Kenneth Davis

WELCOME TO 
SMOOTH
 CONTEMPORARY JAZZ 

James Stone

Kenneth Davis

       T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N    
TODAY'S WORD - HOPELESSNESS

     My mom and dad, although they may not have had a lot of formal education, they were two of the most brilliant people that I know. My life is based on pain, passion, and purpose. I'm going to try and make people realize that in order to live the life they are living, they need to have democracy, and it's being threatened. Our children are the living messages we send to a future we will ever see... Will we rob them of their destiny? Will we rob them of their dreams? No - we will not do that.
     I was in special ed, but I felt like I was a caged bird. I felt like I could do better. I made sure I mastered my special ed lessons. I made sure I listened to my teacher. I made sure I did my homework, but I had to do a little extra. I'm a lawyer, I practiced for many years, and so I believe in the Fifth Amendment. You must have confidence in your competence. When I became a lawyer, no one asked me if I had spent some time in special ed. All they wanted was a good lawyer. I try to remind people that there are a lot of good people, all colors. Then there's some bad ones, too. But there's a lot of good people who really care.
     Every time something bad happens to me, I don't ask the question, 'Why did it happen to me?' The question I ask is, 'Why did it happen for me?' Most people who are hating on you, they are not worried about where you are. They're worried about where you're going. I realized that with African American people, where we've been blocked from being all that God meant for us to be, I don't have time to be patient. 
     I don't want anybody to be confused that the issue of police and community is one part of a broader set of issues. Our children need to be properly educated. They need to be trained so that they can get jobs and be functional. By providing students in our Nation with such an education, we help save our children from the clutches of poverty, crime, drugs, and hopelessness, and we help safeguard our Nation's prosperity for generations yet unborn.

 Elijah Cummings

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Kenneth Davis

  SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     August 4, 2024: I see your waffling, not knowing what to do. Settle the issues today, once and for all. Have I not been with you in times when change brought about order? It was I who brought about the circumstances that required change that resulted in divine order. Let your faith rest in the assurance that nothing escapes My notice, and when you call for help I am there to give wisdom and direction. Jeremiah 33:3 Call to Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAY'S WORD - WAFFLING

     There are plenty of Christian writers out there telling people what they should think. I'm happy to be one of the Christian writers simply telling people to think. For themselves. I write for people who aren't Christians. I write for non, new, and nominal Christians who are curious about the Bible and Christianity. They're like New York City. If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere. If I can write a book about the Bible that's engaging enough to attract people who aren't even Christians, I'm betting Christians will want to read it, too.
     Presenting both sides of Christianity gives the skeptic room to breathe - and to consider the possibility that there's room in Christianity for diversity in interpreting the Bible. And it gives the traditionalist pause to think again - and to consider the possibility that she might need to tweak her hermeneutic.
     I've always liked the old-school journalism approach. I don't have to take a side on any controversial issue. I get to present various sides. And my goal, as a journalist covering the Bible beat, is to present the strengths and weaknesses of each side - to the extent that readers can't tell what my opinion is. That's easy enough for me to do much of the time because I'm as confused as the next guy, and trusting a lot on Jesus for what I don't understand. 
     I report when science clashes with the Bible story and when it reinforces it. Then I let the readers chew on it. As followers of Jesus and students of the Bible, what we're looking for is the truth. We find it by grappling with the facts. And when the truth remains a mystery that our facts can't solve, we live with it. We hold loosely to our waffling knowledge and tightly to Jesus.

        STEPHEN M. MILLER is an award winning bestselling Christian author of easy-reading books about the Bible and Christianity and author of the Casual English Bible® paraphrase. A former newspaper reporter, Miller has a bachelor’s degree in news journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in biblical studies from Nazarene Theological Seminary. He describes himself a journalist who covers the Bible as his beat.

