Can't you just SHUT UP!

Have you ever noticed how great most people are at giving "advice"? Sorry, let me make a correction... I meant, BAD ADVICE.

If you want someone to tell you what they think you need to do with your life, you don't need to go far. Just pick a random friend or family member and they will be more than happy to oblige.

But the frustrating thing is, people love to tell you what you need to do to fix your life, but they can't seem to apply the same advice they give, toward their own life.

You know, the thing that gets me though, is how willing us as a people are to run to others who can't help themselves, and ask them what their opinion is about our life struggles. But what since does that make?

I was in the barber shop recently, when a guy walked in. The guy basically looked a mess, and the stuff he was talking about was a mess too. The point is, as he sat in the barber chair across from me to get his hair cut, I couldn't help but hear him start giving the barber so-called "advice". Talking about "why black people don't succeed, and what everyone needs to do to make it". Sure he made a few good points, but do you really want to listen to someone who has a bunch of knowledge, but no power to use it? Why give ear to someone who doesn't have the first clue of how to apply what he knows? Of course not! What you really want to say to that person is "can't you just shut up". And why? Because you want to learn from someone who is successful at what they are telling you to do.

And this is exactly why we all should be more than just a little upset with the way our lives are going. Can you say that your life screams for attention? I mean, without you saying a word, does your life grab others attention, due to how successful it is. This can be in marriage, at work, at school, in you neighborhood, etc. Do people look at you like the guy from the movie Pursuit of Happiness, and say "what do you do, and how do you do it?" Probably not. And that is the problem.

You believe in God, you know some good things. You may even be able to tell others how to solve problems. But what about your own? If you are still living a sub-par life, then you need to get angry enough to do something about it. As long as you accept it, you will always have it. You have to refuse what is less than great, and fight for better.

And please, if you don't have something yourself, to back up the advice that you are giving, please, just don't give it.

It's like the old saying goes "put up or shut up". In simple terms, that means either DO something, or STOP talking.

Now or Never!

I've heard it said a long time ago, that "everyone has a limit".

Now the question is, how long will it take you to reach yours? A lot of people mosy around day by day like everything is A-O.K., but the reality is that nothing is O.K. I get so fed up with hearing people say "I'm blessed and highly favored" or "God is good, allll thhhheeee tiiiimmmee".

It's like people become puppets to cliches. They just say what they think they are supposed to say at that moment, but not what is true to how they feel.

Think about it, how many times has someone asked you, "how are you today"? And you simply say, "I'm good" or maybe even "I'm great", when in reality you are feeling horrible that day.

Now don't get me wrong, you don't need to go shouting your problems on the rooftop for the first person who comes by to hear. But there is a time to be straight up and honest. Especially when it comes to dealing with God. He knows what you feel inside anyway, but if you don't express it outside, how can you get help?

There is a verse in the bible that I was thinking about. It says "there is a time for everything under the sun... a time for peace and a time for war."

Nothing will ever change in your life until you reach the point where you say " enough is enough! something has to change, NOW!"

Now is the time for war my friends. It's all or nothing. Now or never.

My wife's anniversary gift to me. I was really touched.

Run, PO-PO, Run!!!

When you are out in the streets, living the fast life, everything seems fun and exciting at first. But sooner or later reality has to strike. And most people can't handle it, when it does.

I remember being out in the streets gang banging and selling dope to make a fast buck. In the beginning, I wasn't afraid, I didn't care about the risk I was taking. Nothing seemed to move me. All I knew was that I was getting paid, and I liked the power that it made me feel. All the long nights hustling on the block and the rival gang fights was just a big adrenaline rush. And don't even get me started on the music. I mean, the music just fueled me on. I knew just what to play to get in the mood to do this or that. Oh, and the girls... They seemed to be so interested in the "bad boys". It seems that the fast life just made them flock to us.

Sure I was packing a pistol and a sack of crack. Not to mention the marijuana I smoked everyday, all day (I was like a walking chimney for nearly 10 years). But ask me was there peace in my heart? NO! Ask me if I slept well at night? NO! Ask me if all me friends were there for me when I needed them the most? NO! I found myself alone and rejected. It is sad.

Going back to the block for a second. I remember like it was yesterday, the times when the police would raid the block trying to catch one of us. It's like no matter how hard they would try, they could never get us all. Because we were always on our toes. The first sign of suspicion and all you heard was "run, po-po, run". For you who don't know, po-po is a nick name for police. Anyway, when someone would shout that the cops were close, we would run for our lives and usually get away.

But the key word there is usually. There were many other times that we did get caught, and normally in the silliest way. And when you did get caught, you were pretty much on your own. Until you got out at least. The fact is, no criminal is smart enough to escape 100% of the time. Sooner or later he gets caught by the police or by rival criminals (and either way that's a problem).

