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 - DO NOT PANIC

     I wake up in the morning and ask myself; is life worth living? Should I blast myself? You never know what's going on in somebody's mind. There's a lot of pressure on someone growing up. You have to watch it. Life's a test, mistakes are lessons, but the gift of life is knowing that you have made a difference. I know it seems hard sometimes but remember one thing. Through every dark night, there's a bright day after that. So, no matter how hard it gets, stick your chest out, keep ya head up.... and handle it. During your life, never stop dreaming. No one can take away your dreams. Behind every sweet smile, there is a bitter sadness that no one can ever see and feel.
     Break the chains in our brains that make us fear. It's time we stop worrying, and get angry you know? But not angry and pick up a gun, but angry and open our minds. Out of anger comes controversy, out of controversy comes conversation, out of conversation comes action. Why am I dying to live if I'm just living to die. You gotta find a way to survive cause they win when your soul dies. All I'm trying to do is survive and make good out of the dirty, nasty, unbelievable lifestyle that they gave me. Don't leave this world without giving it your all.
     If you let a person talk long enough, you'll hear their true intentions. Listen twice, speak once. There's gon' be some stuff you gon' see that's gon' make it hard to smile in the future. But through whatever you see, through all the rain and the pain, you gotta keep your sense of humor. You gotta be able to smile through all this bullshit. Remember that. Don't believe everything you hear: Real eyes, Realize, Real lies. Let me say for the record, I am not a gangster and never have been. I'm not the thief who grabs your purse. I'm not the guy who jacks your car. I'm not down with people who steal and hurt others. I'm just a brother who fights back. I'm not some violent closet psycho. I've got a job. I'm an artist.
     I didn't introduce thug life to America. Thug life is America. I don't get why the whole world is fearing me. I am scared, but so are they. It's like I am having a panic attack because I have 15,000 people wanting to do what I want, listing to everything I say. When I say ' thug' I mean not a criminal, someone who beats you over the head, I mean the underdog. You could have two people- one person has everything he needs to succeed, and one person has nothing. If the person who has nothing succeeds, he's a thug. Cuz, he overcame all the obstacles. Fear is stronger than love. Fear no man but only God.

~Tupac Shakur~

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

This is dedicated to all the Warriors in the Mid-South because it keeps raining all the time.

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

      April 6, 2025: Even though the world seems to be filled with evil and hatred, you are not of the world. You have the ability to create an environment of love and respect. How you feel and what you do will make a difference in your atmosphere, and it is more propitious to do what is good and kind rather than what is selfish and defensive, says the Lord. Let My Spirit lead you. John 17:16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAYS WORDS - LOVE AND RESPECT

     Your struggle is your strength. If you can resist becoming negative, bitter or hopeless, in time, your struggles will give you everything. The world is not fair, and often fools, cowards, liars and the selfish hide in high places. Love softens the hardest edges of life's tumult. Become an ambassador of peace in your own life. The feeling of being 'offended' is a warning indicator that is showing you where to look within yourself for unresolved issues.
     Everything comes by being! Be the love you seek. Be the friend you seek. Be the lover you seek. Be the honesty you seek. Be the integrity you seek. Be the patience you seek. Be the tolerance you seek. Be the compassion you seek. To understand the journey, you have to do the walking. Your hard journey has had a great purpose! Your pain was always a part of a plan to open your heart to love. Have faith. A miracle is happening in your life; the miracle of pain is transforming you to your highest self. Every positive thought is a silent prayer which will change your life.
      One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say. When we want to talk, we can instead listen and let our attentiveness to another's need to speak be our silent statement. Your message means less than the way the message is delivered, because in actuality, the way the message is delivered, IS the message. Let people speak. Let people disagree. Communicate. Listen. Have high respect, if not for your opponent, then for your own comportment and conduct as a good listener. 
     How we treat other people changes them, but even more so, how we treat other people changes us. We only hurt others because we don't love ourselves. Learning to truly love yourself changes your relationship with everyone. There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love. The expansion of your own consciousness, love capacity, humility and compassion - this is the path; this is the way. The trees which are pruned, watered and nurtured by caring hands bear the greatest fruits; it is the same with people.
     Every soul is beautiful and precious; is worthy of dignity and respect, and deserving of peace, joy and love. To have our needs met, to love, to be loved, to feel safe in this world and to each know our purpose, is a simple matter of creating those blessings for others. The love and attention you always thought you wanted from someone else is the love and attention you first need to give to yourself. I learned that peace is prosperity and health is true wealth, and it is never too late to love yourself again. Love and respect changes everything.

