DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
OUR PRAYER FOR AURORA
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© photo source

Today, we lift up Aurora, Colorado and all the families who have loved ones who were senselessly murdered and injured early last Friday morning in the movie shooting.

Before Friday, whenever I heard “aurora”, I pictured the beautiful and colorful display of an aurora borealis (northern light) or aurora australis (southern light) dancing against a night sky.

Now, unfortunately, “aurora” will bring up different images.

We’ll see the faces of victims and their loved ones, assault weapons and a booby-trapped apartment. We’ll think movie theaters, tear gas and gun control. We’ll try to figure out what went horribly wrong in the mind of a 24-year old student who recently withdrew from a neuroscience Ph.D. program.

On Friday evening, a CNN anchor commented that he would use the alleged mass murderer’s name as little as possible as not to bring fame to his name. I agreed with that. When I preached yesterday, I merely referred to him as ‘the shooter’. We all know who he is.

Yesterday, I shared some of Paul’s letter, 2 Corinthians 5, in which he talks about our groaning for our heavenly dwelling. When we’ve been given God’s Holy Spirit in Christ as a deposit for the eternal life that we have to come, we yearn for that heavenly place where there is no more death, mourning, pain and sorrow. We instinctively know that this gross display of sin we currently experience has to come to an end.

This ain’t it.
This is not paradise yet.
This is not the new heaven or new earth.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5: 9-10, “So we make it our goal to please him (the Lord), whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

Each one of us – the shooter, me, you – will have to give an account one day for the things we have done, good or bad. I am so humbled and grateful that we have an advocate in Jesus on that day of accounting. Our sinless Messiah, who took the penalty of our sins upon Himself, made it possible for each one of us to believe in Him as the only way and have eternal life with our Heavenly Father. I pray for each one of us – the shooter, me, you – to come to know fully our triune God: Father, Son and Spirit, repent for our wrongdoings, and trust Jesus as our advocate.

I don’t know about you, but my heart is still pretty busted for the families. I feel their grief and sorrow. Will you pray with me today?

PRAYER FOR AURORA

Heavenly Father,

Help us.
Heal us.
In Jesus’ name,
Naima

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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
LA FOCUS FEATURE STORY
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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
J.LO’S $2 MILLION MISSTEP
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How much is too much when asking for a raise in this economy?
$2 million, apparently.

Reports say that’s what Jennifer Lopez asked of Fox’s American Idol before being told to exit stage left.

The headline by journalist Sharon Waxman, founder of The Wrap News, put it this way, “Jennifer Lopez Dumped From Idol After Seeking Raise to $17M”.

So, hold up.
You’re making $15 million a year to “judge” a reality show.
You just got a raise of $3 million last year from $12 million to $15.
And you ask for another $2 million this year…. for what, exactly?

Is it me, or does this all seem a bit ridiculous?

I am all for artists asking to be compensated for their talent and all that they bring to the table, but I wonder if we go overboard sometimes.

Reuters, the business journal, speculated, “While JLo may be no ordinary employee, her case of asking too much, too soon can be a valuable lesson for what to do (and what not to do) when looking for a pay raise… Do you deserve a raise? Did you just receive a raise? You should ask yourself these questions… you should use some common sense before asking.”

No doubt, Jenny from the Block figured A.I. still does great in the ratings, which garners advertising and tour date dollars. Therefore, maybe she figured she deserves another raise. Maybe she could leverage Steven Tyler’s exit and work the “If you want to keep me…” angle.

But A.I.‘s numbers have been slipping. Other similar shows have entered the competition i.e. The Voice, X Factor, Sing Off, Duets, on and on. A.I. has been on for 11 seasons and its numbers have been steadily declining. Honestly, I haven’t really watched since Simon Cowell left.

I do try to put myself in the artist’s shoes, even if these particular stilettos don’t fit so well. I don’t know Jennifer personally and/or why this article grabbed me this morning. I don’t even know why I’m all up in this sister’s finances. She can ask for whatever she wants to ask for.

And who knows what Jennifer was thinking? Perhaps she doesn’t really need Idol as much as Idol needs her.

After all, in the first year that she did A.I., she earned $52 million on all her worldwide endeavors and climbed from #50 to #1 on the 2012 Forbes Celebrity 100 List , beating out Oprah, Bieber and Gaga. Listen to this quote from Forbes.com:

“The Latina triple threat parlayed her position as a judge on American Idol into hit singles, increased album sales, an upcoming world tour, three new movies and a growing portfolio of endorsements… In the last year, Lopez racked up over 23,000 press mentions, graced 46 major magazine covers, topped People’s 2011 Most Beautiful list and became a Glamour Woman of the Year. She didn’t waste the (American Idol) exposure for a second. In May 2011, she released her first album in four years… She also used the Idol platform to premiere music videos and perform singles. Last year’s “On The Floor” went multi-platinum, according to RIAA, and the music video amassed over 530 million YouTube views. She also became the new face of L’Oreal and signed deals with Gillette, Fiat and TOUS jewelry. In September, she launched a clothing collection for Kohl’s…”

Perspective is everything.

