The Big Box Brand Name Church

Most people know I am a Christian.
I know some of my blogs and adventures seem risqué but I am usually saved from myself by the spirit that lives in me. Thankfully!
So, where to begin my tiny rant?
I will tell you I’m at least as fed up as Martin Luther must have been
(not Dr MLK jr - altho he was fed up too)
I am tired of driving past churches that have extravagant electronic signs, giant gymnasiums and recreation centers and pastors with multi-million dollar homes.
Is this why the church is tax exempt?
Has Satan really clouded your vision so much as to think this is a good and necessary thing?
I hear people in these churches saying things like “why should we help immigrants when we haven’t even helped our own at home?”
Well who the heck do you think is supposed to do the helping?
You are!
The church.
And not with a fancy house or sign.
The church has failed the community.
We wouldn’t need social programs if the church was doing what it is called to do; what Christ said to do.
Don’t like taxes paying for kids’ school lunches - feed the community
Don’t like so much crime in the city - create community centers where they are needed and co-operate them with people from the church and the community
Tired of seeing so many homeless people - create community parks and spaces with shelter in which the homeless and the community can be the caretakers
It’s time for the church to step up.
Stop wasting millions of dollars on things that only benefit the church and be a part of the community.
Partnership creates a culture of ownership and mutual respect.
Provide food, shelter, clothing and most of all fellowship in which the teachings of Christ are at the center of every action - Walk the Talk, Lead by Example.
Give Christians a good name for a change.
Stop judging others - there is but one judge according to your own beliefs - live it!! Do unto others. Love your brother as yourself!!
Christ tells us we aren’t supposed to do things for those who are like us but for those who are not like us. None of us are perfect and we all sin differently - you are no exception! I am definitely no exception!
Step out in faith and let God do the rest!
Personally, I try to put my money where my mouth is but I intend to step up even more in the next few months.
Stay tuned.

Pain: It's Really Not Cool.

As many of you are aware, I have an inoperable cervical spinal cord injury.
This little gem is a gift that keeps on giving.
The past few days it has been incredibly troublesome - not the injury itself but the mayhem it causes when creating bizarre signals with the brain.
Every day since 1999 I feel like someone has struck me on the back of the neck with a baseball bat.
(with the exception of that one time in California with a brownie that we won't discuss here)

So why am I discussing this?
Well, I have a new issue.
The last few nights I find it has been impossible to sleep due to the extreme level of lower back and abdominal pain even after taking a handful of pills (which I hate doing) I couldn't make it stop.
It's like a belt of intense pain!
That level of pain is very taxing on a person's attitude and sanity.
You have no concept of when or if it is going to stop or at the very least, ease up a bit..
Last night, however, I realized that when I was standing (to go get more pills) the pain subsided substantially.
Well now I have a new problem to solve:
How am I going to sleep standing up?
(I already work standing up)
Tonight I am going to try sitting up to sleep and see if that helps.
I hope it is the answer I’m looking for because pain can take you to a pretty dark place.
If you’re not careful, staring down into that bottle of pills can look like the quick way out.

Too Nice? No Such Thing.

I had a person recently tell me that I was too nice.
This person wasn't a friend but wasn't a complete stranger either.
The main reason this person pointed this out to me though wasn't so much about me as it was about how it made them feel about their behavior.  My being nice would then force them into being nice and apparently this was not something they wanted to be and therefore felt the weight of guilt come down upon them. Even though they fancied themselves to be kind and compassionate, being forced to be mean to me by me in order to get me to go away, made them feel bad.
Got all that?
It's confusing isn't it?
I was confused.
I learned a long time ago there are only two types of people in this world:
nice people and assholes
and we get to choose which to be at any given moment
if you aren't being nice then guess what, buddy?

I choose to be nice in most situations because I have had a lot of people be assholes to me in my life and it is not fun.  If I can make someone smile or laugh or feel good about themselves, I'm going to do it.  If you choose to be an asshole, that's 100% on you.
Own it.