~Bryant H. McGill~

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 - LOOK AT HOW FAR YOU HAVE COME

     Good character is the single most important attribute of a successful and worthy life. People of character do the right thing, not because they think it will change the world, but because they refuse to be changed by the world. Don't let others define you. Don't let the past confine you. Take charge of your life with confidence and determination and there are no limits on what you can do or be. No one is born with good character; it's not a hereditary trait. And it isn't determined by a single noble act. Character is established by conscientious adherence to moral values, not by lofty rhetoric or good intentions.
     Ordinary people, even weak people, can do extraordinary things through temporary courage generated by a situation. But the person of character does not need the situation to generate his courage. It is a part of his being and a standard approach to all life's challenges. Integrity, respect, compassion, and fairness become obstacles to people who think winning is everything. What a person says and does in ordinary moments when no one is looking, reveals more about true character than grand actions taken while in the spotlight. Our true character is revealed by normal, consistent, everyday attitudes and behavior, not by self-conscious words or deeds or rare acts of moral courage.
     Personal integrity is important, not because it gets us what we want, but because it helps us be what we want. Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters. What will matter in the end is not what you bought but what you built; not what you got but what you gave; not what you learned by what you taught. What will matter is not your competence but your character. Character is doing the right thing even when it costs more than you want to pay. When it comes to character, you don't have to be sick to get better. It's easier for a good person to get better than for a bad person to get good.
     Good character is more important than wealth, good looks, popularity and even education. Character is ethical and moral strength. People of good character have the moral awareness and strength to know the good, love the good and do the good. Take pride in how far you've come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don't forget to enjoy the journey. We judge our own character by our best intentions and most noble acts, but we will be judged by our last worst act. Yes and no are very powerful words. Mean them when you say them. Respect them when you hear them.

~Michael Josephson~

Kenneth Davis

IT'S TIME FOR 
JUST JOKING MONDAYS

Just a Tongue Twister Accident

     A guy with a black eye, boards his plane and sits down in his seat. He notices immediately that the guy next to him has a black eye, too. He says to him, “Hey this is a coincidence, we both have black eyes; mind if I ask how you got yours?”
     The other guy says, “Well, it just happened. It was a tongue twister accident. See, I was at the ticket counter and this gorgeous blonde with the most massive breasts in the world was there. So, instead of saying, I’d like two tickets to Pittsburgh,’ I accidentally said, I’d like two pickets to Tittsburgh’………. So, she socked me a good one.

Diet Guru

     A diet guru is holding a seminar in the conference room of a large hotel. “The food we eat,” he explains, “is slowly killing us. Red meats attack the heart. Vegetables and fruits are sprayed with harmful pesticides. Even our drinking water is polluted!

     But do you know which food is much more dangerous than them all? Can anyone tell me what it is?” A man in the back of the room raises his hand and, when called on, answers, “Wedding cake?”

Joycelyn Lacy (Sommerville)

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     April 8, 2025: Refuse to drown yourself in sorrow. You cannot change what has happened or what you are going through, but you can access the peace that passes understanding. Put your trust in the truth of the Word of God and begin by taking your first step into a new day of possibilities. Be strong and of good courage, says the lord. Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

     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 - PEACE THAT PASSES UNDERSTANDING

