Do Not Be Anxious

Genesis 28:15 - "Behold, I am with you will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

Psalm 28:7 - The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and in am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. 

Psalm 56:3-4 - When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

Matthew 6:34 - "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Dear God, I am entrusting my life into Your hands. But with that I know that I have some responsibility to take. I am immune deficient, and measles has been spreading again. Even though I had all my vaccines against it, I did not build my antibodies, and boosters are not recommended for me anymore. Even though I had measles six years ago, I still didn't build my antibodies. When I asked with sincerity what religion prohibits vaccines and more specifically if Christianity was cited for a specific passage from the Bible, some lady threw out thou shalt not kill. What she failed to understand though is that not vaccinating could kill me. She also tried to claim MMR comes from fetal tissue. The thing is fetal tissue can come from babies who die of natural causes, still born babies, umbilical cords that would otherwise be trashed, as well as babies who are aborted. I do not feel we should judge people who get abortions because we do not have all the knowledge of why they choose them. The lady chose to stay with her "thou shalt not kill" approach though, so I decided to block her toxic nature. If one is going to say "thou shalt not kill" as an excuse to not vaccinate, then "thou shalt not kill" is all the more reason that Christians should be vaccinating! Unless they have medical reason otherwise, like I do. God, take away my anxiety. Chances are I will not live to 40 either because of the pushy anti-vax people with no medical substantiation or because of the republicans claiming to be Christian but wanting to take away food and healthcare from the disabled. I will trust You to intervene regardless. But You know I already feel measles is the worst curse ever. Thank You for being a shield. In Jesus' Name, Amen! 

Running the Candidates Through the Litmus Test-Who Has the Best Interest of the Least of These in Mind?

In my area, the two most contested races are Congressional District 6 with Gary Palmer and Mark Lester. The next is the gubernatorial race between Robert Bentley and Parker Griffith. 

Robert Bentley has failed every aspect with regard to the least of these in Alabama. And Gary Palmer has already been out through the test and failed every aspect as well. 

But I will break it down.

Matthew 25:31-46 - "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on the right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you! And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one if the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

      "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

The least of these. When you treat the least of these well, you treat Jesus well. When you hurt the least of these, you hurt Jesus. 

So here is the breakdown. Robert Bentley has avowed that he will refuse to expand Medicaid. And let me set something straight. People on Medicaid are not lazy. Medicaid, as established, is supposed to help the poor and the disabled. In Alabama, Medicaid has an assets test of $2000 maximum. Most of the poor and the disabled tend to have just over $2000. When the Affordable Care Act was passed, it gave states the opportunity to expand the Medicaid program. But Bentley let his hatred of President Obama get in the way. Bentley said healthcare was something that only his Christian brothers deserve. And the thing is, he is wrong. Many of the poor and the disabled are Christians but they still have no access to healthcare because they can neither get private insurance because their income is less than $11,000 and they do not qualify for assistance, but neither can they get Medicaid because of the assets test being one of the worst on the country. If Bentley had expanded Medicaid, just about every single person in Alabama would have access to healthcare. Bentley will continue to refuse access tohealthcare  for the least of these in Alabama as long as he remains in the governor position. Take a look at The Birmingham News from this past Sunday. A nice lengthy article about the disabled on the waiting list. These are the ones who have been blessed enough to actually be out on the Medicaid rolls. However, they are waiting for services because of an outdated and lengthy waiting list which even those who need the help still cannot get on. The state of Alabama will not improve in this regard as long as Bentley is governor. To make Medicaid work, and work well, it has to be expanded. The disabled need the expansion. Also, many of the poor do work. The ones who don't work are often the disabled. 

