Attacks on Police Officers Must Stop

It is time for the attacks on police officers to stop.  Protest is one thing.  Assault and murder are an entirely different issue.  Don't you understand that when you use violence on police officers, you are giving credence to the very stereotypes that you are trying to get rid of?

If you want to be treated with respect, treat others with respect.

If you don't want to be treated like a hoodlum, then don't act like one.

If you want peace, stop being violent.

If you hate racism, stop blaming other races for every problem in your life.  Accept responsibility for your station in life, and CHANGE it.

If you don't want to be labeled based on what others in your race have done, then stop labeling all police officers based on what other police officers have done.

Right now minorities feel threatened by the police.
Police feel threatened by minorities.

Who can change that?  You can.  Not by guns.  Not by threats.  All you are doing is escalating the problem.

If you REALLY care about your community, then make a call for peace...and live in a peaceful manner.

And remember that the police officers are here to protect all of us. They have done so for me many times, and I thank God for them.  They have helped my family when we were victimized, and they have helped others I know when they were victimized.

They deserve better.  They don't deserve to be gunned down for absolutely no reason.  They don't deserve to be the the topic of all of the negative rhetoric...all of the calls for violence.

I pray for all police officers and their families.  I also pray for those who are choosing to live a life fueled by hate.  Only God can change their hearts.

A Call for Peace

When I think of what the world needs more than anything right now, the word "Peace" comes to mind.

There is so much strife in the world.

There are attacks on Christianity.  People, even children, are being beheaded simply because they are Christian.

There are attacks on black people simply because they are black.

There are attacks on white people simply because they are white.

There are attacks on police officers simply because they are wearing a uniform.

There are attacks on homosexuals simply because of their sexual orientation.

There are attacks on schoolmates because they are not popular.

There are attacks on schools because of the bullying within.

Peace comes to us in a manger.  All we must do is accept His gift of love and peace.

Such a simple way to change a hurting world.

Such a simple way to free us from our cages of hate and animosity.

                                                    Photo by Cheryl Williams, 2014

Why a Stable for a King?

Today I find myself pondering the real meaning of Christmas.  It isn't easy as I find myself caught in the trappings of what America seems to believe it to be.  Working in a retail environment has shown me commercialization of Christmas as I have never seen it before.  People pushing, shoving, and being rude to one another all in that last ditch effort to buy that perfect gift.

The perfect gift, however, has already been given to us in the Christ child.   How busy we get, and how easily we forget the first Christmas.

I try to imagine what it must have been like.  For Mary and Joseph, there was surely embarrassment and a sense of shame in the fact that she was pregnant and unmarried.  To explain to the vast array of onlookers that you are giving birth to the son of God and that you are actually a virgin would have caused more than a few chuckles of unbelief.

Imagine trying to explain to others that God chose to come to earth by being born in a filthy smelly stable surrounded by farm animals.  Can you imagine?  Have you ever really thought about it?

To come to the realization that God chose this path for His beloved son to be born certainly makes one question "Why?"  Why would the God of the universe send his only son to earth in such a manner?  After all, He is God.  He could have chosen any surrounding He wanted.  He could have chosen a palace fit for a King...a palace fit for the Prince of Peace.

So why did God choose a filthy, smelly stable?  There was no doctor, no midwife.  There was Joseph and Mary, tired from traveling...and most likely scared.  There was no anesthesia for the pain.  Just a couple following a directive from God, having faith in what they were told to do.

Perhaps God chose the humblest birth to demonstrate that He is available to all of us, regardless of our circumstances in life.  Perhaps it is His way of showing us that there is no situation too unclean for Him to enter into.  Perhaps it is His way of showing His willingness to save us, even if it means entering into the dirtiest part of our being....the part that we try and hide from the world.

God did not choose to save us by having us come to Him.  He came directly to us in the form of the Christ child.  Available. Willing to crawl into our dirty sinful world.  Willing to experience the pain that we experience, the sorrow that engulfs us.  He came to show us the way to Heaven...a place of peace, joy, and endless health.