     Anyone attempting to live a Christian lifestyle will always be pressed towards settling for "nominal Christianity." For the believer who lives in the Bible Belt, it can become less about whether one is living his or her life in complete and total sold-out devotion to God, and more about where I'm going to lunch after church. The thing is, dressing up, going to church, dropping a twenty in the offering plate, those things are all well and good, but that doesn't make you a Christian. We've got social media now where we can even create an identity for ourselves and show the world an inauthentic highlight reel version of who we are. But I'm drawn to real, not a highlight reel. The world doesn't need to see another plastic Christian pretending they've got it all together.
     I truly believe that if someone is believing a lie about who they are right now, that God's desire for you is to be set free from that once and for all. Ask him to show you where that false identity is coming from. Ask him to show you how differently he sees you than how you view yourself. I feel like today's culture seeks at every turn to place more and more power in the hands of the individual. Bookstores are lined with shelves filled with self-help books. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and every other social media outlets turn our focus inwards, allowing us to fall more and more in love with ourselves, our thoughts, our opinions, our voices. If I live in an area where Christians are in the minority, there is the pressure to take a more a la carte approach to one's belief system. It's safer to take some of God's teachings and apply the parts we like but push aside that which seems too extreme or exclusive.
     What I've learned much about myself by now is as the quality and discipline of my quiet time with the Lord goes, so goes the rest of my life. I walked away with a renewed passion for Scripture, and I was powerfully reminded that God's Word really is a lamp to guide my feet along this journey of discovering who I am. Whether or not I'm staying in the Word daily decides how I respond to conflict. Today, so many of us Christians talk so much about being the hands and feet of Christ, but never really displaying what that looks like. It’s not about talking. It’s about doing! It’s time for us to do something! To be called a child of God - there is no greater distinction. I love the final sentence of that Scripture with that emphatic exclamation mark. What a powerful assurance. Right here, right now, in this very moment, no matter how good or bad you feel about yourself, you're a beloved child of God. Throughout Scripture, God is conveying this message. He made you; he loves you, he pursues you, he's not done with you, and he's called you, his child.
     We are living in uncertain times. In a world where peace seems to be in short supply, I feel like the world is desperate to see an example of "peace that passes understanding." When someone goes "all in" for God, committing their whole life to Him, peace is one of the gifts we are promised. Someone who is all in for God can take to heart that even though we will have trouble in this world, our lives are in the hands of the one who has overcome this world. When we've been filled with God's peace, only then can we turn around and become instruments of His peace to a hurting world.

 
~Matthew West~

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 - BEYOND YOUR CONTROL 

     Be grateful for your difficulties and challenges, for they hold blessings. In fact, Man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health personal growth, individuation and self-actualization. Intuition is one of the four basic psychological functions along with thinking, feeling, and sensing. The first half of life is devoted to forming a healthy ego, the second half is going inward and letting go of it. Life really does begin at forty. Up until then, you are just doing research. The difference between a good life and a bad life is how well you walk through the fire.
     The foundation of all mental illness is the unwillingness to experience legitimate suffering. Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. Do not compare, do not measure. No other way is like yours. All other ways deceive and tempt you. You must fulfill the way that is in you. Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darkness's of other people. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely. Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams, who looks inside, awakes.
     Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better to take things as they come along with patience and equanimity. The sad truth is that man's real life consists of a complex of inexorable opposites - day and night, birth and death, happiness and misery, good and evil. We are not even sure that one will prevail against the other, that good will overcome evil, or joy defeat pain. Life is a battleground. It always has been and always will be and if it were not so, existence would come to an end.
     A man likes to believe that he is the master of his soul. But as long as he is unable to control his moods and emotions, or to be conscious of the myriad secret ways in which unconscious factors insinuate themselves into his arrangements and decisions, he is certainly not his own master. One finds one's destiny on the path one takes to avoid it. We meet ourselves time and again in a thousand disguises on the path of life. We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses.
     The world will ask you who you are, and if you don't know, the world will tell you. Contemporary man is blind to the fact that, with all his rationality and efficiency, he is possessed by "powers" that are beyond his control. His gods and demons have not disappeared at all; they have merely got new names. They keep him on the run with restlessness, vague apprehensions, psychological complications, an insatiable need for pills, alcohol, tobacco, food - and, above all, a large array of neuroses. Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate. Every human life contains a potential, if that potential is not fulfilled, then that life was wasted. In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order.

~Carl Jung~

Kenneth Davis

This Specific Nail Mark Could Be a Melanoma Symptom 
By Brooke Nelson and Miranda Manier
Medically reviewed by Joshua Zeichner, MD
https://www.thehealthy.com/

What your nails might be telling you  about your skin cancer risk...

     When you think of skin cancer, you probably think of checking head to toe for moles. But did you know your nails can also reveal an important sign of melanoma? With the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) reporting that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime, it’s crucial to know any little change that could be a warning sign. Manicurist Jean Skinner has firsthand experiencing catching this stealthy symptom. “I had a walk-in nail client a couple of weeks ago,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “She had a straight dark vertical stripe down her nail. She said as soon as she sat down—I need a color dark enough to cover this stripe.”