Kenneth Davis

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAY'S WORD - COMMERCIAL

     I never thought I could be a comedian, because I never thought I was funny. A lot of other people thought I was funny in the sense that, 'you're crazy.' A friend of mine was watching TV one day and he just was like, 'I bet you want to do comedy,' and he was like, 'You should. I bet you could if you try it.' So I went to a comedy club and went on stage and never looked back. It just became a career when it became more demanding than the job I had. I just like being able to voice my opinion. That's all comedy is. Comedy is just a different perspective. Perspective of what you think opposed to what other people think. I try to uphold it and make it educational as well as inspirational, as well as funny. All around, I think it's very important.
     When I did 'The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien,' Conan came to my dressing room after and was like, 'Man, that was great.' Then a week later my manager said he wanted to hire me to write for him. Comedically, man, I'm just trying to be on a page where I can just uplift people, no matter what it is. Just try to give them some type of upliftment and make them laugh. At the same time, make them think about something they wouldn't normally think about. 
     I went over there to 'black-ish' to be a writer on the show, but Kenya Barris - for no obvious reason - asked me if I wanted to play this character. He looked at me and, I guess, saw the possibilities. I've just been so lucky to have had those opportunities given to me. But you've also got to take advantage of those chances. Black-ish' is my family forever. I actually had 'Angie Tribeca' before I had 'black-ish,' so I was filming those two shows and 'Conan' back to back. If I got off early on either 'black-ish' or 'Tribeca,' then I would go to the other show. Then, when I wasn't doing either of them, I'd go to 'Conan' and do a bit. And on weekends, I'd do stand-up. It was insane.
     If anybody's in any kind of commercial, it's good to be a part of a brand, part of a system that can help the community Old Spice has been amazing, donating money to causes and needs. That's what it's about. Yeah, they would love for everyone to wear Old Spice. But it's more than that. Growing up using Old Spice was everything to me, so it's huge to join the world-famous group of Old Spice Guys. 
     My job is to make you laugh. It isn't to inform you, but it is to bring awareness of how I see things without making you feel extremely bad about it. If you want to change how you think, fine. If not, fine. But at the end of the day no matter what you're doing, I need you to respect me, love me, and love yourself. You can change the world, sometimes, with the opinions and thoughts we have as comics. Comedy is like magic. If you don't see where the trick is going, it's entertaining.

Deon Cole

Kenneth Davis

IT'S TIME FOR 
JUST JOKING MONDAYS

⦁ Which days are the strongest? Saturday and Sunday. The rest are weekdays.

⦁ Did you know your pupils are the last part to stop working when you die? They dilate.

⦁ What's the difference between a well-dressed man on a unicycle and a poorly-dressed man on a bicycle? Attire.

⦁ Of all the inventions of the last 100 years, the dry erase board has to be the most remarkable.

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

     Greetings Warrior Family! The annual fundraiser, held by the BTW Class of 1971, is approaching. Please review the flyer above for the scheduled dates. Your Cookout/Picnic Committee Members representatives have decided to join the pow-wow once again.  However, we won't be participating in the contest. We've decided to simply assemble underneath our teepees. Intentions are to enjoy the great company and camaraderie of seeing everyone and exchanging shared stories of fame, fortune and future visions of delight.  

     The entry fee of $150 has been paid by the Committee Members. We're only asking for additional monetary donations or catered foods for serving. Additional donations will be used to purchase the extra food accoutrements required.  A specific dollar amount is not requested. Donate according to your personal desire. Funds should be either mailed or dropped off to Bonnie Pippin Mills. Her address is 1784 Tahiti Lane Memphis, TN 38117. She may be contacted by phone at (901) 649-3928. Cash-app or venmo is not applicable. Additional information will be forthcoming...Looking forward to seeing you there....

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     August 6, 2024: It is time to resolve old issues. Do what you can to get to the bottom of the problem and seek Me for a solution, says the Lord. Then take the necessary steps to bring resolution. Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N
TODAY'S  WORD - ISSUES

     Generally speaking, historically in this country, the care of a child has been thought of as female business. Well, I happen to believe all business is female business. I came up in a family oriented towards the sick, so I always felt an obligation for doing something. There are still traces of discrimination against race and gender, but it's a lot different than when I started out. It just comes quietly, slowly, sometimes so quietly that you don't realize it until you start looking back.
     There is not an issue that a woman cannot bring a perspective to. When you have this many losses, you don't have a following. Dallas was a Black and White society at that time; it didn't have the diversity it has now. During the election, I had three male opponents and we went into a runoff. The front runner for the men was a native of Dallas who had run at large before, but I had a higher profile than him from my community service. This was the first time a woman in Dallas had won public office of any kind - even women questioned whether or not I was qualified, whether or not I could take it. We're going to have to look very seriously at what we're doing right or wrong because we just keep losing.
     All issues are women's issues - and there are several that are just women's business. I'm not the only one who feels the sting of continually losing. We have to think about the future and what it is we want to accomplish from this party. It takes ground activity to stimulate that Black vote. I try hard to convince them it's important - but there's a history of discomfort with minorities voting in some parts of this country, so most especially the older people have to get accustomed to it. As lawmakers, we must assure the people of America that our nation will not experience the nightmare of the 2000 presidential election.

