The day I almost got raped.

A lot of you may read the title of this post and say, "no way, a guy could never get raped". We'll, it depends on how you look at it. Rape is when someone makes you have sex against your own will, isn't it? So technically I did almost get raped. But that's not the reason why I'm sharing this. Read on, and you will better understand...

This experience happened years ago. I'm thinking somewhere between 10-14 yrs ago. I was still a teenager, and I was in the process of changing my life. Grant it, I was still a long way from totally changing, but I was trying.

By this time, I had already stopped smoking weed, I wasn't drinking anymore, I wasn't hanging out on the corners selling drugs, I wasn't even going out to parties. I was basically working and going to church almost everyday. Of course I would go to the mall, or catch a movie on the weekend, but that was about it. Oh, and I still liked getting girls phone numbers and calling them to flirt. This is were the problem started. This is what lead to the day that I almost got raped.

So one day, I don't remember if I was off work or headed there. But I think I was off. I decided to go to a mall and eat something. Whilst on my way, I passed by a girl that I thought was pretty. I didn't talk to her straight away, but on my way back into the train station I saw her again. So me being the playboy (remember I was still trying to change, not completely changed) that I thought I was, I walked past her, played it cool and glanced at her to see if she was checking me out. To no surprise, she was. So I walked back over to her, started dropping my lines on her, and got her number. I actually ended up taking the same train as her, and so we talked the whole train ride.

We ended up setting up a date the next day and I went out to a restaurant with her. Of course I had to do something different than other guys my age, so I went to a real restaurant, not just your typical McDonald's. So after I walked her home that night, we talked and kissed, but not much more than that. We didn't enter the real temperature danger zone yet (nothing got too hot). But I went to see her two or three more times at her house. All of those times, no one was home. That is the recipe for disaster.

Now bear in mind that even though I hadn't changed to the point of not flirting with girls, I had changed to the point of not having sex with any. So I was never intending on having sex. But the third or fourth time that I went to her house, that rule of flirting but not going all the way would be tested. You can say, the temperature reached critical levels... And saying no, became next to impossible!...


I'll tell you the rest of the story on Fridays post.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

Oh, how the mighty have fallen...

Is a statement that people make back where I'm from, when someone who was "on top of the world" takes a dive and has to deal with humiliation.

Now isn't that exactly what is happening to 50 Cent right now? I don't know him personally, and have no judgement about him personally. But one thing I do know, is that not so long ago, he was the talk of the music industry. It seemed every young person from U.S. to London knew who he was and flocked to the music store or iTunes to get his albums when they were released. He literally sold millions or albums over the coarse of months. And any concert would be packed out by just the mention of his name.

But what happened now? Now he is angry with his record label (Interscope) and the talk of the town is that they dropped him. For you who don't know much about the music industry, to drop someone means that the label is no longer happy with your record sells, and so they terminate the contract with you, or at least cease to invest in you.

So how could someone who sold so many albums and influenced so many people, lose the support of the same people. Maybe you would say he "hasn't lost his supporters", but I say if not, why are they not buying his stuff anymore?

My answer to that question is this, "you can only talk about the same, NEGATIVE GARBAGE for so long". After a while people will get tired of you. Sure someone else will come along with the same garbage, just cooked up differently, but people will get tired of them too, one day. The truth is that the world is cruel like that. It loves to lift you up, and then just when you think you are something, it drops you harder than ever.

So those who love to get attention and acceptance from this world will only end up disappointed in the end. That applies to many different things too. Not just to those who want to be an entertainer or something. But it applies to you who go to school and will do anything to be popular. It's not always the popular kid who succeeds. Normally the class clown is the same one that ends up 45 yrs old working at the McDonald's drive thru. Or you who work around people who are not the best example, but you talk about and do the things that the others do just to fit in. You are not having integrity. You are not standing out at all. And so you and your life will always be just average.

The pleasures of negativity do not last long. You may be able to do things wrong and gain something quickly, but sooner or later you will lose it, and embarrassment and shame will be the aftershock. And the same ones who acted like they loved you when you were on top, will be laughing at you when you go down.

If you don't believe me, just look at "Fiddy" right now.

Stop being a follower

This was a recent internet new article talking about Megan Fox, have a look, then read the comment below it:

Marilyn Monroe's face has slowly been fading from Megan Fox's forearm because Megan was worried the Hollywood icon's reputed struggles with mental illness might somehow bring dark energy into her own life. "It's a negative character, as [Marilyn Monroe] suffered from personality disorders and was bipolar," Megan told Italian magazine, Amica. "I do not want to attract this kind of

negative energy in my life." The Marilyn tat is going the way of a belly button ring that Megan got when she was 16 in order to emulate another troubled star. "I did it when I was 16-years-old because I was a fan of Britney Spears," she explained. "The only time I tried to imitate someone else. But then I thought it was tacky so I removed it when I turned 20."