Parker Griffith has affirmed that he will not only expand Medicaid but reform Medicaid. And I support his position. For a disabled adult who is able to be placed on Medicaid in Alabama, it serves as nothing more than a supplement to private insurance. The coverage is worse than bare bones. It is almost non-existent. Neither private insurance nor Medicaid covers hearing aids for adults. And with the current assets test of $2000, affording hearing aids when state agencies, like Voc Rehab will not even help due to lack of complete understanding of how the hearing loss affects a particular person, is impossible since a good pair, but not necessarily the best pair, costs $3000. 

That is where the ABLE Act waiting for Senate passage in November comes in. The ABLE Act will allow families of the disabled individual to save up to $100,000 in a special 529 type of account tax-free without benefits being lost. This means that a disabled adult who is able to work more than just part time will not lose their benefits. Most of the disabled cannot afford to work right now due to the fact that they need the benefits more than they need the job. And the reason for that is because of the gaps in coverage through insurance companies and Medicaid. 

As you can see, the problem is circular. 

Now compare Gary Palmer and Mark Lester. Gary Palmer has avowed to not only repeal the ACA, but to fight against the president. Why run if you are just going to fight the president? Consider this thought: In a sense, the president is the boss. A senator or a congressman has said they are going to fight him. Essentially, they are planning to fight the boss. Now, if I go to a job interview saying I am going to fight the boss, I am most likely not going to get the job, right? So why should we allow senators and congressmen to be hired if all they are going to do is fight the boss, the president? 

One other problem. Many of these republican candidates tout their Christianity. Yet, they want to destroy programs set aside to help the least of these? Bounce back to what Jesus said in that passage in Matthew. Now think about what I just stated. If we know them by their fruit, and if the republicans claiming to be Christians are willing to destroy programs set aside to help the least of these even though Jesus made it perfectly clear that what they do to the least of these is what they do to Him, do you honestly think that they are truly Christians? I have to question that one big time. To me, this is like a church that abuses and bullies someone for having autism, and having been there, I can tell you that it not only hurts to experience that, but it is unforgivable and it tarnishes one's mindset of what church should be: a SAFE place full of love and grace and mercy and acceptance no matter what the person's walk of life might be, a SAFE place that comes along side of the person through their most difficult of challenges and never discriminates against someone, a Jesus-filled SAFE place. Yet, too many churches have failed people like me. They have failed. Period. This is why churches cannot be expected nor trusted to help the least of these. Not by themselves anyway. The government has established programs to help the least of these for a reason. Programs like SSI, SSDI, VA, SNAP, TANF, etc. Look into the history books of the Bible if you would. There are a lot of passages where kings would have the people who were able to do so go out and harvest the crops before a drought. Then when the drought came, the kings would have designated people who made sure every citizen's family had just enough food to eat for the day. That's right, the government made sure their citizens were cared for and provided for. There are many passages where God says that the rich should be kind to the poor and that the love of money is the root of all evil. Yet the republicans today would prefer to give tax breaks to the wealthiest corporations while taxing the poor through the nose and denying them the help they need. 

Picture this: The republicans in many states have been trying to make the poor pee in cups before they can get help they need for their families. But the courts have said this is illegal and a violation of privacy. Also, did you know pre-employment drug tests are actually illegal? I found that out after one store discriminated against me because I was on prescription ADHD medication at the time. I provided a copy of the prescription and all the information needed to prove it yet I was still discriminated against. I am no longer on the ADHD medication because of it. Also, the argument, well, I have to take tests when I am employed, fails. Why? Because you are employed. Also, you should question what kind of behavior your employer thought warranted the test. And unless you are in a position where public safety or heavy machinery is a factor, you should not need to drug test. But picture this: At the feeding of the thousands where a little boy sacrificed his picnic lunch so Jesus could feed them, imagine if you would each person coming to Jesus for their share and Jesus holding out a cup and saying, "You can eat after you pee in this cup." I can't imagine it because He would not ever do that because He never did. Jesus never made those kind of contingencies.

Jesus was not the one who said that a man shall not eat if he will not work. It was a disciple that said it. And it was not a reference to the disabled or the elderly or children although many people do not understand that these are the people on SNAP. Also, many of the people on SNAP do work. And nowhere does the Bible say anything about teaching a man to fish, though it is a nice proverb that some man after the Bible said. 

