Why You Shouldn't Get Angry When She Forgets The Napkins

                         "How hard is it to put some f***ing napkins in a bag, you stupid b****!" This is just some of the gross things that come out of the mouth of customers who have a rough day and don't feel like being nice anymore. Problems at work, problems at home....all this frustration turns into anger and guess who gets it? The guy or girl working behind the counter at a fast food restaurant near you. Many times the tables are reversed and all throughout any given day a fast food restaurant worker could be talked to inappropriately by customers and even managers, so much so that they end up taking their anger out on the next customer in line who takes to long to order or the next customer in the drive-thru window who wishes to change his entire order. In a society that is constantly in a hurry day after day, it is not uncommon for everyone to feel a little stress or pressure because of the numerous economical and social changes that occur. Its pretty tough to say whose at fault for the way people act when we all at some point are rude or impolite intentionally or unintentionally.

One thing is certain! Understanding each other is not enough to eliminate the negative effects our society has on us which happens to show up in the most minuit situations like taking or giving a simple fast food order. The truth is that no matter who we are or where we are everyone deserves respect and sadly our society is only producing more and more disrespect with things like layoffs, downsizing, unemployment, rising gas prices, and the reliance on a government that is so good at lying to its citizens that its not even funny.

The only answer to the symbolic chaos between a fast food worker whose overworked and underpaid and a customer who realizes he might be late to a job he hates while waiting in line for coffee is not the increase in pay. Neither is it a less amount of work. Its Jesus Christ!

If you are reading this article you may be thinking that the above answer is  a highly impractical one, for not everyone believes in God and that he sent his son Jesus Christ to die for our sins and redeem us from death, hell, and the grave. You are right. Not everyone believes and thus is the setting for a world who does not believe.....bitterness, anger, toil, insecurity, fear, and rage. Believing in Jesus Christ and that he died as God's only son sent down from heaven to earth to show us that he too was once flesh and was able to conquer death....believing that he sent his son to redeem us by his blood on the cross of Calvary and show us how much God truly loves us, his people, his greatest creation....believing this will help us to see our world the true way...God's way!

Believing in God means trusting that his promises in The Bible are true, that he will take care of us and that he is always with us! This eliminates fear of what man can do to the body for we know that our soul lives forever in Christ. Though you may be surrounded by the burdens and stress of everyday living you will not be moved by it, neither will it come near you! How is this, you ask? Well, believing in God is not like the systems created by the world. You will never be forgotten or overlooked and He is swift to reward those who believe and trust in him. You will never be underpaid or overworked for God is all-knowing and all-powerful! He lacks nothing and everything is in his hands, even the heart of the manager who treats you rudely or the boss who just informed you that the company may be downsizing. You have nothing to fear for wherever life takes you God is forever with you and he promises that he will always deliver you and cause you to flourish, even when all is uncertain.

                                     The next time you look into your bag and theirs no ketchup or napkins just remember that a fast food restaurant is an establishment full of overworked and underpaid individuals who have bills to pay and children to feed just like we do. Believe that the God in you is bigger and smarter than the god of this society we live in. To believe in God is to truly live for then we have a higher purpose, then we represent and become the light in a dark world that's searching for desperately for something more.

Is Capital Punishment Practical?

                                             Religious communities across the globe all have their beliefs on capital punishment and where it lies within the brackets of morality but lets be honest, apart from it being moral or immoral, is the death penalty even a practical solution to crime? Morals can be judged however practicality is not up for question seeing as though no one wants to wast time and money doing something that has no real benefit and is highly ineffective towards the it main goal. Does killing someone who may have killed someone else actually benefit the victims, their families, or our society? How much money is being wasted on capital punishment verses rehabilitation? What happens when our justice system as made a mistake (which is not uncommon)? Will people continue to die because they have no money to prove their innocence while other individuals who are imprisoned had only to prove they are not guilty?

