This morning I struggled to get out of bed but I had my heart set on coming to church. So I got up, showered, got dressed, made a little stop to 7-11 to get a cold Starbucks drink & some change for my tithes & offerings, and then I arrived to church right in the middle of the praise & worship. Our pastor and co-pastor were away taking some much needed time off, so the guest preacher this morning was the Rev. Dr. Jasmin Schulark from Shiloh Baptist Church in York, Pennsylvania.
She opened the sermon with Psalm 34: 1-8 (KJV)
I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
Focusing on the 3rd verse (O magnify the LORD...), Rev. Schulark posed a question: How big is your God? Is your God small and your problems large? Or do you flip that around and tell your problems how big your God is? Our purpose, our job in life is to MAGNIFY the Lord. And when we praise God together we are collectively magnifying Him.
In order to fully understand this text, Rev. Schulark challenges us to understand the context. David wrote this Psalm after he had been through some things and was on the run from Saul. Previously in 1 Samuel, Saul had been appointed as King but David was anointed. We have all been in a situation where it was our turn and not our time, or our time and not our turn. You can be appointed and not anointed, and you can be anointed but not appointed. So although Saul had been appointed, David had been anointed. And when Saul wouldn’t come to battle to fight Goliath, David said "I'll handle it" and he defeated Goliath. When Saul noticed the praise and recognition David was getting he got mad and wanted to kill to him. So David went on the run and ended up in the land that Goliath was from. To protect himself he began acting like a crazy person – but he was not crazy nor was he insane (we know that he was in his right mind b/c he wrote Psalm 34 with each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet). The people drove him away and David went to a cave and while he was in that cave alone he wrote Psalm 34 and the first thing it says: I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES.
Many do not fully understand the power of praise. You see, it's easy to praise God when you have it going on. Or when you have a little money in your pocket. Or when you look good and when you feel good. Or when everything is going alright. Try praising God in the midst of your storm when things aren’t going so well and see if that doesn't change your perspective.
The one thing I love about the Book of Psalm is that it is filled with many emotions.
When I am overwhelmed I can turn to Psalm 61: "Hear my cry O God, attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I."
When I need to be reminded of my trust & faith in God I recite Psalm 23: "The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want."
When I have to deal with "haters" Psalm 27 let's me know: "The Lord is my light & my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell."
And even when I'm going through I remember the words of David in Psalm 34, no matter what happens "I WILL bless the Lord at ALL times!"
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
...And Now I'm REALLY Ticked Off!
By now everyone should have heard the story about the Jet Blue flight attendant who quit his job in a rather unconventional fashion. For those who don't know the story:
Two female passengers on the plane got into an argument over space in the overhead compartments and Steven Slater (the flight attendant) tried to intervene and was hit on the head as one of the passengers was removing her bag from the overhead compartment. Before the plane left Pittsburgh one of the passengers was asked to gate check her bag (I’m guessing because it was probably too big – SN: people like her make me sick trying to carry a huge bag on the plane that is obviously too big to fit into the overhead compartments! But I digress...). After the plane arrived at its destination (New York), the same female passenger who had to check her bag was causing problems again because it wasn’t immediately available. The woman began cussing Slater out calling him all kinds of mfers and whatnot – and argument between the two went on. I guess by that time Slater was probably thinking "the hell with this" because that's when he got on the intercom and said: "Those of you who have shown dignity and respect these last 20 years, thanks for a great ride." This guy then grabs a couple of beers and sends himself out through the emergency slide (I've always wanted to slide down one of those, of course without the emergency need to do so). The rest of the story is history as you know...
There are several shots I can take at this story, so here we go:
1. Take This Job & Shove It!
Johnny Paycheck said it best: "Take this job and shove it! I ain't working here no more!"
My favorite uncle works at a GP (Georgia Pacific) plant but he also runs his own small catering company. He's always told me that the day he reached the profit margin of $1 million with his catering business, he is going to go down to Atlanta in a money green suit, walk up to the executives office and tell each and every one of them to kiss his ass.
