THE AMERICAN DREAM…Yet to be seen.

I’ve always dreamed of moving to New York, I think it’s every writer’s dream city. It’s the picture you envision when you think of the “American Dream”. It’s the “Big City” experience everyone wants to experience.

They say if you can make there, you can make it anywhere. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to take what little money I had to buy a ticket and just go to see what happens. Even willing to be homeless and work my way to the top for the complete experience, if you will.

Of course, I have yet to even simply visit but I have a feeling I’ll be getting there within the next few years. But coming from where I’m from, it’s not as simple as it may seem.

See, the “American Dream” is much harder to achieve and see with clarity from my perspective. It would be very much like The Great Gatsby. I’ve already began to reinvent myself.

It’s been a lifelong challenge to shred my circumstances and bad habits. I still have some changes to make and some habits to break but I’m well on my way. And I can’t wait until I have become the fully grown Butterfly I was born to be.

THE HUNGER GAMES: Just a movie or a forewarning?

I’m not sure how many of you have actually watched the movies or just seen the previews but I assure they are really amazing movies. I promise I’m not just saying that because Jennifer Lawrence and I are from the same city. Although, she’s the reason why the movie is as amazing as it is.

Briefly, the first movie is about an older sister Katniss Everdeen who volunteers to take her little sister’s place in what their nation calls “The Hunger Games“. A televised fight to the death in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to compete. Katniss and her district partner Peeta change the game by deciding to die together, rather than kill the other as the game is suppose to be won.

In the second movie Catching Fire, they are made to portray themselves as a couple when they have to participate in the “Quarter Quell” (an event that occurs every 25th year of the Games and allows the Capitol to introduce a twist). Which the Capitol decides to bring all the previous victors to the arena to compete against each other. The victors come together and fuel the district’s uprisings by destroying the forcefield. In the chaos Peeta and Katniss are separated, Katniss with the rebels from the bombed District 13 and Peeta captured by the capital. Ending with Katniss finding out that her district has now been bombed as well.

In the last movie Mockingjay Part 1, Katniss is enlisted as the Mockingjay (which is her trademark and the symbol of the uprising). She is voice of the people and the leader of the revolution. She sees and hears the story about how the Capitol destroyed her District. As well as, witness how far the Capitol is willing to go in order to disband the rebels. She realizes that the Capitol has brainwashed Peeta through torture and has turned him against her.

I bet now you’re wondering “what’s the forewarning?” Well, there are Capitol enlisted parole officers that are called “Peacekeepers”.  They are police-like officers that enforce the Capitol’s will onto the citizens. They kill those that are a threat to the Capitol and engaged in the uprising. They are the ones that bomb the districts that are going against the grain.

To the “Peacekeepers” are much like the “National Guards” that are called in when citizen being to riot. Gun toting officers that somehow forget that they are citizens when they aren’t armed and are out of uniform. Now, it’s no secret that our Capital is, in many ways, just as corrupt as this fictional Capitol. Agreed, they don’t force us into “Hunger Games” in which we have to kill each other in the confinement of an arena. But they definitely pin us against each within our neighborhoods.

How you ask? While let’s start with racism/segregation between races instead of districts. Then there’s the discrimination within the classes. The rich are well above middle class and middle class is only a notch above the lower class. The poor are pretty much non existent, much like District 13.

Just like the rebels of the Hunger Games uprising, we as citizens are the majority. Yet, we are still stuck where the presidents and corrupt politicians have left us to fend for ourselves or depend on their assistance or accept their injustice and oppression. I wonder, almost everyday, when will people wake up to all the signs around us. And everytime, I get the feeling that once people start paying attention and take their blinders off, it will be to late. But it doesn’t haven’t to be that way.

No, I’m not trying to be Katniss. I’m well aware that the story is fiction but I also know I’m not the only one who reads between the lines. I also know that I’m not the only one who sees that things are only getting more out of hand. Am I suggesting an uprising? Not yet, but I am suggesting that you take your blinders off and realize how much control the government has over your life.

ARE YOU Ready for War?

We are all at war, rather we realize it are not. I’m not just talking about the war in Iraq or Chiraq. Or even the “war on drug”. We are enlisted, as Christians, into a battle every day that we are alive. It always starts in our minds!

I didn’t realize this for myself until I began reading Joyce Meyer’s Battlefield of the Mind. (If you haven’t read it already, I suggest you do so.) It was a life changing read. It wasn’t until I read it that I finally and clearly understood what Peter meant when he said “Be alert and of sober mind! Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” [1 Peter 5:8].

I’ve found this scripture, like all scripture, to be VERY true. He’s always waiting for us to drop our guard so that he can come in and disrupt our lives. It is in the Book of Job that we get the chance to see how far he is willing to go, in order to turn us away from God.

We can’t allow this to happen! The amazing part is, there are many ways to prepare for these attacks. Ways that, all throughout the Bible, are proven to work. Ranging from prayer to mindfulness. The greatest of them all are the full armor of salvation.

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Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm than, with the Belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition, to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [Ephesians 6:13-17]

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Let’s start with The Helmet of Salvation! It is knowing, without a doubt, that Jesus (the Head of the Church) died for our sins and that we are saved from the consequences (which are the wrath of God and death). I like to call it the Helmet of Hope as well.

Next is The Breastplate of Righteousness! Which enables us to have a heart of goodness. It urges us to be kind and just to people, especially those we don’t know. It’s what helps us love our enemies and keeps our morals/integrity in check. It also helps us to guard our hearts.

Then, there’s The Belt of Truth! The truth about God the Father, Jesus Christ our brother, and the Holy Spirit which make up the Holy Trinity (and their functions/works). The truth about yourself (who you are created to be) and the world around you (your family, friends, country, etc.). It gives you the wisdom to stay balanced. I can’t speak for anyone else but when I read the Bible (from beginning to end), I learned so much about all three of these areas. So, I can assure that the truth shall truly set you free. [John 8:32]

There is also The Shoes of Peace! In which your steps are ordered by the Most High. Knowing that you’re walking (living) in agreement with God’s will for your life. It makes you surefooted. It allows you to be confident in yourself as well as your faith.

Which brings us to The Shield of Faith! Trusting that no matter what may be going on in your life and the world around you right now, things will get/be better. Knowing God is ALWAYS in complete control and has the final word. It gives you the strength to overcome the obstacles that the devil places in front of you. As well as, the courage to keep fighting.

Finally, there’s The Sword of the Spirit! Which is the Word of God, the Bible. I like to believe that Prayer and Scripture make up this double-edged sword.

As a soldier in the Army of the Lord, I can promise you that you’re going to need this armor for every day of your life. And that each piece is fought for and earned much like ranking in the Army. You get the Helmet of Salvation when you’re baptized but you have to work hard, on a regular basis, for the rest.

I tell you the truth, I’m still trying to put on my Shoes of Peace. I have one on but the other keeps falling off. It’s like every time I try to put it back on, the devil steps on my foot. He knows I’m covered in all other areas, so he tries to keep me worried about something. But I never give up I’m determined to put that other shoe on EVERYDAY.

So, again I ask, are you ready for war? Do you have on your Armor of Salvation?

To Thrive With Passion

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.

Maya Angelou