                       Inmates who receive the death penalty do so for the following crimes in the U.S.: murder, sabotage, treason, perjury, aircraft hijacking, kidnapping, or even robbery, arson, and resisting arrest in some states (Wyoming). What is the benefit of death in the case of any crime? A family who suffers a major loss by the hands of a felon will not see their precious loved one ever again, neither will it reverse the pain they feel simply because this particular felon has been executed. Feelings of revenge soon die away once their is no other outlets of justification, death being the last attempt at a sort of "reimbursement" for their loss. The pain of the victim's absence remains with the victims family for years to come while execution of the convict provides but a temporary satisfaction or relief that will never heal their hurt. Is it really worth it then? What is common for us as human beings is to think of the present moment as the only relying factors in making decisions. How we feel today or at the moment is often the basis for many actions however this is a shallow and unfulfilled resort to any type of control over a situation and ultimately a reckless one! An eye for an eye leaves both blind. A death for a death leaves two grieving families while the rest of the world moves on with their lives! This is where the question of practicality comes in.What are we really benefiting from? Vengeance? Rage?....or a sick form of justice that holds the stench of human emotion? Practical? I think not.

                     Lets first realize that the death penalty is not like other forms of punishment created by justice system. Financial wise the death penalty is the most expensive form of justice and definitely too expensive to be ineffective in society. The reason costs are so high for this type of sentencing is because the U.S Constitution demands a long and intricate judicial process for capital cases. With the millions spent on the death penalty our communities could open better schools, quality public facilities, safer roads, improve hospital care, and many other interventions to help improve the life of the average citizen instead of killing them when they become victims of the society we live in. How can we kill criminals when we're constantly creating them? A change must be made and killing the criminal won't kill the crime. Why not save money by rehabilitating or creating more education these individuals? Are they not born of our own corrupt society? The cost of the death penalty is significantly higher than the cost of changing our communities and this is another area where the question of practicality comes in. Is it practical to spend time, effort, and extensive funding on the death of a man than spending less money on his rehabilitation? The state of California alone can save 1 billion dollars in over 5 years by replacing the death penalty with life without parole. Incarceration estimates 11.5 million dollars per year whereas the death penalty estimates 137 million per year.

                      It is no question that our justice system in the United States has imprisoned or capitally punished innocent people due to the faulty evidence and loopy accounts of witnesses. One would be surprised to know that most capital sentences are ordered without adequate legal representation due to the fact that almost all defendants in capital case cannot afford their own attorney! This means if you're not wealthy enough you could die an innocent death! Is this the way justice should be served in country that prides itself on having "liberty and justice for all"? Being given a state appointed attorney, these defendants who face capital punishment place their very lives in the hands of overworked, underpaid, and unprepared attorneys. These attorneys are given to them by states who already believe they are guilty judging by the fact that the defendant must prove his innocence, not the fact that he is not guilty.

We should all think that the death penalty keeps capital crimes at a lower rate. It does not! Scientific studies on capital punishment show that each year murder rates increase in states using the death penalty! How is it that such an expensive and irreversible punishment is so ineffective at lowering crime rate. Probably because death is not the answer to death.

You can find more info on the death penalty at:
www.deathpenalty.org
www.deathpenaltyinfo.org

Are Rights Infringed For Security Purposes or For Blatant Disrespect?