Minimum wages. Did you know our current minimum wage level is now below poverty level? In Shelby County, Alabama, it would take $14 per hour to not be below poverty. And yes, the law established minimum wage to be a living wage. If cost of living expenses were truly attached to minimum wage, then why has the cost of everything gone up despite the stagnation of the minimum wage? Well, they should go get an education! Many minimum wage jobs are filled by people with college degrees and years of experience. Even in government sector jobs. Well, then they should look for work elsewhere! Because there is such an abundance of jobs? Stop arguing the point of reality. Stop watching Fox News which admits to lying claiming there is not a law. (There is a code of ethics for journalism though.) 

Hobby Lobby. Suddenly a corporation is a person that can think, feel, breathe, eat, poop, sleep. Hmmm. The First Amendment is about people. Not corporations. But if Hobby Lobby has its way, no woman will be able to get any healthcare. Plan B says right on the box that it is a three day dose of standard birth control and that it does not cause abortion. Plan B is OTC and most insurances don't cover OTC. Hobby Lobby does not exclusively sell Christian merchandise nor does it indicate religion in its name. Hobby Lobby has infringed on the rights of women to have independent decisions about their healthcare. And what I think needs to happen now is that employer based coverage be eradicated. Completely. 

Also, faulty logic going on. A pastor once said that maybe the reason the woman chose an abortion was because it was a choice of being able to feed her existing children or losing one of those children to starvation for having the baby. Afterward, I did some research to see if that kind of thing could happen and was appalled when I discovered that his birth state actually had a law in place that said unless a woman could prove that the pregnancy was due to rape, that she had a choice: She could carry the baby to term but doing so would mean that her SNAP benefits would be cut. Or she could abort. So therein lies the problem.

Pro-life. For life. All life. At all stages of life. Republicans would rather that women carry and birth babies they cannot afford or they do not want but do not want to actually take care of the babies once they arrive. That is not pro-life. That is pro-birth. 

My stance: 

1. I do not like abortion. But I will not judge the woman who chooses abortion. It is not my place to judge anyway.

2. Yes, I do believe that homosexuality, along with adultery, along with pre-marital sex, are all sins. I will not condone them. But neither will I judge someone because it is not my place to judge.

3. Yes, I believe Medicaid should be expanded. Matthew 25:31-46 sort of supports this stance.

4. No, I do not believe that the poor should be drug tested before receiving help. This has failed in other states already nor does Jesus purport that kind of thing.

5. Yes, I believe minimum wage should be slowly raised. Initially to the $10.10 proposed which is still below poverty but not so below poverty that people would need as much as help as they do now.

6. No, I do not believe all the poor are just lazy. That was a horrid lie from Romney, who is not a Christian no matter how much people want to delude themselves into thinking that Mormons are Christians, and yes, I have researched this point as well.

7. No, I do not believe that President Obama has anything to do with the end times. Matter of fact, I do not believe America has anything to do with the end times because America simply did not exist when those prophecies were written about.

8. Yes, I believe churches should do more to help than they already do. They need to be more intentional about reaching out to those in their communities at home and targeting those who have special needs and their families. But, I also feel the government should do more as well. 

9. Yes, I believe the second amendment has been taken out of context. "A well-regulated militia" is not the general public and "arms" did not mean high powered shoot with six bullets at once guns like we have now. 

10. I am a Christian and these thoughts have been shaped through experiences. I took a quiz just for fun that indicated that I am 60% democrat and 40% republican. The thing was, a lot of the questions were about social issues. And if that makes me a liberal or a socialist, then I am very proud because I have based many of my positions on the words that Jesus spoke in Matthew 25. 