     Other salons had speculated that the woman’s mysterious line could be due to a calcium deficiency, a blood blister, or a strange hereditary mark. Yet Skinner knew better and was concerned. She immediately told her customer that the dark line was likely a symptom of melanoma. Subungual melanoma (aka nail melanoma) is, as its nickname suggests, a skin cancer that occurs under the nail. It affects 0.7 to 3.5% of people with melanoma, according to the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Though subungual melanoma is an uncommon type of skin cancer, it’s important to know about its telltale sign: a dark black or brown line across a finger or toenail, according to the AAD.

     Skinner’s hunch was correct—and unfortunately the prognosis wasn’t good. The client called later to tell her she had aggressive melanoma that had spread to her lymph nodes. A black band isn’t the only skin cancer symptom that could be hiding under your nail polish. Other signs of nail melanoma include darkened skin around the nail and cuticle, blood, pus and splits in the nail, the AAD says.

More skin cancer symptoms to look for...

     In addition to checking your fingernails for dark marks, you should do your own skin self-exams to check for irregular moles. See your dermatologist if you see any moles that exhibit any of the ABCDEs of melanoma:

⦁ Asymmetry

⦁ Irregular borders

⦁ Varied color including shades of tan, brown, black, white, red or blue

⦁ A diameter of 6mm or more

⦁ Evolving size, shape or color

     According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, melanoma is almost always treatable when detected early, but if left alone it can spread to other areas of the body where it can be potentially life-threatening. While melanoma is not the most common type of skin cancer, it does cause the most deaths. As with other skin cancers, early diagnosis of subungual melanoma is crucial. See your doctor right away if you happen to notice a dark mark under your fingernail or any other suspicious symptoms. Your doctor or dermatologist can do a biopsy to determine if the irregular growth or discolored area is a sign of skin cancer.

     This is for information purposes 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 - LIFE AND CIRCUMSTANCES 

     Today is a gift I honor by fully living it. Lean forward into your life. Begin each day as if it were on purpose.  It is of the small joys and little pleasures that the greatest of our days are built. Live boldly. Laugh Loudly. Love Truly. Play as often as you can. Work as smart as you are able. Share your heart as deeply as you can reach. The opportunity for greater courage comes in the most ordinary of moments. At first glance it may appear too hard. Look again. Always look again. Unexpected events can set you back or set you up. It's all a matter of - perspective. A bird only flies. It does not turn to another bird and ask, am I doing this right? It takes courage to reinvent joys, to reinvent opportunities, to reinvent dreams, to reinvent connections, to reinvent hopes that you have set aside.
     Every possibility begins with the courage to imagine. Listen to the compass of your heart. All you need lies within you. Ask today as you consider the many choices in your view - what is the highest and best use of your talents, skills and abilities? When you answer that, seize the opportunity to sharpen those qualities even more sharply by applying your focused effort. Manage through the uncertainties. Practice appropriate actions and participate in healthy choices. Value and celebrate the loyalty of the individuals around you: celebrate their competencies and successes, as well as your own. Build up your circle and reinforce it at every opportunity. Manage the remarkable balance between acting from your heart and close to your gifts with completing the obligations that your labor and tasks require of you. Leverage opportunity and seize joy.
     Begin as if you will finish. Let the story be told that you had the courage to begin. As the evening beckons with the promise of tomorrow... may your gratitude rise up and with strength answer, "yes." Recognize that on certain days the greatest grace is that the day is over, and you get to close your eyes. Tomorrow comes more brightly. This is taken from a love letter (a gentle reminder) I wrote to myself recently. Live in your joy today. Be authentic. Love yourself. First. Love others from your own abundance. Life Changes. Circumstances change. Sometimes you try to fit your old way of being into new circumstances rather than becoming new yourself. Embrace transformation as an opportunity. And keep on writing love letters to yourself.... Today, maybe I can take one step on that profoundly complex path to peace. In the quiet of this day may you know the greatness of your spirit and may your hopes fly on the wings of possibility. I recognize the delivery of grace to my day, even if I cannot identify a specific return address.