               With the fall of the Twin Towers on the morning of September 11, 2001 fell the dignity of many Americans, the hopes and dreams of the people effected, and in some cases, the freedom of the American citizen. It is only logical that security forces be concerned more than ever with the safety of the public and must in some cases override many freedoms for the safety of our country. It is quite reasonable that surveillance tactics be updated and enforced heavily, for US airports to be highly patrolled for the security of the general public and our airways. However when is it okay to violate human rights? Freedom is one thing to be sacrificed but human rights is another! I was appalled to read the story of Shoshana Hebshi, a 35 yr old woman who was handcuffed and removed from an airplane at a Detroit Airport to be strip-searched, fingerprinted, and interrogated because of her half-Arabic, half-Jewish, ethnicity. Hebshi was victimized on the Anniversary of September 11th's terrorist attacks on America, bringing about the same shame but from a different source...ourselves! After landing in Detroit Shoshanna Hebshi and two others who looked "Indian", both who were unrelated and unfamiliar with each other, were removed from the plane on the grounds of  "suspicious behavior". Apparently a fellow passenger felt uncomfortable and alerted authorities because the two men who sat on the same row as Shoshana got up to use the restroom at the same time. After being interrogated it was found that one of the men felt ill and the other just had to use the restroom.Wow! The flight crew claimed the men were staying in the restroom for a while and found this grounds to alert the FBI and Homeland Security to escort the them along with Shoshana (whose appearance was her only offense) off the plane handcuffed and humiliated while Shoshana was ordered to be strip-searched! Yes! She was strip-searched, interrogated with questions and sent on her way with a mere apology! What did a 35yr old freelance writer,editor, and stay-at-home mom of three do to deserve to be handcuffed off of a plane and told to undress??? Apparently all she had to do is be of Arabic descent. This is extremely embarrassing and shows a blatant disrespect for human rights let alone freedom. When is it okay to treat a human being like an animal, being restrained and herded of a plane like cattle? We are becoming no different from our enemies when we victimize our own people. We do not even treat our enemies this way! America is a country of pride, dignity, and integrity. We don't stoop to the level of the enemy but we conquer him by bring up to our level, a level he can never reach on his own! What a disgrace to hear this woman's shameful story for it represents the triumph of our enemy who has not only claimed so many lives but has claimed our respect for one another! 

Do My Life Goals Need Protection?

                 The answer is yes! All life goals need protection from doubt, negativity, and downward forces of the outside world. When you think of goals, think of them as airplanes that are preparing for lift off to embark on a journey. The destination? A remarkable future. You have taken a great deal of care to get the airplane ready. You've invested time and resources into what you've been believing in and now you're expecting a phenomenal outcome! You've calculated the benefits and you've gathered all the information you need! You've stepped into action and you can hear your planes engine roaring! However, sometimes the best of all your preparation and hard work won't keep the airplane of your life goals from crashing miserably to the ground. After all the work you put in it would really suck to have your goals clouded by the judgements of others, by circumstances, by your own self doubt, and by forces that seem to prey on outstanding goals. The truth is that this happens pretty often than anyone would like to admit. This is why every goal, ANY GOAL, must be protected!

         

            Before we establish our life goals we perform much needed calculations. This is necessary however we are more eager to calculate the benefits of reaching a goal over the cost of maintaining it. This isn't good. If I have a life goal to become a waitress and you have a life goal to become a surgeon our goals would encounter different outside forces. You may have to fight harder for your goal than I have to because I am just an application away from my goal whereas you are years of schooling away from yours. You may have to let go of more than what I would have to let go of in order to reach my goal. You may even feel like giving up more often than I do! This is because the bigger your goals are the bigger the cost, however the common cost in any life goal is fighting for it! How hard you have to fight to maintain your goal depends on how big your goals are because outside forces are attracted to goals that are bigger and out of the ordinary. Did you know that they could also be attracted to the way you feel about yourself and your goals in life? Sometimes we can be our biggest opponent in the fight for our success.

                                Protecting your goals in life is essential for the existence of these goals because we do not live in a perfect world or a fair society where good things always happen to good people and everyone loves each other. You will come in contact with people who don't believe that your goals are obtainable or that you are being flat-out ridiculous. You will encounter people who feel you have no right to look forward to certain goals especially one that they themselves have never dreamed of pursuing. You may even face a circumstance or two that say no to your dreams and breaks your spirit. These are the cost that we sometimes fail to calculate and can send our goals hurdling to the ground.

So how can we go about protecting our life goals from the downward forces of our world?How can we get our airplane of goals off of the ground and into the air?

First we must plan accordingly. If you know that your goals require a lot more than the average goal then by all means come prepared! Be sure to pack confidence, self esteem, motivation, and lots of determination! Some people like to look for these important essentials in the world around them but Jesus Christ our saviour is the best resource for our journey for he created us! He gives us the confidence, the self esteem, the determination and the motivation to get over the worst turbulence and outside forces that try to bring our goals to the ground. When our focus is on what the bible says that Jesus has in store for our lives then the voices of negativity, doubt, and judgement seem far away for we know he has great plans for his people!