Dancing away from a $15 million contract doesn’t really seem like a whole lot when you earn $52 million, right? But leaving a $15 million contract in a bum economy where I meet artists who are living out of cars and can’t find apartments and can’t pay rent and can’t even eat… it seems absurd.

I don’t understand it; so that’s all the more reason I have to remind myself not to judge.
I remember Jesus’ instructions to His disciples:
MATTHEW 7:1-5 NIV
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

THE MESSAGE translates the same verses as:
1-5 “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.

I’m a’wiping.
And I’m a’wrestling with ways to help artists who have $15 million contracts and those who don’t. At the end of the day, we can’t take the millions with us. Life is more than the money we have. I’ve found that true life comes from the One who created life and who is Life. And I’ve had to learn to be content in this life with Him whether I have or have not.

Jennifer’s career will likely be just fine without American Idol. I wish her the best.

But note to self:
I might think twice, if ever I’m on a show and have an inclination to ask for an extra $2 million when the ratings are on the way down.

Just saying,
Naima

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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MOMMY
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© Glamour Magazine, photo by Brigitte Lacombe

Meet America’s Next Top Mommy: Marissa Mayer

Monday’s headlines read that Google’s “IT” Girl VP jumped cyberspace to be Yahoo’s new CEO.
Tuesday’s headlines read that she’s pregnant. Really pregnant. Like due in October.

Marissa Mayer, 37, has had many titles including:
Google Employee #20 & first female engineer (starting when Google was an upstart in 1999)
Glamour Magazine’s 2009 Woman of the Year
Fortune Magazine’s youngest on America’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business, 2008-2011
Walmart Board of Directors new member
Stanford University alumnus, B.S. and M.S. specializing in Artificial Intelligence
And wife to venture capitalist Zachary Bogue.

But her role now as first-time mommy is taking center-stage in the blogosphere because she’s one of the first-time ever pregnant women hired to lead a Fortune 500 company.

One working mom blogger in Boston asked “Is there a right time to have a baby?” and named it the Marissa Mayer Dilemma. She expressed support that “It’s fantastic that Yahoo hired a pregnant CEO,” but lamented, “for all her success, she’s clearly unprepared for the reality of caring for a newborn. After pregnancy, you’re emotionally drained, you’re tired, you’re wrung out. Parenthood has a way of leveling even the grandest ambitions.”

This was in response to Marissa’s comments to Fortune that “My maternity leave will be a few weeks long and I’ll work throughout it.”

Another writer in New York asked, “What Does Marissa Mayer’s Pregnancy Mean for Other Pregnant Women?” She questioned if Mayer’s plan goes the way she wants it to, “will employers be even less accommodating to women who need more than a few weeks of maternity leave and can’t work immediately after giving birth? Will employers point to Mayer saying, she did it, why can’t you?”

I’m not a mommy yet, so mommies please feel free to comment.

Can the woman, who is responsible for approving and overseeing the creation of GMAIL, Google Maps, Google Earth and the design of the simplistic Google page that is seen at least 7 billion times a month, not figure out a way to have a child and assemble a support team to help her through her first months of mommyhood and CEO-dom?

It sounds like Marissa is going with a best-case-scenario here, but shouldn’t we wait to start weighing in on whether the company she just took over will tank because she’s juggling nighttime feedings with daytime jet-setting?

Shouldn’t we give her the benefit of the doubt before we pass the conclusion that she can’t handle bottles and board meetings?

Is she being unrealistic?
She’ll be the first to know.

And Yahoo must’ve agreed with whatever defense she gave because they’ve put their $1.22 billion revenue in her hands.

Again, I’m not a mommy yet, but I, for one, think mommies make incredible CEOs. Do you know how many balls we can juggle? My mom ran an entire unit as a full-time nursing administrator while earning a Masters degree, running several church ministries, being a phenomenal wife AND keeping her four children from burning down her house (well, one child in particular, but we won’t name any names… though it wasn’t me :=) It may not have been running a billion dollar company, but she may as well have. She did what needed to be done, family first, then her other responsibilities.

At the end of the day, don’t mommies do whatever mommies have to do for their children?

Remember Moses’ mom, Jochebed in EXODUS 2.

Against Pharaoh’s murder decree, she gave birth to Moses and hid him for 3 months. When she could keep him hidden no longer, she put her baby in a basket destined for the Nile, trusting that God would take care of him. In God’s sovereignty, He arranged for Pharaoh’s daughter to find Moses. And she ended up paying Jochebed to nurse Moses and care for him for years in preparation for his time in the palace.

I’m always inspired by Jochebed’s story and her faith.
She did whatever she had to do for her children.

I don’t know Marissa. But I hope, like all other mommies I know, when her son makes his divine entrance on this earth, she’ll do whatever she has to do for him, not just Yahoo. And based on all the roles she’s already juggled, I think she’s got a pretty good start so far.