~Mary Anne Radmacher~

Kenneth Davis

TIME FOR ANOTHER 

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 - ABILITY TO CHANGE CIRCUMSTANCES 

     Life isn't happening to you; life is responding to you. The earth turns on its orbit for You. The oceans ebb and flow for You. The birds sing for You. The sun rises and it sets for You. The stars come out for You. Every beautiful thing you see, every wondrous thing you experience, is all there, for You. Take a look around. None of it can exist, without You. The key is your thoughts and feelings, and you have been holding the key in your hand all of your life. Life is so much easier than you think it is, and as you come to understand the way life works, and the power you have inside you, you will experience the magic of life in its fullness. When you want to change your circumstances, you must first change your thinking. Your job is an inside one. To change your world, all you have to do is change the way you feel inside. How easy is that?
     Your life is in your hands. No matter where you are now, no matter what has happened in your life, you can begin to consciously choose your thoughts, and you can change your life. There is no such thing as a hopeless situation. Every single circumstance of your life can change! No matter what challenging situation you may find yourself in, imagine the best outcome of it and feel it! When you do, you will change the circumstances, and you will change the situation into what you want! Difficult times are the greatest opportunities in disguise. When we face difficult times, we have to put in determined work to get ourselves into joy. Difficult times are your greatest opportunity to practice yourself into joy!
      The purpose of life is joy! When you're in joy, you attract the highest and best in every area of your life. Joy attracts more joy. Happiness attracts more happiness. Peace attracts more peace. GRATITUDE attracts more GRATITUDE. Kindness attracts more kindness. Love attracts more love. There is no greater power in the Universe than the power of love. The feeling of love is the highest frequency you can emit. If you could wrap every thought in love, if you could love everything and everyone, your life would be transformed.  Joy increases to the exact degree that you deliberately increase your good thoughts, good words, and good actions. 
     Remember, if you are criticizing, you are not being grateful. If you are blaming, you are not being grateful. If you are complaining, you are not being grateful. What you feel about another person, what you think or say about another person, what you do to another person – you do to you. Give judgment and criticism and you give it to yourself. Give love and appreciation to another person or anything, and you give it to yourself. No-one is destined to live a life of poverty, because each of us has the ability to change everything in this life. The law of attraction is the law of creation, and it allows each person to create the life they want. Every person has their own unique circumstances to overcome, but every single person has the opportunity to achieve anything - and change everything.
     Every day is an opportunity for a new life. Every day you stand at the tipping point of your life. And on any one day you can change the future – through the way that you feel. If you practice gratitude a little, your life will change a little. If you practice gratitude a lot every day, your life will change dramatically and in ways that you can hardly imagine. Never let a day pass without looking for the good, feeling the good within you, praising, appreciating, blessing, and being grateful. Make it your life commitment, and you will stand in utter awe of what happens in your life. You are meant to have an amazing life. 

~Rhonda Byrne~

Kenneth Davis

WELCOME TO 
SMOOTH
 CONTEMPORARY JAZZ 

     In my opinion, the trombone is the true head of the family of wind instruments, which I have named the 'epic' one. It possesses nobility and grandeur to the highest degree; it has all the serious and powerful tones of sublime musical poetry, from religious, calm and imposing accents to savage, orgiastic outburst. Directed by the will of the master, the trombones can chant like a choir of priests, threaten, utter gloomy sighs, a mournful lament, or a bright hymn of glory; they can break forth into awe-inspiring cries and awaken the dead or doom the living with their fearful voices.
~Hector Berlioz~

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 - OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME

     Being diagnosed with diabetes can be a very scary thing, and it can easily make your life stand still for a moment. I have to consider everything I eat; I consider every activity I do. I've got one of the best health care teams out there as far as diabetes management. I wear a continuous glucose monitor when I'm racing. I have a great race team, great grew members, awesome health care team, endocrinologist, nutritionist, and of course family and friends. It truly is a team effort, both when you are dealing with diabetes in regular life and also on the racetrack.
     My team fills two separate drink bottles for me in the car. One is water, and the other has orange juice. I just turn a valve and go from water to juice... to adjust my glucose levels. There's a wire injected under my skin a few days before an event and connected to that is a wireless transmitter. That device communicates my blood-glucose levels to the receiver unit, which is mounted above my steering wheel. While I'm driving, I've got speed, gear, lap time, water temperature, blood sugar, RPM, oil pressure. I've got car data and body data all together. It's all on the dash.
   There are days when I still wake up angry, and no one handles it perfectly all the time, but honestly, I feel lucky to have diabetes because of the people I get to meet. The families, the kids, the parents, the other athletes. If I could pick a club to be in, this would definitely be it. Overcoming the obstacle of my diabetes diagnosis was something that forced me tackle the challenge head-on and, with an amazing support system, eventually come out stronger. People ask how hard it can be sitting down for work during a 500-mile race? Well, without power steering or power brakes, holding onto 650 horses in a car that has nearly 3,000 pounds of downforce and can produce up to 4Gs vertically and laterally can be extremely tough - even sitting down.
     The typical response from people when I tell them I'm diabetic is, 'Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.' You know, I'm not. I'm a better athlete because of diabetes rather than despite it. I'm more aware of my training, my fitness and more aware of nutrition. I'm more proactive about my health. Racing is what I live for, and it makes my world go around. Having said that, without the support of the diabetes community, I may not have gotten back into the race car after my diagnosis in October 2007.