     Eddie Bernice Johnson (December 3, 1934 – December 31, 2023) was an American politician who represented Texas's 30th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 2023. Johnson was a member of the Democratic Party.
     Johnson was elected to the House in 1992, becoming the first registered nurse in Congress. At the swearing-in of the 116th United States Congress, she became dean of Texas's congressional delegation. Upon Representative Don Young's death in March 2022, Johnson became the oldest member of the House of Representatives. She retired at the end of the 117th Congress.
     Johnson also served in the Texas House of Representatives, where she was elected in 1972 in a landslide, the first black woman to win electoral office from Dallas. She also served three terms in the Texas Senate.

Kenneth Davis

T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N
TODAY'S WORDS - SELF-LOATHING

     Power rises to the top like cream and dominates the weak with cruelty disguised as -- and often even believed to be -- benevolence. You don’t win battles with hate. Anger and hate can make you brave, make you strong, but they also make you stupid. You end up tripping over your own two feet. Happiness comes from moving toward something. When you run away, ofttimes you bring your misery with you. 
     People are afraid of what they do not understand. When you expect nothing from the world - not the light of the sun, the wet of water, nor the air to breathe - everything is a wonder and every moment a gift. When you are so ashamed of your actions, thoughts, or intentions, you lie rather than accepting yourself for who you really are—or, in this case, pretend something happened when it didn’t. One truth doesn't refute another. Truth doesn't lie in the object, but in how we see it.
     The idea of how others see you becomes more important than the reality of you. It's like when a man would rather die than be thought of as a coward. His life is not as important to him as his reputation. In the end, who is the braver? The man who dies rather than be thought of as a coward or the man who lives willing to face who he really is? The abbot told me once that lying was a betrayal to one's self. It's evidence of self-loathing. 

Michael J. Sullivan

Kenneth Davis

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY

Can Depression Cause Memory Loss? 
A Neurology Expert Explains 
By Kristen Fischer 

     Depression causes sadness, fatigue and lack of interest in things that otherwise bring us joy. But can depression cause memory loss, too? Of all the symptoms depression can cause, you may not expect memory loss to be one of them—but according to the Mayo Clinic memory issues related to mental health can be a serious concern. Though the Mayo Clinic says this forgetfulness is often just temporary, it’s still important to identify its cause and treat it properly.
Can depression impact your memory?
     A 2018 study published in Trends in Neurosciences detailed depression’s impacts on memory. If you’re depressed, you may have a hard time recollecting information. You may have better memory of negative things, but difficulty recalling positive ones. These impairments can be distressing; and if they occur, can be a sign your depression is more severe. They can also amp up your anxiety, according to Harvard Medical School, which can further affect your memory. Authors of the study said memory disruptions during depression are a result of the chronic stress that can trigger depression and affect brain function. Memory interruptions do go away as the depression wanes, though, so it won’t cause permanent brain damage.
     Another 2018 report published in Psychological Medicine found that you may struggle to remember details of your life history if you’re depressed. That same study explains that depressive symptoms aren’t linked with standard memory performance. Instead, they’re linked to poorer memory through a lens of negative context. In other words, you’ll retain negative memories more easily than positive memories because of the brain changes depression produces—a notion that’s repeated in a lot of the research on depression-related memory impairments.
How depression causes memory loss
     Though extensive research has established the link between depression and memory issues, researchers are still trying to figure out how, exactly, depression causes memory loss. Andrew E. Budson, MD, a neurology professor at Boston University School of Medicine and chief of cognitive and behavioral neurology at the VA Boston Healthcare System, tells The Healthy @Reader’s Digest that because depression changes your brain physically, memory loss can be one consequence.
     “Depression causes both biochemical changes in the brain and rumination about sad thoughts. Both of these changes impair attention which, in turn, disrupts the ability to learn new information and the ability to retrieve prior information,” Dr. Budson says. However, he adds, it’s not all bad news: “These reductions in attention and memory are temporary; they will resolve when the depression resolves.”
What to do about depression-related memory loss
     If you think you’re having memory issues related to depression, it’s important to talk to your doctor or see a specialist to help you identify exactly what you’re dealing with and develop a treatment plan. “Try to treat the depression either with help from their doctor or through the usual non-pharmacological treatments of depression,” Dr. Budson advises. There is hope for treating depression-related memory loss. A 2023 study published in peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE found that a type of meditation focused on kindness and self-compassion helped depressed people improve their memory recall compared to those who didn’t engage in the meditation.
     Research published in The Lancet Psychiatry in 2016 shows that persistent depression later in life is a good predictor of dementia risk.  Older memories are most impaired from depression-related memory loss, Dr. Budson notes. In Alzheimer’s disease, it is the recent memories that are most impaired, he adds. This is why knowing what you’re dealing with is so important. If your memory loss is from depression, you can treat the symptoms of depression. If your doctor suspects something else is going on, they can help you pinpoint the cause of memory loss. Remember, not all memory loss is permanent, and it can be reversible—especially if depression brings it on.

