What on earth is wrong with the U.S. Supreme Court lately?

Hello D.W.D.I. Family!

   I hope everyone is having a HAPPY THURSDAY! Whoot whoot! It's almost the weekend, fam! Okay, I have been slaving away for a bit trying to pay my bills.  My temporary job no longer provides enough money to pay all of my bills.  I was so stressed about making it through this month since I have had numerous interviews but no offers, but the Lord kept His promise of delivering me out of this troublesome month,

Psalm 50:15

New International Version (NIV)

15 "and call on me in the day of trouble;
    I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” -via Biblegateway.com

But, I will not lie to y'all, I have been so stressed!I am trying to provide for myself and for someone else who is also in trouble financially.  I have been able to do it so far, but I am not sure if I can do it again for that person.  I have been working to the best of my ability.  But, I continuously have to remind myself of this:

Matthew 6:25
New International Version (NIV)
Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? "-via Biblegateway.com

I will blog more about my struggles with unemployment in a later post.  Now, I want to discuss the U.S. Supreme Court.  As you can tell by my title, I am not happy with our highest court in the land.  Why? Well, here goes (letting you know right now that I will speak my mind about both race and homosexuality):

1. I support affirmative action even though it needs to be revamped to include poor people of all colors who actually had to overcome adversity, not just someone who is a minority who is actually wealthy because they likely already had access to things that a poorer student did not have.  The Supreme Court's decision will likely get rid of University of Texas at Austin (UT)'s efforts to include race/representation as a factor in college admissions, in addition to factors like extra-curriculars and test scores.  The last time a similar measure happened at UT the number of college students of color admitted to the university dropped drastically.  

**SIDE NOTE: The main people who benefit under affirmative action are white women.  DO NOT believe the media when it makes it look like minorities, particularly blacks are getting jobs for which they are not qualified.  Trust me.  Black women like me in a professional setting do not have an easy time getting through the door.  Both myself and my educated black friends in my profession (along with educated black friends of educated black friends) are still looking for jobs and other friends who are not black have jobs.  Plus, don't even get me started on how many people get into school and get jobs because of family connections or because they are rich.  Now that is not earning a spot or a job.**  

2. I support the Voting Rights Act, along with most of Congress in 2006.  Unfortunately, overturning Section 4 of this act means that historically racist/prejudiced states no longer have to have voting laws and redistricting measures checked by the federal government.  Despite what Chief Justice Roberts believes, voting for minorities increased not because racism decreased but because the law was effective at preventing and addressing grievances.  I consider this to be egregious and offensive as a black woman from a family of black people that vote.  And, that right was not fully enforced until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, years after my parents were born.  

3. I do not support the actions of homosexuality or gay marriage, and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was just overturned.  I have gay friends and they know how I feel about this.  It is a sin but I care about people so I totally treat my friends the same, gay or straight.  Shoot, I don't treat friends or family members differently because they fornicated, lied, etc., so I would I do that to a gay friend? Anyways, from Genesis 1:1-19 to Judges 19:16-24 to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 to Jude 7, the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments says it's a sin.  Point blank.  I do not support anyone saying a sin is okay.  Despite what public opinion is on what is or is not fair, gay marriage not right and it is not okay.  

 I think one verse can summarize all of these things: “Love does not rejoice in iniquity” (1 Cor. 13:6)-via Biblegateway.com.  Well, 1 John 4:8 states that God is love, so it is safe to say that God does not rejoice in iniquity.  Additionally, 2 Thessalonians 1:6 says that God is just.  None of these decisions seem just to me, and I think they contribute to the downfall of our country.  It just makes me so mad that the people who are supposed to uphold the justice in our country totally fell down on the job.  It also makes me mad when Christians condone a sin (which will be my next post).  Fortunately, God will pay back those who trouble us according to 2 Thessalonians 1:6.  All we have to do is get through each day knowing that God loves us and takes care of us just like Matthew 6:25 (see above quote).