~Charlie Kimball~

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     April 13, 2025: Be bold and strong. Resolutely leave the past behind. Do it on purpose and set your heart on what you can do to move on. Nothing will change the mistakes that you have made. Be finished with regret and dread. Ask for and receive My forgiveness. I will be with you in your new beginning, says the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

    T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N    
TODAYS WORDS - BE BOLD AND STRONG

     Always, always pursue happiness. You can blame outside factors or make excuses about why things didn't work out, but that doesn't change anything. Don't wait for the perfect time to start making changes to your life; the time is now. When someone says, 'You can't,' what it really means is that they can't - so why should you get to? Nine times out of 10, extenuating circumstances aside, I believe that people are where they are by some kind of choice on their part. You need to acknowledge that, 'Hey, I'm here because I steered my horse in this direction.'
     My mom taught me from a very early age that I could do anything I wanted to do. I have one of those old-fashioned mothers who told me every single day, 'Son, you can do or be anything that you want to do or be.' And I believed it. I bought into it 100%. I chose to embrace the spirit of my mother, who, though she had too many of her own dreams denied, deferred, and destroyed, she still instilled in me, her child, that I could have dreams and that I did have a responsibility and the power. I just wanted to make a million dollars. But I couldn't sing, and I couldn't play ball, so I said to my mother, 'How am I going to make a million dollars?' And she said to me, 'Son, if you believe you can do it, you will.' 
     You have to be bold because there will be folks who will say, "You can't" or "You shouldn't" or "Why?" There is a certain boldness to saying, "Well, I really don't want to be a high-powered corporate lawyer. I'm really passionate about painting." Strong people stand up for themselves. Stronger people stand up for others. The irony is that while sleep sometimes brings nightmares, it's the reality of my waking hours that can cause me the greater fear. As long as you have a plan for how you'll live, don't let jealous people turn their insecurities into yours.
     I hold one thing dearer than all else: my commitment to my son. I made a decision as a five-year-old boy that my kids will know who their father is. I grew up without a father. My stepfather was fond of letting me know, quote, 'I ain't your... damn daddy.' That was something that was painful, to put it mildly. The hardest thing that I had to do every day as a working single parent was childcare, to have to leave my child with people that I did not know and hope everything was OK, that was the most painful part of every day.
     Long before I achieved financial success and became the subject of a Hollywood film, I was a veteran, a single father, and a working person who was homeless. Be bold enough to find the one thing that you are passionate about. It might not be what you were trained to do. But be bold enough to do the one thing. Nobody needs to dig it but you. When you tell your kids they can be anything, you've got to be careful. I told my kids that, and I ended up with a music producer and an interior designer. But they're doing it. Will Smith played Chris Gardner better than Chris Gardner ever did.

~Chris Gardner~

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS
TO
MARY KELLY BASS 
&
ALMEIDA SHACKLEFORD ALLEN

     Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Turn your attention for a while away from the worries and anxieties. Remind yourself of all your many blessings. Your destiny is to fulfill those things upon which you focus most intently. So choose to keep your focus on that which is truly magnificent, beautiful, uplifting and joyful. Your life is always moving toward something.
~Ralph Marston~

Joycelyn Lacy (Sommerville)