     This is for information purpose only, and should not be considered as a substitute for medical expertise. These are opinions from an external panel of individual doctors. Please seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns.

Kenneth Davis

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAY'S WORDS - THE FUTURE

     Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up. Don’t ever let anybody tell you that your efforts don’t matter or that your voice doesn’t count. Don’t ever believe that you can’t make a difference. When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don't really have to do anything, you just let them talk. The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope. If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.
     We are reminded that, in the fleeting time we have on this Earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame, but rather how well we have loved and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better. Each of us deserves the freedom to pursue our own version of happiness. No one deserves to be bullied. Don't shortchange the future, because of fear in the present. You can't always come up with the optimal solution, but you can usually come up with a better solution. The future is ours to win. But to get there we can't just stand still.
     The thing I know for sure is that at the end of my life, what I'm going to remember is the love I felt for my family and my friends, and whatever good I did for other people. The future rewards those who press on. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. I don't have time to complain. Life takes its own turns, makes its own demands, writes its own story, and along the way, we start to realize we are not the author. I will never apologize for saying that the future of humanity and the future of the world is going to be defined by what we have in common as opposed to those things that separate us and ultimately lead us into conflict. Empathy is a quality of character that can change the world. We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it.  While the future is unknowable, the winds always blow in the direction of human progress.

 
Barack Obama

Kenneth Davis

 TIME FOR ANOTHER 
THROWBACK
 THURSDAY

Kenneth Davis

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAY'S WORD - COMPLICATED AND DIFFICULT

     The truth always stays the same. I've spent my whole life trying to find out who I am, so I could express that through the music. I'm trying to find the truth in myself. To play somebody else doesn't interest me. It's not the focus of my life. I can get through most scenes and do the acting part of it, and at best, I'm going to be mediocre. Songs are so all-encompassing; they're the joys and sorrows and pacing of life. The art of love is who you share it with. Love is still a simple act of faith, and a faithful heart is always worth the wait. Being lost is worth the being found. Nothing is sadder than love left unheard. I thought love was more or less a giving thing. Seems the more I gave, the less I got. It's very difficult for me to say 'I love you' but to sing 'I love you' for me is easier.
     The music is key. It has the power to transport you. I go from being a slightly insecure, shy kind of a person offstage, to this super-confident, motivated, entity onstage. My voice is unadorned. I don't try for perfection. I try to be honest and truthful and soulful with the voice I have. If I make mistakes in notes, or there are cracks in notes, I don't fix them. That's the way it is. I've always thought of music as something which gives the words their flight and their wings and the music often comes first, although sometimes I'll have a concept, a title idea, a lyric idea that I want to write, and the lyric will come first. My music is in young people's lives because it's so much a part of their parents' lives.
      The lyrics aren't simple, either. Songs are life in 80 words or less. They're extremely difficult because I'm trying to say complicated things in as few words as possible. I got worries by the ton, getting cancer's only one. Overtaxed and alimonied, tired of eating fried baloney. I have a lot of confidence, but little Self-Esteem. This has given me a tremendous creative spark because it forced me to keep proving myself. If it can affect me, if it has meaning to me, if I feel I can do it well, I will do it and record it and thats why I recorded these songs. I definitely don't feel like I'm 71. I feel like I did when I was - between 30 and 40. The body ages. The mind doesn't. I Am... I Said is a very complicated song and its complicated probably because my feelings were very complicated when I wrote it.

Neil Diamond

Kenneth Davis

WELCOME TO 
SMOOTH
 CONTEMPORARY JAZZ 

GUITAR AND SOUL — PALETTE KNIFE 
Oil Painting On Canvas By Leonid Afremov

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS
 TO 
JB BLAND

     Never underestimate your own strength. You were born for a purpose and are blessed with the power to achieve it. Do not worry about the past or the future. This moment needs your attention, for this is where your life exists.