I'm sure we've all worked somewhere where the conditions were so stressful, deplorable, and incompatible with our personalities. You come in the office with a smile and leave with blood shot eyes ready to unleash your fury on the first person who says anything to you just to make them feel mad as hell like you (especially if they are in a good mood). The pay is terrible. They complain about all your work (but have you seen the finish product of theirs? Yuck!). After awhile you're just waiting for the day and right moment to say: "f all of ya'll -- I QUIT!"
2. Professional Expectations vs. Employee's Reality
The key to any successful professional environment is making sure that the expectations are consistent with the day-to-day reality that employees are faced with. If you want excellent employees, try to be an excellent manager/supervisor/boss. As many of you know, one of my many jobs is an on-call associate for Macy's. And one of my main issues is that the bar is set entirely too high in terms of what they want you to do but the reciprocity, in terms of what you get back from management (both in-store and corporate), ranks low (I'm sure this is the case for almost ALL retail/department stores). With the budget cuts and economy crawling at a snail pace, it's not hard to visualize the notion that Jet Blue had a list of expectations for their employees but offered little in return...overworked, underpaid, and disrespected, Slater had his "Johnny Paycheck" defining moment. And the very thing that led to the climax of the whole situation was a loud mouth distasteful passenger.
3. The Customer is NOT Always Right
Reflecting on my own employment background working in customer service centers, front desk at hospitals, and retail experience I've came across some very pleasant people from all walks of life. I've also had the unfortunate opportunity of meeting a jerk who wants you to treat them like the sun rises and sets on them. I have been on plenty of plane rides where I have seen people talk to the folks at the gate any kind of way. While understanding that having your flight delayed/canceled or baggage lost would get anyone upset, it's always better to kill them with kindness. MOST people are more open to helping you when you have a positive attitude and an attitude of gratitude. The woman on the flight knew that her bag was too big to fit into the overhead bin, but yet she wanted to make a scene as if somehow it was Slater's fault and to make matters worse Jet Blue probably gave the woman free round-trip tickets for her "troubles." Newsflash you idiotic executives...THE CUSTOMER IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT!
As I close this blog, because it is getting kindly lengthy, I would like to say that it is possible Slater could have handled the situation differently. I'm sure in the moment, he was on a euphoric high but now that he's fallen off his cloud nine and his 15 minutes of fame are drawing to an end, he wants his job back – and you know what Jet Blue had to say about that. Eh, Slater – maybe you can make money doing seminars about how to stick it to the man! (*cue* Jack Black's "School of Rock", lol)
Two female passengers on the plane got into an argument over space in the overhead compartments and Steven Slater (the flight attendant) tried to intervene and was hit on the head as one of the passengers was removing her bag from the overhead compartment. Before the plane left Pittsburgh one of the passengers was asked to gate check her bag (I’m guessing because it was probably too big – SN: people like her make me sick trying to carry a huge bag on the plane that is obviously too big to fit into the overhead compartments! But I digress...). After the plane arrived at its destination (New York), the same female passenger who had to check her bag was causing problems again because it wasn’t immediately available. The woman began cussing Slater out calling him all kinds of mfers and whatnot – and argument between the two went on. I guess by that time Slater was probably thinking "the hell with this" because that's when he got on the intercom and said: "Those of you who have shown dignity and respect these last 20 years, thanks for a great ride." This guy then grabs a couple of beers and sends himself out through the emergency slide (I've always wanted to slide down one of those, of course without the emergency need to do so). The rest of the story is history as you know...
There are several shots I can take at this story, so here we go:
1. Take This Job & Shove It!
Johnny Paycheck said it best: "Take this job and shove it! I ain't working here no more!"
My favorite uncle works at a GP (Georgia Pacific) plant but he also runs his own small catering company. He's always told me that the day he reached the profit margin of $1 million with his catering business, he is going to go down to Atlanta in a money green suit, walk up to the executives office and tell each and every one of them to kiss his ass.