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 - TAKE TIME TO RELAX 

     I don't care how busy I am - I will always make time for what's most important to me. A reputation as a hard worker is a good reputation to have. Stand-up comedy is mine: it's my entity; it's my brand; I own it. I do it when I want to do it. I feel like I have a job to do, like I constantly have to reinvent myself. The more I up the ante for myself, the better it is in the long run. I try to interact with my fans as much as possible. It's good that the person I'm being onstage isn't really an act. It's really me. For me, the way I stay consistent is through stand-up comedy. The day you stop doing the small things is the day you think you're above everybody else. The two things in the world we all share in this world are laughter and pain. We've all got problems. The levels of those problems vary, but we've all got problems. When you can take things that are painful and make them funny, that's a gift - to you and your audience.
     When I got into the business of entertainment, I did it for a reason. I didn't do it to not be successful. I did it to be successful. And to hopefully get to the highest level that I possibly could. Thus far, I'm achieving those goals. That doesn't make you stop. That doesn't make you complacent. It makes you want to do more. I can honestly say, after talking about my mom passing away, I got the biggest weight off of my chest. Comedy is my therapy. That's how I deal with my problems, my personal battles. I talk about it. I give it to my fans. When they laugh at it, it's a release, for lack of a better word. I understand that being able to appeal to the public and having an amazing sense of humor is not something that comes easy. It's definitely a gift and for which I'm thankful.
     Everybody wants to be famous, but nobody wants to do the work. I live by that. You grind hard so you can play hard. At the end of the day, you put all the work in, and eventually it'll pay off. It could be in a year; it could be in 30 years. Eventually, your hard work will pay off. Sometimes when you hear so much and everybody is praising you, you can get lost in that. You can start thinking that you are on a higher pedestal than everyone else. So, I try to stay levelheaded, humble and the best way to do that is to not really acknowledge it that much. I just keep grinding and working as hard as I can. I also set my goals higher so that I don't have time to be content with my place in life and in my career. Having other comedians complimenting my work is the biggest accolade that I can get. At the end of the day, I want to be part of the same conversation as Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor.
     I'm happy about working; I'm happy about gracing the stage and coming out and making people laugh. I never treat it like a job or feel that way. It's the best thing ever to me, and I feel like a kid in a candy store. I'm never gonna step away from stand-up. I can't. That's what got me where I am, and that's also my muse. That's how I stay level-headed. That's what keeps me going. My goals are so high that I don't have time to relax, in any way shape or form. Believe it or not, I make myself laugh. Sometimes when I have thoughts or say some things that are funny, it just makes me laugh, and I don't mind laughing at it before you guys do. You get one life. I'm going to embrace mine. I love making people laugh. And I love laughing. I am an angel. I was sent here from God to heal.

~Kevin Hart~

Kenneth Davis

IT'S TIME FOR 
JUST JOKING MONDAYS

A Man Walks Into The Front Door Of A Bar

     A man walks into the front door of a bar, he is obviously drunk, and staggers up to the bar, seats himself on a stool, and with a belch, asks the bartender for a drink. The bartender politely informs the man that it appears he has already had plenty to drink, he could not be served additional liquor at this bar, and could a cab be called for him? The drunk is briefly surprised, then softly scoffs, grumbles, climbs down off of the stool and staggers out the front door.
     A few minutes later, the same drunk stumbles in the SIDE door of the same bar. He wobbles up to the bar and hollers for a drink. The bartender comes over and, still politely-but more firmly, refuses to serve the man due to his inebriation, and again offers to call a cab. The drunk looks at the bartender for a moment angrily, curses, and shows himself out the side door, all the while grumbling and shaking his head.
     A few minutes later, the same drunk bursts in through the BACK door of the bar. He plops himself down on a bar stool, gathers his wits and belligerently orders a drink. The bartender comes over and emphatically reminds the man that he is clearly drunk, will not be served a drink, and either a cab or the police will be called immediately. The surprised drunk looks at the bartender, and in hopeless anguish, cries, “MAAAN! How many bars do you work at?”

Curtis by Ray Billingsley

Joycelyn Lacy (Sommerville)

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

   April 15, 2025: This is a season of changes both great and small. It will be a time when you have to face and accept the current flow of your life and move on with the assurance that I am with you every step of the way, says the Lord. Lean on Me for courage and wisdom as you forge ahead. You are not alone. Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.