Leon Brown

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

    T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N    
TODAY'S WORDS - BE STRONG

    Black culture is a fight. We want to hold on to what we are, but sometimes the things that we are can be totally negative. You have to think: can't we try something new and not be seen as suspect? One thing my dad once said to me, "You either want to be right, or you want to be happy. To be happy, there's gotta be a conversation." I hope a kid listens to my stuff, I hope there's a change made and at least somebody walks away with: "I'm doing this because I like it." I hope in general that my music allows somebody to follow what they really like doing. People are going to hate it and that's okay, but I have to do it because my happiness is important too, it's worth it.
    I felt like high school for me was like a big whirlpool of me trying to figure out what was OK for me to do. Kept looking for something to be in with. Follow someone's blueprint. But you have to be on your own. You're always allowed to be better. I try to be me to the utmost. I am what I am, everything I wanna be. I refuse to go back to not liking who I was. When I wanna be a superhero I just wake up. It seems the more I try to connect with the world, I am feeling more alone than I ever have felt before. Suicide is kinda dumb to me. If I wanna kill myself, I will. It's not hard to die, I could do it like right now. But why is everybody pretending like everything's ok, Everything's not ok. We are more connected than we've ever been, But I feel more alone than I've ever been. Revenge is for the weak, so I have settled my vendettas with all of the kids who made my early life a living hell.
     Most people think I'm Danny Glover's son when they meet me. So, when they ask, I say 'No, I'm Crispin Glover's son.' Then we stare at each other for a long time. Black men struggle with masculinity so much. The idea that we must always be strong really presses us all down - it keeps us from growing. We put stereotypes on ourselves. I feel like guys don't think it's cool to use emojis. I'm like, that's so whack. Emojis help so much. They really do give context to something. Everybody does that. I personally don't believe people really grow. They just learn stuff when they were a kid, and hold on to it, and that affects every relationship they have. But I think it's just a little harder for black kids to just be who they are. We lay out our lives in a narrative we understand, like a movie, but are you enjoying making it or are you wondering who's watching my movie.

Donald Glover

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Enough Said!!!

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     August 11, 2024: I speak to those who have a tendency to judge and criticize people around you. Be aware that if you are critical, you will be criticized. It is a product of the spiritual law of sowing and reaping. If you do not want to be judged, you must be willing to overlook what you consider to be flaws in others and know that I love them as I love you, says the Lord. Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that you be not judged.

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAY'S WORDS - SOWING AND REAPING 

     There isn't a ruler, a yard stick or a measuring tape in the entire world long enough to compute the strength and capabilities inside you. Life is a painting, and you are the artist. You have on your palette all the colors in the spectrum - the same ones available to Michaelangelo and DaVinci. Your self-image is the result of all you have given your subconscious mind as a database, so regardless of your background, what you are willing to become is the only reality that counts.
     When you view your world with an attitude of gratitude, you are training yourself to focus on the good in life. Do a little bit more than average and from that point on your progress multiplies itself out of all proportion to the effort put in. An affirmation is simply a positive declaration of something you believe to be true or something you expect to become true and desire to live by. Affirmations transform your thinking, your attitudes, and finally, your behavior. Their impact on attitudes and behavior help to produce the results you desire.
     We are what we think we are - not what we appear to be on the outside. Most time is wasted, not in hours, but in minutes. A bucket with a small hole in the bottom gets just as empty as a bucket that is deliberately kicked over. Consider every mistake you do make as an asset. Forgiveness provides hope, joy, and a bright future that nothing else can. Forgiveness has an uncanny way of bringing incredible good out of incredibly bad situations. By forgiving, we are training ourselves to be strong, confident, joyful, peaceful, happy, and loving. These positive attributes end up affecting every part of our lives.
     What you fill your mind with is eventually translated into the words you speak, and then your words create action. The act of choosing to forgive is not easy at the moment of hurt and pain, but in the long run, it is the only way to go. If you are fearful, choose courage. If you frequently procrastinate, choose to take action now. If you have always waited for others to lead, use your own initiative. The natural principle of sowing and reaping is always at work. Whatever you plant , whether physical, spiritual, mental, financial, relational, or emotional, will grow and someday return to you in a multiplied fashion. It can be incredibly good or terribly bad, depending on your seed.