If you try to imitate others, you will soon regret it. Either be yourself or at least imitate a good example. Many people (especially youth) these days want to be like others who are not even a good example. They want to be like the rappers, actors, sports stars, etc. That is pretty sad. Because you are trying to be like someone who is s bad example. So if you become like them, then you will also be a bad example like they are.

Be smart, be an individual instead of following the crowd. It's funny that the bible says:

"You shall not follow a crowd to do evil..." (Exodus 23:2)

Have you been following the crowd? If so, you, just like Megan Fox, will regret it.

Psalm 141- So, So Powerful and Helpful

¹ LORD, I call on You; hurry to [help] me.
Listen to my voice when I call on You.

² May my prayer be set before You as incense,
the raising of my hands as the evening offering.

³ LORD, set up a guard for my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.

⁴ Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing
or wickedly perform reckless acts
with men who commit sin.
Do not let me feast on their delicacies.

⁵ Let the righteous one strike me—
it is [an act of] faithful love;
let him rebuke me—
it is oil for my head;
let me ^[a] not refuse it.
Even now my prayer is against
the evil acts of the wicked. ^[b]

⁶ When their rulers ^[c] will be thrown off
the sides of a cliff,
the people ^[d] will listen to my words,
for they are pleasing.

⁷ As when one plows and breaks up the soil,
[turning up rocks],
so our ^[e] bones have been scattered
at the mouth of Sheol.

⁸ But my eyes [look] to You, Lord GOD .
I seek refuge in You; do not let me die. ^[f]

⁹ Protect me from ^[g] the trap they have set for me,
and from the snares of evildoers.

¹⁰ Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass [safely] by.

Shoulda Been Dead: The day after tomorrow...

Shoulda Been Dead: The day after tomorrow...: "What's the most common, yet weakest, most pitiful statement you've ever heard from someone, who doesn't want to do something? Can't think o..."

Gotta love those insults...

Take a look at the picture above...

That's pretty offensive to say to a person, isn't it?

Nobody really likes being insulted (even if the words are true). We all learn that there is a way that you should go about saying things to people. And even Jesus teaches us to speak with respect to others. I remember growing up and constantly hearing this expression, "there's a way to talk to a dog!" Basically when a person says that, they are saying that "you're not gonna talk to me just any kinda way." And by all means I agree that there is a right and wrong way to go about saying things.

So that may leave you asking, "then why did you write this blog?" I will get to that in a minute.

First of all let's be clear, I'm not saying that we should speak to people in an insulting manner. But what I am about to say is referring to the way that others speak to us.

I think in some way insults are good. WHAT! You may be thinking right now. But yes, I mean it. I think in some ways they are good. Why? Because when someone insults you, it makes you angry. And when you get angry, you want to do something about whatever they insulted you about. You want to make sure that that person never, ever has the chance to be able to insult you about that again. For example, you are a little overweight, so someone says to you, "wow, you are really packing on the pounds! What have you been doing, eating horses for dinner?" Sure. It will make you mad. But it will also make you look at yourself and think, "I will lose some weight so that no one will be able to say something like that to me again." And by you making that decision, you will become healthier. So the insult lead you to action. Of course there are many more constructive ways to say the same thing that they said to you, but there again, I'm not talking about the way we speak to others, but the way that others speak to us.

If we don't use the insult as fuel to push ourselves forward, then what is the other choice? We will end up sinking into a deep pit of depression or sadness, because someone put us down. And that is not productive. We have to use positive and negative criticism as fuel to propel us forward.

So the next time someone insults you, tell them thanks. And prove them wrong or change yourself so that they will never be able to throw that punch again.

This is too real not to share- Kick the bum out

Renato Cardoso's Blog: Kick the bum out: "I received the following comment to my article 'Are you your child’s savior?' , to which I subsequently respond: I have a 24-year-old so..."

When is it enough?

How long should a person do the same thing if they are seeing no results?

That's a question that needs to be answered in the mind of many people.

But the real question is not how long you should keep trying or doing, but the real question is, why are you not seeing results? What could you do differently?

Life does not give any handouts. I am sorry to say, but it is crazy to keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. You have to change something. You have to look at yourself and see what you can fix.

And one more thing. As long as a person looks for others to blame for why things are not getting better, they will always find someone or something else to blame. But the real answer comes when you look inside yourself and recognize that it all starts with you!

So when will it be enough of the same old life, the same old problems, the same old crumbs?

When you say enough is enough! When you decide the think about the promises of God and about what you need to change. Then you need to take action in order to see the change manifest. But it all starts inside of you. Change your mind, and you will eventually change your life.

This is so, so true!

Renato Cardoso's Blog: The wise man and the cow: "Some of you may already know this story, but there's always somebody who never heard it. In any case, it's a lesson worth remembering. Let's..."