I'm sure we've all worked somewhere where the conditions were so stressful, deplorable, and incompatible with our personalities. You come in the office with a smile and leave with blood shot eyes ready to unleash your fury on the first person who says anything to you just to make them feel mad as hell like you (especially if they are in a good mood). The pay is terrible. They complain about all your work (but have you seen the finish product of theirs? Yuck!). After awhile you're just waiting for the day and right moment to say: "f all of ya'll -- I QUIT!"
2. Professional Expectations vs. Employee's Reality
The key to any successful professional environment is making sure that the expectations are consistent with the day-to-day reality that employees are faced with. If you want excellent employees, try to be an excellent manager/supervisor/boss. As many of you know, one of my many jobs is an on-call associate for Macy's. And one of my main issues is that the bar is set entirely too high in terms of what they want you to do but the reciprocity, in terms of what you get back from management (both in-store and corporate), ranks low (I'm sure this is the case for almost ALL retail/department stores). With the budget cuts and economy crawling at a snail pace, it's not hard to visualize the notion that Jet Blue had a list of expectations for their employees but offered little in return...overworked, underpaid, and disrespected, Slater had his "Johnny Paycheck" defining moment. And the very thing that led to the climax of the whole situation was a loud mouth distasteful passenger.
3. The Customer is NOT Always Right
Reflecting on my own employment background working in customer service centers, front desk at hospitals, and retail experience I've came across some very pleasant people from all walks of life. I've also had the unfortunate opportunity of meeting a jerk who wants you to treat them like the sun rises and sets on them. I have been on plenty of plane rides where I have seen people talk to the folks at the gate any kind of way. While understanding that having your flight delayed/canceled or baggage lost would get anyone upset, it's always better to kill them with kindness. MOST people are more open to helping you when you have a positive attitude and an attitude of gratitude. The woman on the flight knew that her bag was too big to fit into the overhead bin, but yet she wanted to make a scene as if somehow it was Slater's fault and to make matters worse Jet Blue probably gave the woman free round-trip tickets for her "troubles." Newsflash you idiotic executives...THE CUSTOMER IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT!
As I close this blog, because it is getting kindly lengthy, I would like to say that it is possible Slater could have handled the situation differently. I'm sure in the moment, he was on a euphoric high but now that he's fallen off his cloud nine and his 15 minutes of fame are drawing to an end, he wants his job back – and you know what Jet Blue had to say about that. Eh, Slater – maybe you can make money doing seminars about how to stick it to the man! (*cue* Jack Black's "School of Rock", lol)
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Why Fantasia?
So ya'll what the hell is going on with Fantasia?! First the news broke about her shacking up with some married man who worked in T-Mobile. *record scratch* You are a "successful" (I use that word lightly) recording artist and you fucking around with a Sales Rep from gotdamn T-Mobile?! You couldn’t get an AT&T or Verizon man...at least they get better phones...but I digress, lol. Now let Tasia tell it – she didn’t know that Antwaun Cook (the T-Mobile Rep) was still married. Well no...she knew he was married, but "he wasn't happy in the marriage." Eh, whatever. So they dated and young, dumb, full of cum Tasia got this fool name tattooed on her. SMH!
Fast forward – Tasia and ol dude broke up. Then they got back together after Fanny brought him a motorcycle. Then apparently they broke up again, but get this, now the dude’s wife, Paula Cook, is officially divorcing him AND is alleging that Tasia & Antwaun got sex tapes. **OOH NOOO SHE DIDN'T!** On top of trying to promote her album she gotta deal with all the stress of this situation – which leads me to the events of August 9th.
On Monday, Tasia's manager found her in her closet passed out...and she was immediately taken to the hospital. She suffered from a drug overdose...but don’t cry her a river..this bit overdosed on aspirin and sleep aids!! ASPIRIN AND SLEEPING PILLS! Good grief. As if this story couldn't get any more sad/comical.
Seriously, I do hope that she gets help...she has a child to raise. And little Zion does not need to see her mother getting caught up in a bunch of bullshit (i.e. dating married men, sex tapes, and Acetaminophen overdose).