I have never forgotten that sermon about the least of these. And I have never forgotten that the pastor said that any Christian who held the same attitude that Romney expressed about the least of these needed to repent. That sermon inspired me to utilize Matthew 25 as a sort of litmus test and a prayer guide when approaching any and all elections. And then I add simply, "Lord, may Your will be done in light of this passage." 

Story: After the presidential elections in 2012, I had a nightmare. Romney had won and I lost my insurance. Then my mom, a DAV, and I lost our home. I woke with a start and prayed, "Lord, you know my heart and You know my needs. Let Your will be done." The next morning, it was with great relief when I learned that Obama had won the election. I now have better insurance as a result. Stubborn doctors who seem too afraid to actually act in my benefit and move toward life-saving IVIG infusions that could help me get well enough to work and live and thrive, but better insurance nontheless. I will repeat the same prayer this year as well. For me. For others like me. And the thing is, God's will will be done. It sickens me when I see people praying so specifically and then claiming that God is not answering prayers. That they pray everyday for Obama to be impeached but it never happens. Well, maybe consider that you are asking God to do something that is not His will. Stop praying for Obama to be impeached and stop praying so specifically. Simply pray, "Lord, let Your will be done." 

I get hurt when someone says, pray for this person that they no longer have cancer. Or pray for this person that they no longer have depression or autism or whatever. Why? Because when I was still a teenager a friend of mine had a son with a brain tumor that just would not truly go away. And for some time after he passed, I questioned everything about God. Why did God not heal him? That is what everyone prayed for. Only now when I reflect back, I see that God did heal him. God gave him ultimate healing. It was not the healing we wanted, but it was healing. Robin Williams may or may not have been a Christian, and suicide is not the unforgivable sin and Christians do commit suicide just as much as any other people do, but God did heal him of his depression. Not in the manner we would have preferred, but healed him nonetheless. And please, stop praying for autism to go away. It is not a disease that needs a cure or that kills. Matter of fact, God Himself may have autistic traits. 

Lord, we have elections next week. And You know the needs of the people more than even we do ourselves. Let Your will be done.

The Problem with I Believe...But...

"I believe no child should go hungry, but not if it comes out of tax dollars."

"I believe no one should go hungry, but not if it comes out of tax dollars."

"I believe no one should go hungry, but if they are on food stamps, then I should get to dictate what they can and cannot buy."

"I believe no one should go hungry, but if they are on food stamps, then they should get drug tested."

"I believe...but...." 

Stop right there!

I believe. STOP! No buts allowed. 

What would Jesus do? What does Jesus say?

Feed the hungry. PERIOD.

Take care of the poor. PERIOD.

Take care of the sick. PERIOD.

Take care of the widow. PERIOD.

Visit the imprisoned. PERIOD.

Clothe the naked. PERIOD.

Shelter the homeless. PERIOD.

Yet oddly enough, many so-called Christians try to set conditions to taking care of the least of these (Matthew 25:31-46). 

Why?

When you, a Christian, say, I believe, but, you are saying I do not believe God is capable of doing his will unless I make conditions for how His will should be done. You place limits on God. Stop doing that!

When you die, you will face your judgement. What will you say when you are asked if you believe in Jesus? Will you say, "I believe, but?" 

Let your yes be yes, and let your no be no. There is no BUT allowed. 

You either believe that no child or no person should go hungry or you don't. You cannot place conditions on how that is done. After all Jesus didn't. 

I am still trying to picture Jesus when he handed out the loaves and fish saying go pee in this cup then I will feed you. No. He would have just said, "here is your food. Peace be with you." Or, "here is your food. Now to in peace." 

To all the lawmakers, media reporters, church ministers, or other Christians out there reading this, stop demonizing the least of these. We have a voice just like you do, and we have the right to the same basic dignity and respect that you do. Either be compassionate because you do believe that is what you should do, or don't. No more half-wit attempts. 

What we do and do not eat does not affect you personally. It never has. It never will. 