During this season, take some time away from all of the holiday trappings to consider the true meaning of Christmas.  The true meaning of Christmas exists without Christmas trees, holiday music, or presents.  Never forget the Christ child, or the ultimate price He paid for all of us.

Is it Racism?

I am well aware that racism still exists in America on many fronts.  But there is something that everyone needs to realize.  If you do not want the police coming after you, pulling guns on you, or tazing you....don't rob, don't burglarize, and when a cop tells you to stop....then stop.  It seems there is an increasing tendency for the criminals to be the ones perceived as victims.  Does this mean that the police are always in the right?  No.  But I have a very difficult time in believing that police officers have some kind of vendetta against those of another race.  If ANYONE is robbing or disobeying a direct order from a police officer, that officer is going to do what it takes to keep himself safe...regardless of race.

Police officers work hard in this country to serve and protect.  Yet the amount of negative publicity that has been surrounding them has caused them to be looked upon with disdain.  What must our children think of police officers when they hear adults speaking so negatively?  Who will our children turn to for protection when they are in trouble if they do not believe they can trust police officers?

I hate racism.  I grew up with it, and recognize it on all levels.  Whether it is black on white racism or white on black racism....I hate both.  There is an air of racism right now in America...and it is being fueled by all of the rioting and the calls for protests by leaders such as Al Sharpton.  It is being fueled by the media who is looking for higher ratings.  It is being fueled by politics, and those who need votes.

Racism is not solved by riots, by looting, by destroying businesses.  It is not solved by violence, by calls to protest.  It is solved by each person who commits to loving their neighbor, regardless of race. And if change is necessary, there are legal means to go about that change.  If people would spend more time contacting legislators and congressmen,  using intelligence instead of violence....then change might happen.  If people would spend more time praying for peace rather than rioting...then peace would come.

I'm so frustrated right now.  I could go and on......

                                                       Photo by Cheryl Williams, 2014

A Personal Message about Bipolar Disorder

I want to speak to you for a moment about bipolar disorder.  Chances are you either have it or know someone else who does. 

Bipolar disorder is an ugly disease that destroys.  It is a liar and a manipulator that will take a person and snatch him away from everyone that he holds dear, making him think his madness is normal…that those around him are the ones truly in need of help….telling him that he has no need to take medication to control his mood swings.  Bipolar disorder makes a person feel invincible, powerful, and at times God-like.  At other times it makes the same person feel like there is no hope, and he falls into a chasm so deep it is impossible to climb out alone.

Today is my dear departed husband’s birthday.  He suffered from bipolar disorder, and a little over two years ago, it snatched him away from me…cruelly and unexpectedly. I say unexpectedly, but I think there was a part of me that was always half-way expecting the disease

to take him away from me. Still, I lived in sweet denial.

If you love someone who suffers from bipolar disorder or if you yourself suffer from bipolar disorder, please don’t live in denial.  It is a killer.  A very high percentage of those who suffer with it attempt suicide.  Please take your medication or try and see to it that others take their bipolar medication.  They may refuse to take it, but at least try to convince them.  You never know when one more word could save a life.

I wish I had said one more word to Bob.  I wish I had talked to him more, reasoned with him more, loved him more, and tried harder to get him to accept the help that was out there for him.  Don’t wait to try and help a loved one regarding this.  Tomorrow may be too late.

If you are the person suffering from bipolar disorder, please take your medication.  You are being deceived into believing that you are okay.  Those feelings that you feel are not based in reality.  You are loved and needed in ways you can never comprehend.

Bob was a loving, kind-hearted, Christian man.  He never met a stranger and would give you the shirt off of his own back if you were in need.  The world lost a bit of goodness when he left…but Heaven has one more shining star

                                                     Bob taken by Cheryl Williams (2008)