Go ahead and comment...
Sunday, August 1, 2010
If It Isn't Love
If you haven't heard by now – Alicia Keys & Kassem "Swizz Beats" Dean are officially married. Eh. Now I'm no "hater" (see my "Pseudo-Hater" blog about my strong dislike for that word) but judging how these two came to be – I would be shocked if they stay together in holy matrimony. Don’t get it twisted, nobody is plotting the downfall of A. Keys but looking at the situation it not hard speculate and come to your own conclusion.
My granny (my favorite person to quote) always told me NEVER build your foundation on sinking sand. A. Keys rushed into a relationship with Swizz – she got pregnant by him and now they are married. With her baby coming she is going to slow down, but he is picking up his schedule with the projects he's working on. They have not had any time to lay down any type of solid foundation – which is needed in any relationship, especially one where you want to spend the rest of your life with that person. Marriage is a contractual agreement, but it is also a sacred vow; moreover, I do not see how a person can marry some one who has: a. cheated on his wife, b. cheated on you with another chick (all while still be married to his wife), c. denies the kid he had with the other chick, d. doesn't pay child support for the other kid, etc. etc. To me that sounds like a man who is just simply not marriage material. The women he was with previously didn't change his habits – so nine times out of ten, you won't be able to change them either.
But I guess in AK's eyes, Swizz can do no wrong. All of his past wrongs don’t matter but honestly she is just going to becoming a poster girl for "When Sticking By Your Dog (Man) Goes Wrong." Her hedonism resulted in another baby for Swizz Beatz and a big a mess that will just open the floodgates of karma to come back and bite her in the ass.
Right now, it is all a romanticized dream. Swizz may have three kids by three women, owe the IRS money, divorce his wife one month and propose the next, and be butt ugly --- Alicia don’t care what nobody says, she's in "love."
I'm not calling AK a homewrecker because honestly, even Mashonda should have know that Swizz could not be trusted when she married him (he was hoe then too). But she knowingly laid down with a married man (no matter how fucked up the marriage was) – I guess some man is better than no man at all. Was she lonely? Did she just want a baby? Who knows. But how you get him, is how you lose him – hopefully a screw or two is tighten in Swizz's head & he'll do right by her…but that might just take some prayer and a miracle.
What do ya'll think?
Thursday, July 29, 2010
ILLEGAL Immigrants Taking A Stand?...Reeewind!
When Arizona's Senate Bill 1070 was passed, I was a staunch opponent. Basically what the bill states (for those of you who haven’t really read it – or don't understand the political mumbo jumbo) is that the police are allowed to challenge the legal residency status of any person who is suspected to be illegally in the United States. In my own opinion the bill allows racial profiling, an issue that African-Americans have dealt with for generations, to be a completely legal action – to be used at the individual police officer's discretion. Many states, businesses, and organizations have united in their efforts to boycott the state of Arizona until the law is reversed. But that is just one piece of the puzzle.
There are many people who come to America seeking a better life than the one they had in their home country. They come with eager hearts, full of ambition, and a pocket full of dreams in hopes that their children will not have to go through what they went through. In most cases, they've come legally – applied for green cards, visas, etc. and eventually after fulfilling all the necessary requirements they became citizens. In other cases, they've come to America illegally. There was a time when I sympathized with families facing deportation because we see how impoverished their communities are back at home – but as I got older I've had a change of heart.
While I do believe that we need to address the issue of immigration in this country – in terms of the application process to become a citizen in this country, I do believe that their still has to be regulations in place to prevent individuals who do not contribute (i.e. pay taxes) from residing within our borders for a long-term period. Paying taxes is a big issue to me because it is our tax dollars that are used to fund social welfare programs to help provide for individuals who cannot otherwise do for themselves.
Another issue that we have with illegal immigration is crime. Not saying that America is a hot bed of political and social politeness – but along with the wave of immigrants coming into the country -- statistics have shown an increase rate of crime. This is an top-priority issue that law enforcement agencies, especially those in the Southwest, have had to deal with more frequently.
