DOMESTIC WAR

There is a war going on here in the United States of America. I'm not talking in reference to the war on terror in the sense of foreigners dropping bombs or beheading people. That is happening and a travesty but I'm speaking about all the domestic violence here at home. In the news headlines another young brother NFL player is exposed in a video for punching his wife and knocking her unconscious. Another high profile NFL player is being indicted on child abuse charges against his four year old son. Locally here in Memphis, Tennessee where I reside, a husband killed his wife then himself, and a week later a firefighter killed his girlfriend. There also was a group of teenagers forming a hit mob going to the local grocery store and beating up and assaulting innocent people. As if that wasn't enough last month in August in Ferguson, Missouri an unarmed black male teenager was  killed in cold blood by a police officer. This has seem to become a trend since the volatile case in 2012 of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman in the state of Florida.
All of this senseless violence is at epidemic proportions right now. There is so much hate consuming the hearts of men and women today.
Insecurities, betrayal, lack of trust, prejudice, along with other suppressed issues contribute to the behavior that is being exemplified  in our society. Our culture is becoming desensitized to the horrific acts of violence happening to women, children, and people in general.
It doesn't matter if the offender is a professional athlete, officer of the law, husband, father, mother, or teenager it is wrong all the way around to carry out such acts of violence. It has got to stop!!!


The bible says in Matthew 11:12, "From the days of John the Baptist until the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force."


Poetic Thought:


Sticks and stones do break bones,
The heart of a man is no longer right but left to go wrong,
Anger brings destruction like a consuming fire,
Integrity is low while immorality has risen higher,
Evil is a cancerous tumor manifested in the mind's core,
We wrestle against spiritual wickedness in this daily domestic war! ~JD


There is a movie I saw a year ago called The Purge. Since then the sequel The Purge Anarchy came out in July of this year. I saw both movies. The basis of the movies is a new age America where for one day in March for a period of 12 hours acts of violence is legal to commit including murder and people wouldn't be held accountable for their actions. The movie is intriguing but subliminally it sends a message of where our society could be heading. We must turn back to God and educate ourselves on conflict resolution instead of resorting to violence as a means to solve disputes or problems we all face. Pick up your cross and get on the battlefield to defeat the enemy in this domestic war! Until next time, class dismiss!!!

LIFE'S LABOR

Well we are coming off another Labor Day holiday. It is a time of reflection for the American worker be it blue collar or white collar. In order to produce anything or achieve something labor is required.
In life as a man or woman you will have to labor in order to have a better quality of life. If you are a parent you labor to provide for your children. If you are an entrepreneur you labor to ensure a successful business. If you are a mother you spent numerous of hours in labor to birth your child. With respect to reference of a mother in labor during the process of child birth, is similar to what you go through in life. The pains of life's labor come hard, sharp, and like a contraction it seems every few minutes literally and figuratively.
Now I am a man and I could never know what it actually feels like to be in labor to give birth like a woman, but I do know about life's labor.
Here are a few examples of labor pains in life: family disconnect (contraction), heartache (contraction), sickness (contraction), sin (contraction) along with many more. No man or woman is exempt from experiencing life's labor. If you endure the discomfort and pain by putting Jesus Christ first in your life then you will eventually birth a blessing like a mother does her child.

The bible says in Psalms 128:2, "You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours."

Poetic Thought:

The battlefield of the mind is fought everyday,
Stay parallel, your actions must line up with what you say,
Going through the basic training of life,
No matter the odds, be courageous, earn your stripes,
Be encouraged, embrace the Lord's favor,
Impact someone positively, reap the fruit of Life's Labor! ~ JD

There is a gospel song I love to listen to by William Murphy called "Its Working". This song invigorates my spirit and motivates my determination and drive to know that no matter what Grace and Favor is given to me by God. Here is the hook:

"This is my season for grace and for favor,
  This is my season to reap what I've sown,
  Everything is working together for my good"

 Remember this when life's labor seems unbearable, know that God has something for you on the other side of it. Until next time, class dismiss!!!