age group probably don't have a trade. Most of the kids I see in my area want to be a rapper or a pimp rather than a doctor, nurse, or a mechanic. They want to be the next Lebron James than be the next Ben Carson. It's crazy. Instead of seeing investments in people with knowledge of certain trades and business concepts, we're seeing investments of trash, mess, and all things that pulls people down. It's sad and these two have just some of the problems out of many contributing the lingering affects of the double-dip recession. Even in the Central Texas area, I see many jobs willing to pay or invest in the older generation than investing in the newer generation. So what will the newer generation do, they'll get into trouble. One finance book I remember reading was talking about how the affects of poverty increasing the rates and probability of crime. Company executives will hire their good for nothing friends or family instead of hiring Mr. or Ms./Mrs. Do It Right The First Time worker. For some reason, people pick the messiest people instead of picking the people who may hold others accountable but will become a jewel for that company. My friends, we're in a decline and instead of ignoring what's going on around us, we need to acknowledge it. We need to acknowledge that we're going down instead of going up. We're experiencing the great double dip recession. A lot of us don't know the business cycle, but I'd like to share it with you:
We're in a trough, meaning a low point of activity in our economy. Don't be fooled by the new IPhones, wireless technology, and all the gadgets. There are still millions of America out of work or having to work multiple jobs to even see one end meet halfway to the other end. There are still millions of college graduates ready to be hired to take a company to the next level but shunned because companies still run in the good ol' boy system. There are millions of Americans in need of a good samaritan to help them get back on their feet and become a contributor in our society. However, people are just passing them by judging them because of their race, age, creed, criminal history (of which they never get a chance-I see it everyday at my job), and so on. The only way we're going to make it out of this pit is when the powers that be stop being greedy (in DMX's voice) and invest in the right people. It's time we as the American people start to hold our politicians accountable for their undercover actions as well as their lack of action. Why should they get paid thousands to millions of dollars of our hard earned tax money while we struggle to provide for our children? Are they better than us? It's time to hold these crooked businessmen and women accountable for their prejudices hiring schemes so that these college graduates' skills don't go to waste. It's time we hold accountable these school boards who are inserting crooked tools of educational practices and information infecting our kids with garbage (history, social sciences). It's time we learn to invest in one another, namely the next generation. It's time we stop the other half of greed called selfishness and spend time with our kids; making sure they do their homework and excel for success. Dudes and dudettes, it doesn't take much. All it takes is using the business principles correctly and we'll see a turn around. It won't be overnight but it will happen. In Haggai chapter 1, God had got on Israel for these same practices and situations I've talked about in this blog. They have business savvy but used it wrongfully; causing the work of God to experience a double dip recession. He told them what to do and the fire kindled in them once again. The person that spoke to them on God's behalf had held the people and the leaders accountable. They had no other choice but to heed to the wisdom higher than them and get to work the right way. Then the work of God was getting complete. They experienced an expansion like never before. So as I end today's blog, don't take my words as gold because I'm just a man and I can lead you wrong. I'm just concerned about the welfare of our nation; looking passed the glitz and seeing the ugly side. I'm done.
Til next time, dgwo.
Reference:
Haggai 1
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