Then you have the cheap bastards/companies who employ illegal immigrant for the low-skilled jobs knowing that they can pay them below minimum wage, not worry about providing benefits, or safe working conditions.
Many people also do not think about the impact that illegal immigration has on our federal budget. The Center for Immigration Studies found that in 2002, "when all taxes paid (direct and indirect) and all costs are considered, illegal households created a net fiscal deficit at the federal level of more than $10 billion." This deficit has nothing to do with their unwillingness to work but because of: a. the lack of taxes paid; b. medical expenses; c. social welfare programs (i.e. WIC/Food Stamps), and; d. federal prison & court fees.
And if I can go off on a tangent for a second...
You cannot possible compare this "diaspora" of immigrants to the forced enslavement of Africans in the Americas centuries ago -- it is simply not the same thing.
Overall, politicians on Capitol Hill are going to have to find some common ground on this issue -- the Arizona bill cannot stand as is but immigration reform is needed. As with all policy decisions, there will always be someone who gets the short end of the deal...such is life & its compromises.
I don't want to write a long drawn out blog on this topic, but I would like to know what you all think about all of this.
America – love it, or leave it. In any case, *in my Usher voice* you better have your papers! lol
Feedback time...
Some Recent News Stories
Immigrants Rally Over Increase In Deportations
87 Immigrants Nabbed In DC, Virginia
Legal Battle Looms Over Arizona Immigration Law
There are many people who come to America seeking a better life than the one they had in their home country. They come with eager hearts, full of ambition, and a pocket full of dreams in hopes that their children will not have to go through what they went through. In most cases, they've come legally – applied for green cards, visas, etc. and eventually after fulfilling all the necessary requirements they became citizens. In other cases, they've come to America illegally. There was a time when I sympathized with families facing deportation because we see how impoverished their communities are back at home – but as I got older I've had a change of heart.
While I do believe that we need to address the issue of immigration in this country – in terms of the application process to become a citizen in this country, I do believe that their still has to be regulations in place to prevent individuals who do not contribute (i.e. pay taxes) from residing within our borders for a long-term period. Paying taxes is a big issue to me because it is our tax dollars that are used to fund social welfare programs to help provide for individuals who cannot otherwise do for themselves.
Another issue that we have with illegal immigration is crime. Not saying that America is a hot bed of political and social politeness – but along with the wave of immigrants coming into the country -- statistics have shown an increase rate of crime. This is an top-priority issue that law enforcement agencies, especially those in the Southwest, have had to deal with more frequently.
Then you have the cheap bastards/companies who employ illegal immigrant for the low-skilled jobs knowing that they can pay them below minimum wage, not worry about providing benefits, or safe working conditions.
Many people also do not think about the impact that illegal immigration has on our federal budget. The Center for Immigration Studies found that in 2002, "when all taxes paid (direct and indirect) and all costs are considered, illegal households created a net fiscal deficit at the federal level of more than $10 billion." This deficit has nothing to do with their unwillingness to work but because of: a. the lack of taxes paid; b. medical expenses; c. social welfare programs (i.e. WIC/Food Stamps), and; d. federal prison & court fees.
And if I can go off on a tangent for a second...
You cannot possible compare this "diaspora" of immigrants to the forced enslavement of Africans in the Americas centuries ago -- it is simply not the same thing.
Overall, politicians on Capitol Hill are going to have to find some common ground on this issue -- the Arizona bill cannot stand as is but immigration reform is needed. As with all policy decisions, there will always be someone who gets the short end of the deal...such is life & its compromises.
I don't want to write a long drawn out blog on this topic, but I would like to know what you all think about all of this.
America – love it, or leave it. In any case, *in my Usher voice* you better have your papers! lol
Feedback time...
Some Recent News Stories
Immigrants Rally Over Increase In Deportations
87 Immigrants Nabbed In DC, Virginia
Legal Battle Looms Over Arizona Immigration Law
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