And the same applies in life. You can get away with doing wrong only for so long. It will come back to bite you sooner or later. God sees everything we do. Don't think because you haven't faced consequences, that you are Scot free. You aren't! Some wrongs are quickly discovered and punished, but others are not. But ALL will be dealt with in time.

Just like you can't outrun the law forever. You surely can't outrun Gods law forever. He sees your every move and knows exactly who you are.

So the next time you want to say run, run, run to try and get away from consequences, remember, you may escape for now, but God saw the whole thing. And you can't escape Him.

Whoa! That's Freaky!

Take a good look at this picture. I don't know what you think, but to me it's pretty freaky. I think I would have been praying my heart out if I had seen this in real life.

This is a picture of the volcano eruption in Chile. Actually it was after it started erupting and then began to lightning. So you had lava and lightning mixed together.

It looks like a scene from an apocalyptic movie. It really makes you think about the end of the world.

The bible says:

³⁰ “ And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
³¹ The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD." (Joel 2: 30-31)

What the Dallas Mavericks reminded me about...

If any of you got a chance to see at least one of the last 3 NBA Finals games, you would have to agree with one thing. The Dallas Mavericks sure seemed to have it together a lot more than the Miami Heat.

Now as everyone who reads this blog knows, I am a Heat fan, not Mavericks. But the truth is the truth. These guys were older and supposedly less talented than the Heat. But look how they handled them. They did not cheat, or have every call in their favor, or anything else unfair. They simply WON. They Beat them. Period.

So enough with the obvious. You may ask, what is my point? Well, the point is, though the Heat were young and talented, they could not handle the wisdom and experience or the Mavs. Sure the Heat were faster, could jump higher, and play much more beautiful ball than the Mavericks. But the Mavericks with simplicity and self control, chipped away at the Heat little by little. They didn't do many beautiful dunks or fancy passes, but they shot with accuracy and played as a team.

You still don't get the point?

The point is, in life we need to learn to show respect for and learn as much as possible from those who are wiser or hold more experience than us. It is easy to say," I know what I'm doing, I don't need anyone to tell me what to do". But you sure could save yourself a lot of pain if you are willing to listen to what others who have "been there and done that", have to say.

All of our talent and strength makes no difference, if we don't know how to us it. It will end up misguided and will be of no use. We need to be humble enough to learn. In fact, we should never stop learning! We should be willing to accept advice and constructive criticism. No matter if we want to hear it or not. And we should always learn from others experiences. Dirk Nowinski and and Jason Kidd knew very well what the pain of failure was. And not just that, they knew this could be their last shot. But because they were experienced and wise, this bunch of "old guys" spanked a young talented Miami Heat team (I guess my boys need to respect their elders and go back to school so to speak). In life we will also get spanked if we don't learn from those who God puts in our life to guide us.

Give it some thought, and you may save yourself some disappointment.

P.S. I haven't given up on you Miami Heat. Just eat a slice of humble pie and come back next year.

Make the Most of It

Life's too short to waste whining about what could or would have been.

Whatever happens. whatever comes your way, you just need to learn to make the most of it.

If something really good happens, great, embrace the moment and see how you got to that point, But don't let your guard down and think that everything is OK. You must make the most of that good moment but brace yourself for the struggles that will eventually come.

If something really bad happens, you should do the same as you did with the good. Try to see if there was something you could have done differently to avoid what happened. If not then endure it with total resolve that it will end. If there is something that you have to change or fix in order to turn that moment around, then put the effort and strength into making the change. But make the most of it.

Learn from the bad, but make the most of it, in the since that, maybe a bad can be turned into a good learning experience to reflect on in the future. So if you learn from it and use it to teach you and possibly others not to do a certain thing, then you have made the most of it.

As well, with the good that happens, you should make the most by sharing the experiences and what God has done for you with others, and teach them how to conquer too.

So whether good or bad comes your way, make the most of it. Like the old saying goes, "you gotta learn to make lemonade out of a lemon."

Is it all worth it?

Is it worth it, to embrace a faith and a God I can not see?

Is it worth it, to become a slave for a promise to be free?

Is it worth it, to forget the past and ignore all that I know?

Is it really worth the friends I’ll loose and all the places I won’t go?

Is it worth it, to forgive someone, who hurt me oh so deep?

Is it worth the fight to hold your tongue, when silence seems so weak?

Is it worth all that I’ll sacrifice to walk this path alone?

Is it worth becoming an alien, in a world I once called home?

Is it worth it, if I change my habits, just because He said?

Is it worth it, to give up the lead in order to be led?

I wanna know it’s worth, please, before I pay this price.

I need to know, that I can trust this Jesus with my life.

The answer came so short and sweet, yet easy to receive.

It’s not worth it, to a worldly man, who’s stuck in his beliefs.

It’s not worth it, to the selfish man, who lusts for evil things.

It’s not worth it to the proud at heart, who doesn’t want to change.

It’s not worth it to the world itself, because the world can’t see.

But to those who look through eyes of faith, it’s worth it to believe.