Secondly we must get rid of unnecessary holds that attach themselves to our goals and tries to take precedence over them. Often times circumstance will attach itself to a life goal and you'll find yourself thinking "If only I were better at this....", " If only I had this.....", "If only I were like him or her....". These are unnecessary holds that have attached themselves to the plane and is preventing lift off. Circumstances never determine anything but the kind of person that you are once you face them. Are you brave? Do you fight for what you want to see happen in your life or do you shrink back in fear?

We are who we need to be! We have all that we need to have! We are the perfect person for our goals because the bible says that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!

Lastly you must make a final decision. Protecting your life goals is hard to do when you're not really sure if this is what you want to pursue in life. You must search within yourself. Ask God if this is what He would have if you. Ask yourself if you are willing to do what it takes to get there. Making a final decision that this is indeed a goal you have for your life will make the outside forces of this world weak and inoperable against any goal you set for your life.

Always remember that NOTHING, and NO ONE can stand in our way unless we allow them to...so follow your dreams and always shoot for the highest star!

                              

The Divine Mechanism Called Dissatisfaction

            In a society where we are constantly being conditioned to like or be satisfied with the things we seemingly cannot change, we must realize that dissatisfaction with the ordinary or the less than par quality of life is a divinely spiritual reaction to the New Age. New Age philosophy was born in the United States and its children are consumerism and technological dominance. With the turn of the century we have seen more changes to our society, more laws that dehumanize, more surveillance that invades and degrades, more technology that makes life easier yet complicated...and to be dissatisfied with this is not wrong! It is neither a product of our feelings or our mind, It is a Divine intervention for God never intended our world to be this way! He never intended for man to be enslaved by his world but to rule and have dominion over it, for we are gods, formed and shaped in His image just as the bible says in Psalms 82:6 ; "Ye are gods; and all of your children are of the Most High".

                                  Anything that dehumanizes, demoralizes, and devalues a man is not from God but is a product of sin. To be dissatisfied with sin is a Divine mechanism that God, Our Creator, incorporate deep within us which will always know the truth, will always seek the truth, and will always know deep within that there is more than what we see. The philosophy of the New Age does not have the well-being of humanity in mind and is lacking in wisdom because it serves Satan, the prince of this world. We must realize that Satan's greatest enemy is a pure heart and the power that God places within every man. This is the reason for all the things that devalue man in our society for if we were all to realize our true identity as gods there would be nothing that could stop us from living up to our true potential instead of ducking down to the restraints of sin in cowardice.

You see, the society of the New Age tells you that  is okay to be seen as a number that works day after day to generate income for the economy and then dies. To be dissatisfied with this is not wrong! Its your Divine nature to want more and to expect more out of life! New Age society will also tell you that you are only as good as the things you consume, that you are what you buy. You however, having Divine blood coursing through your veins, will be dissatisfied with this idea because you are a god made to rule over the things of this world....not vice versa! Yet you can expect to be told over and over again how to feel, how to think, how to act, and how to talk through the media which uses propaganda to condition and brainwash millions into servitude of sin. This is wrong and will always cause dissatisfaction because we serve God. We serve the Creator, not the creation!

             So what do we do in a world such as ours? What do we do in a society like this one? We take our rightful place as gods! We do not conform and we do not fall into servitude of sin. We will open our eyes and perceive a world from the perspective of kings and queens, gods with dominion over Satan and his kingdom, over the world, over every situation, and over every circumstance. Gain knowledge. To see from a royal perspective one must increase in knowledge and abandon ignorance. One must learn, read, study, and gain knowledge from all that is presented to us for only slaves shrink back in fear of ridicule or of what he does not know. Gain wisdom and understanding. And most importantly gain Christ!

It is tremendously important and crucial that we answer the call of the Divine dissatisfaction for this is within man, set as a marker to remember where we come from for we  are heavenly beings having a human experience. If you are dissatisfied with your job, go to school! If you are dissatisfied with your marriage try harder and initiate a plan of action! If you are dissatisfied with your income make more money! If you are dissatisfied with you then start living up to your God given potential and be the god He created you to be for your dissatisfaction is Divine!