    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 - A SEASON OF CHANGES

     There are so many things admirable people do not understand. The root and the flower have to trust each other. If the root does not trust, the plant won't blossom. Please think about this as you go on. Breathe on the world. Hold out your hands to it. When morning and evenings roll along, watch how they open and close, how they invite you to the long party that your life is. The earth says have a place, be what that place requires; hear the sound the birds imply and see as deep as ridges go behind each other. I heard a bird congratulating itself all day for being a jay. Nobody cared. But it was glad all over again, and said so, again.
     It is this impulse to change the quality of experience that I recognize as central to creation.... Out of all that could be done, you choose one thing. What that one thing is, nothing else can tell you--you come at it over unmarked snow. The more you let yourself be distracted from where you are going, the more you are the person that you are. It's not so much like getting lost as it is like getting found. I keep following this sort of hidden river of my life, you know, whatever the topic or impulse which comes, I follow it along trustingly. And I don't have any sense of its coming to a kind of crescendo, or of its petering out either. It is just going steadily along. The way it is there’s a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn’t change. People wonder about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard for others to see. While you hold it you can’t get lost. Tragedies happen; people get hurt or die; and you suffer and get old. Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding. You don’t ever let go of the thread.  I embrace emerging experience; I participate in discovery. I am a butterfly. I am not a butterfly collector. I want the experience of the butterfly.
     Ask me some time when the river is ice, ask me mistakes I have made. Ask me whether what I have done, is my life. Others have come in their slow way into my thought, and some have tried to help or to hurt ask me what difference their strongest love or hate has made. I will listen to what you say. You and I can turn and look at the silent river and wait. We know the current is there, hidden; and there are comings and goings from miles away that hold the stillness exactly before us. What the river says, that is what I say. Once we have tasted far streams, touched the gold, found some limit beyond the waterfall, a season changes and we come back changed but safe, quiet, grateful. All still when summer is over, stand shocks in the field, nothing left to whisper, not even good-bye, to the wind. After summer was over, we knew winter would come we knew silence would wait, tall, patient calm. 'Be alive,' the land says, 'listen - this is your time, your world, your pleasure.' Even the upper end of the river believes in the ocean.

~William Stafford~

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS
TO
MAURICE  HUNT

     You see, my brethren, my heart is full; I could almost say it is too big to speak, and yet too big to be silent, without dropping a word to you. Press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you. It is very remarkable, that in the book of life, we find some almost of all kinds of occupations, who notwithstanding served God in their respective generations, and shone as so many lights in the world. 
~George Whitefield~

Joycelyn Lacy (Sommerville)

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 - CHOOSE TO EXCEL
 

     My swagger is to be myself. I've just been on this constant quest of trying to be the best player I can be with no limits. Just trying to be the best version of myself, the best player, leader and man I can be. And that will never change. I remember as a kid I always wore a shirt that said, 'Born To Play Football.' I was born into this stuff because of my dad. I'm happy it happened that way. I'm a motivated coach's son from the Eastside of Houston and I love to play ball. I'm a coach's kid. Just kind of the rarity of being that way, I guess, seeing different things growing up and having different approaches on different things - that's why I am the way I am.
     I've been blessed to grow, learn things, and just mature. And I know God has been there the whole entire way. Not everyone in this life gets the chance to be a role model. And that's why I'm on this mission: to be the best player, leader, and man that I can be. I think for a long time, the world told guys like me that they couldn't process and they couldn't have that approach to the game and have the fundamental and mental awareness to execute and play the position at a high level. I think life teaches you the most valuable lessons. Learning from everything, every day. That's the most essential and most valuable thing to a person. Without scholarship and learning and climbing - without any of that, there's no growth. I'll never disrespect anyone; I'll show respect to everybody because everybody has a different point of view on anything and everything. 
     Women are thrusted into positions to have to overcome this, overcome that and they lack the respect that they deserve. I'm here advocating for it, not only in football but in every situation. We all know the woman is the rock of everything. I admire anyone who puts their head down and works for what they want. And I know women who do that daily, but they don't get the same praise as men - they don't get the praise that they deserve. I thought that was very important to show my support and play a role in equaling out the playing field for women in sports and women all around the world, really, when you talk about them being empowered to truly have equality in whatever field they choose to strive for.

     I just try to go out there and play to the standard and be the best I can be for my team. I've got a bounty on me every week I go out there on the field. So, I'm going to go out there and just play my game, and whatever happens, happens. God has put me in some crazy, unprecedented situations, but it ain't nothing that I can't handle. As a player, I definitely yearn for the sustainability and the consistency there... As a quarterback, I yearn for those things in a play caller and a quarterback coach because you kind of see how consistency in those areas can breed excellence. Being someone knowledgeable and understanding of what's going on - on the field - being able to make those throws and being able to cause problems on the ground as well, those are the three areas as a quarterback I'm embracing, and that I want to continue to excel at. 
     I don't think the situation I'm in or anything like that changes who I am. And I try to be myself every day. I don't try. I am myself every day. I'm respectful to those around me, diligent. Just trying to do the right things and do right by people. So, everybody gets the same person. That's something that I've just matured in and realized - that God is everything and He's worthy of praise. You have to put Him in the center of everything that you do. And that's what I believe.

~Jalen Hurts~