Stop cutting SNAP because you think that is what God would want. Stop cutting Social Security for the elderly or the poor and the disabled because you think that is what God would want. Stop cutting veterans benefits because you think that is what God would want. Stop trying to repeal the ACA because you think that is what God would want. Just stop. If you are a Christian and involved in politics, then you have one job, and that job is to figure out a way to strengthen the social safety net programs that exist to help the least of these. And THAT is what God demands. 

No strings attached. Take care of the least of these and you will be rewarded. Fail to take care of the least of these and you will be punished. "For how you treat the least of these is how you treat Me." Jesus basically said that twice. That means it is important. 

God, I believe. When I feel tempted to say, "I believe, but," stop me and remind me that my yes is to be yes and my no is to be no. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Take a Break from Judging

Matthew 7:1-5 - "Judge not, that you not be judge. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

John 17:3 - "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

Romans 9:20-21 - But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its modeler, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for dishonorable use?

I Timothy 6:13-16 - I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontiua Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unsustained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time–he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

I Timothy 6:17-19 - As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, not to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Dear God, help me learn not to be so judgmental. It can be very hard to I break the habit of judging when others have often been so judgmental that it is all you know and understand. From the time I was little, I have always been judged. Why does she look funny? Why does talk funny? Why does she act weird? Is she retarded? Her nose is always in a book. She smells different. She doesn't wear a bra yet and she is in fourth grade. She has ADHD. She has autism. Oh wait, she has autism, and we must fix her and try to make her like everyone else. She is too honest. These tapes replay themselves a lot when I am judging myself. And I am the harshest judge of all when it comes to myself. Time to flip the record though. I have to. I cannot keep living on record side A. I need to start living on record side B. You are going to do a great job of shelving books because you are very detail-oriented. I am looking forward to beginning my volunteer position. Someone has seen a positive to my autism! And given me an affirmation. And all I needed was a chance and someone to see even just one positive. That made my whole week. It was not a judgment. It was an affirmation! Instead of judging, we should be in the business of affirmations. Especially as Christians. Oh look, that person is on SNAP. They must be lazy. Oh look, that person is on welfare. They must be lazy. Oh look, that person is on disability. They don't look disabled. They must be lazy. Really? Oh look, that person is rich and goes to the country club! They must be lazy! Turn it around folks unless you want the same judgment passed down on you. Not everyone receiving SNAP is lazy. Some people receiving SNAP are disabled, veterans, retired senior citizens, working parents, and military families. Not everyone on welfare is lazy. Many of them are working parents. Not everyone on disability looks disabled because there are a lot of hidden disabilities like cancer, asthma, allergies, learning disabilities, autism, blood disorders, immune deficiencies, etc. The list goes on. A disability is something that significant impacts a function of daily living. Whether is the ability to learn adequately or the ability to socialize properly to the ability to fight off infections or the ability to use the bathroom or the ability to breathe, etc. Do you want to be judged because you are rich? Because from my experience, most rich people look down on others because they never had to work a day in their lives. They bought their good grades or they bought their way into the college of their choice instead of having to settle for the college that offered them the best financial aid package, or they bought their way into a job because their parents ran in the same circle as someone high up. Even church people are guilty of doing this. Oh this person isn't rich so let us judge them and when something goes wrong we will just hold them back and treat them like poop while this other person is rich so when something goes wrong we will remove them for a little bit but as soon as possible we will restore them to everything no questions asked and no holds barred. Yes, I have experienced that. And mostly because of the autism. Autism taught me something. It taught me that some people who claim to be Christians really are not. Not based on how they act. Matthew 25:31-46. I have started trying to live my life as a Christian following that passage because Jesus was so clear to me on that one after my diagnosis. But then I have met some Christians who will do anything but those. We must take away their money for food or their money for healthcare because we think they are lazy and we think that is what God wants. How does it go? To whom much has been given, much is expected? Is that right? This goes out to Tom, Mikki, Mark, Bob, and any other person out there claiming to be a Christian but sitting there judging the least of these. Stop poo-poo'ing us and start actually doing real ministry with us. After all, you will be judged with the same measure of judgment that you use. After all, does not the Creator have the right to create how He wants to create? You have no right to change how He does His job. So what if the vessel ended up cracked or ridged in the end? Maybe that is exactly what God wanted. He made it the way He designed it. And some of us are not designed flawlessly except that we are because we were created by a perfect Creator. God created me smooth as smooth can be, but right after I came out of the kiln, I got dropped and a chip occurred. God saw that chip and said, you are still just as beautiful to me because I created you. Do you any of you think you are so perfect that you can do the job that is only reserved for God? I hate when I have to call others out in a lesson, but this lesson is a strong lesson. And I have gotten some takeaways from it like no other. I am not judging any of you. I am just reminding you of what you taught me which is exactly what I am now learning today. God, thank You for bringing some lessons back around and for growing me so that I can understand those lessons. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