I was given this on a flight earlier this year and this is why I am nice:

There is way too much sadness, pain and injustice in this world to go around being an asshole.  I am going to be nice. I am always going to try my hardest to be nice - sometimes I may get upset - especially when someone tries to make me feel bad for being a nice person, but ultimately I even forgive that person for being a dick to me and feel horrible that I became upset.

I try to keep a handle on my emotions but once I open up to someone and begin to care about them and they in turn become an asshole, I get a little disturbed by that.
Do you not believe you deserve kindness?
Do you feel that it has to be reciprocated?
And if so, are you unable to be nice for no reason?

Be honest with me. Honesty is kindness.
Most people don't want to be honest because they falsely believe that withholding information is nice to that individual - but it is really delayed doucheyness. You are only trying to protect yourself and your feelings and that makes you an asshole!

I have also decided that I have very little time for negativity in my life any longer.  If you choose to see life as a series of horrible events that are happening to you and you take that out on everyone around you - asshole.

I have been through some horrible shit in my short life and have been able to maintain a relatively positive outlook.  Being an asshole accomplishes nothing.  I know people who have had horrible things happen to them as well - some turn into assholes because of it and they will never get over it - but the ones who have chosen positivity and kindness are the ones I choose to hang around with - and they are the ones who know the true value of life and how to live it.

Ultimately, kindness and being nice is a reflection of the love we see in the world - and Love Always Wins.

Dating: So Sad, It's Funny?

We all know by now that I am an "on again, off again" online/app dater.  I do it for a while until I realize that it is a nightmare and never really meet any "good" people.  I'm not saying they aren't out there; I'm just saying I haven't met them yet. 
So today I just want to take you on a visual ride-along of what that journey looks like.
Buckle up, Buttercup!! 

First, we'll start with some of the choices from the various platforms that made me wonder: WTF?

I think the main thing I want to know here is:
What is going on with your shirt, Patrick?
Are you drunk? Is it drunk?
Were you drunk when you put it on? Did you try to take it off because you were drunk?
I have questions - but not enough to swipe right.

I only have one question here:
Is he trying to smuggle a salami?


















I wasn't sure what to think of either of these.
What are we looking at here exactly?

Dane, are you angry?
Did your kids break the fucking lamp again?

Jerry, no dandruff?
thinning hair?
because I know you can't think that man bun is going to do all the work for you.

This one really got me thinking.
Jonathan, are you a lamp?
A ghost in the doorway?
Have you fallen and can't get up?
Then I saw that you wanted to make sure we knew you were a Gemini (props, I am too) - that, coupled with your comment...
it all made sense;
Jonathan, don't build your profile when you're high, bro.

This guy!
Okay, dude, we're clear.
















The following was just part of a bio I found amusing. It's from that guy that spams everyone. You can tell by his sentence structure - I mean c'mon, who doesn't love to have a boogie? and you know he has to Europe & Middle East - we all do sometime, don't we??

Okay, that was a fun little adventure.  But how about some actual communications?
Well, I'm glad you asked because I do have a few!!
Let's see.... where to start:

So. Many. Things.
Why contact me if you 'do not know'?
What's up with the bloodshot eyes, guy?
High?
Too much scrolling with not enough blinking?
Constipated?
'Ugh' is right.

That name, dude.
You think you got mad skillz

  
The sky is married. 
The sky is a hand.
The sky touches the light.
The sky wants to know how I'm doing.
The sky has a small penis I can tell by its hand.

a poem.

excuse me?
what?

and this interaction of relentless pursuit:

 There were actually a few more text exchanges prior to that first one there but I failed to get screen grabs.
He stopped after I figured out his plan to sell me insurance though. 

my question is, who are these almost 1800 men and why are only the weird ones contacting me?
Perhaps I will actually pay to check it out one day when I get serious. but until then...