Paul J. Meyer

Kenneth Davis

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAY'S WORD - SUCCESS 

     If you could cross a lion and a monkey, that's what I'd be, because monkeys are funny, and lions are strong. I've got Democratic skin, but a Republican pocket. I grew up in the projects. You have no choice but to fight. My jokes used to get me in fights. I was going to be valedictorian in elementary school, but I got into too many fights, and they made me salutatorian. I was smart back in the day. Now I'm just an idiot. People don't understand how much time and work it takes to make somebody laugh, and how hard it is to write a script, to put together the story, the characters. When everyone laughs simultaneously, there's no greater feeling.
     Comedy clubs can be brutal. Those people are for real, and if you aren't funny, they aren't laughing. They don't care who you are. Comedy is very hard, but you have to learn the art and science of it. Confident people, who understand comedy, improvise so much better than people who are scared. You can't be scared to improvise. You have to know your character, and then you have to let go. There are so many things to talk about between black people, Hispanic people, white people, gay people, men, women, it's all based on fear. We all have fears, this thing that stops us from embracing as we are one. We are never going to be one. People are messed up, but humor lets us see how ignorant we can be. I don't think of myself as a comedian, but as an artist, a scientist and chemist who just happens to be funny. I started doing stand-up to add another level to my game. I feel that I'm a young rookie with a veteran's skill.
     I want to be remembered as a guy who's not going to change your life but who is going to change your mood. As a guy who made you smile and say, "I miss him. He was a lot of fun." Look, I want to be able to make the stupidest movies ever, because they make people laugh and they make money. But that's not all I want to do. And I think I've proven to some people - the ones paying attention - that I can do more. Everybody else, well, they can wait and see and make up their mind. Success is not a destination, but the road that you're on. Being successful means that you're working hard and walking your walk every day. You can only live your dream by working hard towards it. That's living your dream.

Marlon Wayans

Kenneth Davis

IT'S TIME FOR 
JUST JOKING MONDAYS

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     August 13, 2024: Set your heart and mind to do good in all things. Even then you may have some regrets, but you will know that you did the best you could. The enemy of your soul will always seek to keep you in the bondage of condemnation, but he is a liar and the father of lies. Walk in truth and peace. John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N
TODAY'S WORDS - BONDAGE OF CONDEMNATION

     Don't use all your health to chase after wealth, only to spend all your wealth later to get back your health. You are destined to reign in life. You are called by the Lord to be a success, to enjoy wealth, to enjoy health, and to enjoy a life of victory. It is not the Lord's desire that you live a life of defeat, poverty, and failure. Even when you have failed, Jesus is right there with you, ready to pick you up and restore you to wholeness. Jesus is a faithful, dependable and trustworthy friend. The world looks at what you have, while God sees who you have. The world's system is based on what you have done, while God looks at what Jesus has done on the cross for you.
     The law condemns the best of us; but grace saves the worst of us. As you walk in God's divine wisdom, you will surely begin to see a greater measure of victory and good success in your life. Under the law, even the best failed. Under grace, even the worst can be saved! Grace is not a theology. It is not a subject matter. It is not a doctrine. It is a person, and his name is Jesus. That's the reason the Lord wants you to receive the abundance of grace, for to have the abundance of grace is to have the abundance of Jesus. It will never be about our love for God. It will always be about His magnificent love for us.
     Beloved, there is nothing you can do today to make God love you more, and there’s nothing you can do to make Him love you any less… Beloved, it’s not enough that you know that God loves everyone. You need to know and believe that He loves you, and let that revelation burn in your heart, especially when you fail. Look within, get depressed; Look around, get distressed; Look to Jesus, find perfect rest.
     Jesus Himself has already paid the price for your sins, so stop condemning yourself! Today, when you look into the mirror, what do you see? Do you see yourself trapped in all your failings, mistakes, and sins? Or do you see what God sees? My dear friend, when God sees you today, He sees Jesus. Use your eyes of faith and believe that as Jesus is, so are you. In God’s eyes, you are righteous, you are favored, you are blessed, and you are healed. You are freed from all sin, all pangs of guilt, all forms of condemnation, and every bondage of addiction!

     Joseph Prince (born 15 May 1963) is a Singaporean evangelist and the senior pastor of New Creation Church, which is based in Singapore. He was one of the church's founders in 1983. Prince was born in Singapore, the son of a Sikh priest of Indian origin and a Chinese mother. He converted to Christianity at age 12.