Okay, I am tired right now so I need to sleep.  Have a good night, D.W.D.I. Family! TTYS!

Love,
CCC

What on earth is going on with Nicki Minaj?!

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."  Hosea 4:6.

    **The following is not meant to be a personal attack on Ms. Minaj or anyone else mentioned, but I must speak the truth regarding people's actions and the messages that it sends to the world.**

    DWDI Readers, I am sure that many of you are familiar with the female rapper Nicki Minaj.  She is known for her "unusual" rap lyrics (and for speaking gibberish during her songs in addition to her vulgar language), outfits, facial expressions as she raps (and speaks gibberish), and her rather large behind.  Well, I am probably one of the few people who did not watch the Grammy's last night and see Ms. Minaj perform.  However, one of my good friends sent me a link of what Ms. Minaj wore to the awards show and another link to her performance last night titled "The Exorcism of Roman":

As I watched the performance, all I could think of was: WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON WITH THIS CHICK?! I was SHOCKED to say the least when I saw these things! I'm not even Catholic and I found it offensive, especially when the choir started singing "Come All Ye Faithful" as Ms. Minaj levitated and a priest or bishop walked out on stage (well, being offended at that should be universal)! And, people associated with the Catholic faith are none too thrilled with her performance either.

    I would like to touch on what Ms. Minaj is doing with her "Roman" alter-ego and what she is portraying to the audience with her performance:  

•      As of late, Ms. Minaj has "become" her alter-ego named "Roman," and "his emancipation" is what we saw. She has said that Roman is her "twin" who appears when she is angry and he is a "demon" inside of her.  Um, what?! A demon?! Now, granted, some would chalk up Ms. Minaj's performance to her background in drama, but speaking of yourself as being possessed by a demon is not okay.  Look at James 3: 3-8.  The tongue is VERY POWERFUL and must be controlled because it can cause a lot of damage (think about how you feel when someone says something hurtful).  Ms. Minaj is speaking "Roman" into existence and using "Roman" to say and do all sorts of inappropriate things (sexually charged language, foul language, crude dance moves, etc.)
•      Additionally, demons are not imaginary friends.  They are evil spirits that torture their human victims.  Look at Matthew 8: 28-34.  This poor man had to live a solitary life near the tombs because of demonic possession when man is not meant to be alone (why God created Eve for Adam).  The demons that tortured this man were so destructive that they caused nearby pigs to plummet to their deaths after Jesus drove them out of the tortured man.  Demonic possession is not a game or a gimmic; it is real.  The fact that Ms. Minaj makes light of it in her Grammy performance to an audience of both believers and non-believers is troubling (I have no idea if Ms. Minaj is Christian).  "Roman" plus the other acts in this performance are just a hot mess, for lack of a better term.  It was like the scene from The Ten Commandments when the Hebrews turned away from God and made the Golden Calf ( link to conclusion of the Golden Calf scene is here if you are interested) on a smaller scale made complete with the choir I previously mentioned.  Is it because she does not fully understand what she is saying, doing, and endorsing/condoning?  Fellow rappers Drake and Lil' Wayne are no great role models so I am sure that they see nothing wrong with her performance.
•      Something of a similar nature could also be said of Beyonce (who has said she is Christian) and her "Sasha Fierce" alter-ego and Beyonce's more sexually charged performances and lyrics over the years.  This may be an even bigger problem given Beyonce's fame, her professed status as a Christian, and the fact that her husband, Jay-Z, is not Christian.

I would like to think that Ms. Minaj had no idea of what she was saying or doing and she will soon realize what she is doing is wrong (Beyonce, on the other hand, should already know what she is doing is wrong, but if she does not, I hope she realizes it as well).  Unfortunately, she and "Roman" (and Beyonce) have a powerful influence over kids, teens, and adults who also may not realize how serious demons and demonic possession are in the war we wage against evil in the world.  All we can do as believers is try to live as Christ lived, to hold ourselves and other believers accountable, and to pray for others to find Christ and to do the same.