I Am Enough!

Luke 12:22-31 - And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? I then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you."

Luke 12:31 - But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

John 16:33 - "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

Dear God, I being You my worries today. I am worried because November is still so far away and there are still people who threaten to take away my insurance and my healthcare over there hatred for the president, and they claim to be Christians. Well, I do not need that. My family does not need that. We do not need DeMarco or someone else coming in and hurting us like that. For the first time in my life, I have REAL insurance that is actually doing what insurance is supposed to do and saving my family money on healthcare that I need. For the first time in a long time, it might be possible that my family might be able to pay off some debts so that we can move toward saving what we are able to in order to get hearing aids for me, make long overdue home repairs, and maybe even go on a long overdue vacation. And that is awesome. Second, people keep misusing the scripture in defense of trying to hurt people who need SNAP to help them buy food. They keep saying Jesus said the words or they keep misquoting it by saying that a person who does not work should not eat or worse they keep adding to it citing some quote about teaching a man to fish which is not even in the Bible! But what Your word say is if a man is not willing to work, he should not eat. Big difference there. Many SNAP recipients are elderly (too old to work), disabled (cannot mentally or physically handle work), veterans (already worked for this country), working poor (working but just cannot make ends meet because their jobs are not paying the living wage that minimum wage was designed to be), or active duty military families (already working the job the veterans did by serving the country). That being said, there might be a few individuals on SNAP who are just unwilling to work, but under all due circumstances, I highly doubt that. Now on to the next attack being made: the entitlement mentality. Some doctor from Stanford has decided that being poor and on SNAP means someone is obese and should not be able to buy soda or snacks. He is apparently very close-minded and has not actually made observations that are connected to reality. You see, I have evidence that the opposite is true as well. Here in Alabama, there are more fat rich people than there are poor fat people. How do I know? Because all I have to is go up the road a but and walk into Wal-mart. Obesity ranks high in Alabama, and being rich or poor is not a factor. What factors in for the state of Alabama is all the fried junk people eat as well as all the products containing high fructose corn syrup. Instead of attacking the poor like that doctor from Stanford did and instead of making a discriminatory restriction on them buying it every now and then, what needs to happen is a lowering of costs for healthy foods, a removal of tax on all groceries in all 50 states, and then a special tax levied on products containing high fructose corn syrup which has already been proposed as a measure to fight back against obesity. And yes, if that tax was imposed, people would be surprised to learn what all contains that ingredient that is making everyone, rich and poor, fat. Everything from the obvious soda, to salad dressing to BBQ sauce to some "juices," and even some canned fruit?! You see, I have seen things and I have observed things, and I know for a fact that a lot more than wealth and types of food or drink plays into obesity. Genetics, thyroid problems, metabolism issues, hormones, and even someone being depressed. Instead of targeting the poor, which is what discrimination does, target the ingredient that has been proven time and again to be the culprit. If a ban or restriction is good enough for one set of people, then it is good enough for 100% of the population. Better yet, why don't people learn how to just check themselves before judging others that they do not know? And some people are claiming they see the abuses, yet if they see it happening, then why they aren't reporting it? They are just as culpable as the abuser if they see it but fail to report it. Frankly, I am the person that I do not care what a person buys or what is in their shopping cart and I do not care how they pay for it because it is not my business to know any of that. How does a poor person have a Mercedes or a BMW? Maybe their clunker is the shop for the thousandth time and the rental place gave them that car. Or maybe a friend or family member loaned it to them. Who does a poor person have an iPhone or an iPad or an iPod? Maybe they got it as a gift or maybe they got it on sale (iPhones can be acquired for as little as $39 or $49 at Wal-mart on that pay as you go phone thing and for $99 with a 2-year agreement). How do they have Coach handbags? Thrift store, gift, yard sale? But they wear Nike! Gift, yard sale, thrift store, consignment shop? People are judging what they see, but they do not have the full story. They assume that all people of certain races are poor. Oh look, a black woman with three young ones just got a cart full of groceries using a card and just got into an expensive car outside of Wal-mart looking like luxury! For all we know she is married to a doctor or lawyer, she comes from a rich household, and that card she used was a standard VISA or MasterCard. Oh look, a white person just bought a cart full of stuff and got into a Mercedes after using a card! She was wearing a nice manicure and pedicure and nice clothing! She may be the wife of a doctor or prominent lawyer and her card was also a VISA or MasterCard! I do not know how many states still have actual food stamps, but I do know that most have switched to EBT cards in order to remove the stigmas and save time at the stores. And we cannot judge based on appearances. The last time I judged on appearances, I ended up with a movie I could not watch because there were too many curse words on it. Lesson learned. Now I am just judging whether clothing is appropriate to wear in public. And many things out there are not. And I am baffled as to why someone would buy something already destroyed. One last thought. The abbuse of the second amendment to justify guns in the hands of the general populace. The amendment starts by saying a well-regulated militia. It ends with the right to bear arms. Well-regulated means organized. A militia is an organized group of people with a single purpose in mind. And arms is weaponry, not to necessarily mean guns. The general populace is not organized. Therefore, the general populace is not supposed to bear arms. The arms they were writing about at the time the amendment was written were not high powered multi-shot guns. They were muskets that had to be reloaded a lot. Guns today are designed to kill. People with guns kill. Therefore, guns kill. I said my reasoning was due to autism. Someone corrected me and said it was due to being logical. Either way. Anyway God, I just wanted to lay out some thoughts that have troubled me and even angered me this week. And maybe if someone happens on these thoughts, they may even learn something important. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Seeking Perfection

Exodus 20:3 - You shall have no other gods before me.

Psalm 37:4 - Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Dear God, no other gods. Money is a god for some people. I think it is a god for most republicans. They have it. Others don't. Because money has become their god, they treat those who don't like they are not even people but objects. That is what they do when they threaten to take healthcare from people or when they threaten to discriminate against people who receive SNAP by trying to dictate what they can and cannot eat or drink when the real culprit is one ingredient: high fructose corn syrup, and the reality is that there are more fat rich people than there are poor fat people. And in the south, it is more of a problem of the obsession with fried foods. But this belittling of the poor and judgment of the poor whether it comes to trying to dictate what they can and cannot buy because they assume there is "rampant" fraud - I am pretty sure that less than one percent fraud is nowhere near rampant because rampant means widespread and there is more fraud in congress than in SNAP or Social Security combined! - or whether it is trying to deny healthcare to people just because they are poor (congress keeps trying to repeal the ACA or Bentley is blocking Medicaid expansion which is forcing hospitals in rural communities to shut down in Alabama because they can no longer handle the financial burden of the uninsured poor) has become their god. Duck Dynasty guy was telling the republicans to get more godly, and now I understand what he means. The anti-abortion and anti-homosexuality fixation they have developed alongside the anti-poor and hate the president mentality they have has become their god. Money has become their god. They get paid $174,000 per year and yet they do nothing for the people anymore. They even shut down the government because of their sick obsession with trying to keep people from gaining access to affordable healthcare. They have it, so why shouldn't everyone else? Not every job provides insurance. And insurance used to illegally discriminate against people. Now they want government to discriminate against people who receive SNAP by dictating what they can and cannot buy when there are already restrictions in place. Discrimination - denying a group of people something others can have for some reason. Insurance used to deny people with pre-exciting conditions. Many places still discriminate against the disabled. Many of the pre-existing conditions can be disabling. Places used to discriminate against people of color and some places still do. If banning the purchase of soda is good enough for people who get SNAP, then they must ban purchase of soda for ALL of the people, or else it is called discrimination. Instead of a ban on purchasing it with SNAP, they need to ban HFCS which has banned in other countries already, is no longer needed, and is more directly tied to obesity and diabetes than anything else. Don't believe me? Do some research about when it became the main ingredient in sodas and when fast food restaurants began showing up on every corner. You also will find that that is around the time girls entered puberty earlier and earlier. Another thing to consider is that the cost of healthy foods needs to be brought down in price and grocery tax needs to be repealed in all states with the exception of the proposal to tax products containing HFCS. The ban of HFCS or the special grocery tax on products containing HFCS will go further and be more effective than dictating what SNAP recipients can and cannot buy which then has to be a sweeping restriction on all of the people to prevent illegal discrimination. Look, God, I know You already know these things, but Bentley and DeMarco and that Palmer guy they said will be in some runoff do not seem to get it. Another god? Guns. They are obsessed with guns to the extent that some idiot actually tried to carry his (more like flaunt it) into a church that was serving as a polling place. All the polling places are subject to federal guidelines which prohibit guns or any other weapon. The church does and maintains business on a daily basis and I believe offers childcare and it is private property. The man was disrespectful and arrogant. Now he is threatening to do it again, which I hope police will just take action at that point because if he wants to break the state law and the local law, then he should have to deal with the consequences. But they are so obsessed, I have seen people claim that it is a "God-given right." When asked to point to where it says it is his God-given right in the Bible, he said it isn't in the Bible. So I said, well then it isn't your God-given right; it is a man-made right, and not even one intended for the general populace. But it is my God-given right to live and have food and healthcare if I am sick and to be treated with respect with dignity. After considering a lot of things from the past few days, I now know why Christians should not be involved in government. As congressmen or senators though. One of them is out on the radio saying if he wins, he will impose his religion and his beliefs on everyone. Well, that is a violation of the First Amendment. Little wonder why America is so messed up right now. They lost focus and their moral compass has shifted too far into legalism. And that is what the Pharisees did. When a pope who exemplifies what Jesus did while on earth actually commends the president for his efforts to help the poor in regards to access to food and healthcare, you know he must doing something right. When the pope actually criticizes what congress is doing, you know they are doing something wrong. I am not even catholic, but even I like what the pope is doing! By the way, if Bentley or DeMarco happen on this, I do not care how good a Christian you claim to be but if you block access or take away access to healthcare from someone because you hate the president so much, then you are not a Christian because a true Christian would not do that. Matthew 25:31-46 and Romans 13:1-7 guys. As long you disrespect the president, you disrespect God. And I do not support anyone who disrespects the president of the country my mother and my ancestors served. Furthermore, DeMarco, if you hate the president so much and have no intention of actually working with the president who will basically be your boss in D.C., then why are you even bothering to run? If I went to apply for a job with your attitude, I would not be hired. Period. God, five more months until November. Give me peace and comfort and most of all wisdom. I am now finally gaining understanding of what some of those lessons I have been taught actually mean! Now if Tom would just exemplify You and seek restoration with me like You say he is supposed to have done to start with. Sigh. God, thank. You for lessons learned and revelations of Yourself. In Jesus' Name, Amen!