Let’s take a second today and pray for Marissa, ourselves (if we’re mommies), our own mothers, and the other mommies we know. That God will give each one what you need for today. And that you can rest in a Heavenly Father, who is not just a Father to you, but a Father to your child as well. His provision is always on time.

Go mommies!
Naima

What do you think? How has mommyhood been for you?
How was your mommy? Did she work and raise you?
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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
A NEW SUPERMAN?
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Man of Steel © Warner Brothers, DC Comics

Looks like Spidey isn’t the only one getting a complete makeover!

The new Superman reboot, Man of Steel, was all the buzz at this year’s Comic-Con festival in San Diego over the weekend.

The new Super is Emmy Award-winning British actor Henry Cavill, star of Showtime’s The Tudors, who joins fellow Brits – Batman‘s Christian Bale and Spider-Man‘s Andrew Garfield – as America’s foremost superheroes.

Batman/Dark Knight‘s writer/director, Christopher Nolan, is responsible for the story. 300‘s director, Zack Snyder, is running the show. Russel Crowe, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, and Laurence Fishburne round out the cast.

Zack, the director, is quoted as saying they wanted to humanize Superman and make him more relatable in this reboot.

Henry, the actor, says “I just wanted to bring Superman into the modern world. Hopefully I bring a version that everyone can relate to.”

Here’s my question:
Do we need a more humanized, relatable Superman?

We like Superman because he is, well, S-U-P-E-R.
We want to see him be “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound”.
We like his super strength and super senses including super hearing, super x-ray vision, super breath! We want Superman to super fly! Fly!

The story of one of the creators of Superman, Jerry Siegel, is told in a way that says he created the bulletproof hero after his immigrant, store-owning father died in 1932 during a robbery attempt in Cleveland. Siegel and his partner developed a hero who essentially defied death (unless Kryptonite was near) and who would seek justice and keep the bad guys at bay.

But maybe Zack and Henry have a point.
Maybe our super heroes need more humanity???

Isn’t that what Jesus did?
Being God, He became human.

Paul breaks it down in his letter to the Philippians.
PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried— will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.

Jesus became human for our sakes and He saved our lives.
Maybe a more humanized Superman will be good for our sakes too? I don’t know????

We’ll have to see.
Right now, all we have is a brief trailer and interview from Comic Con.
I’ll keep you posted,
Naima

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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
GOOD HUNGER
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© Hungry (Falling On My Knees), Kathryn Scott, source

Good hunger.
Is there such a thing?

I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of hunger.
I’m vegetarian + seafood, and I can eat.

And I do eat. Responsibly, of course.
With optimum health as my top priority.
Great food and I see eye to eye.

So, last week, when my husband Kevin (who has the culinary skills to win Top Chef) explained our closing worship song would be Hungry by Kathryn Scott, I paused and thought, “OK.”

Do we really want to sing about hunger? At the end of service? Before lunch?

But the song was absolutely wonderful. One of our worship singers – musical actress and model – Laurine Price – beautifully led us as we lifted up the following verse:

Hungry I come to You
For I know You satisfy
I am empty but I know
Your love does not run dry
So I wait for You

This was a good hunger.
This was the best hunger.
We were singing about our hunger for God.

Do you remember Jesus’ sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes?
Matthew 5:1-12
Verse 6 says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.”

We all have a physical hunger for food.
But apparently, we have a spiritual hunger too.
And Jesus says when we hunger and thirst for His righteousness, we will be filled.

It’s Monday, Fam.
It’s a new week.
Let’s be hungry and thirsty this week in the best way: for God and His righteousness.
Let’s wait on Him to fill us spiritually.

I’ll eat to that :=),
Naima

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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
FRIDAY THE 13TH’S LIGHT
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© LarParkLincoln.com

I’m not superstitious…
Neither do I frequent horror films.

So, I’m one of the few who has never seen any 1 of the 12 Friday the 13th movies from 1980 – 2009. They’re horror films starring a mass murderer based on superstition. Not my thing.

But a few years ago, I met one of the franchise’s stars, the incredible Lar Park Lincoln, and today, I count Lar as a dear friend.

Lar played Tina Shepard, a telekinetic, psychic 20-year old who fights off mass murderer Jason in Friday the 13th, Part VII. Again, I haven’t seen it, but I assume Tina beats Jason in the end. After all, the poster reads, “On Friday the 13th, Jason is back. But this time, someone’s waiting.”

Whatever Tina/Lar does to stop Jason, however, is not long term. In the next movie, Friday the 13th Part VIII, Jason Takes Manhattan. The one after that he goes to Hell. I’m not sure why he doesn’t stay, as he would if it were real. But it’s a movie and he’s back for #10.

It’s all very dark, I know.
But I don’t want to dwell on the dark.
I want to talk about the light! Lar’s light!

When you meet Lar, she shines.
Her smile is genuine. Her life is real.

You may remember her roles on Knots Landing, Beverly Hills 90210, Children of the Night, The Princess Academy and Lifetime’s Inspector Mom.

In her new book, Get Started, Not Scammed, Lar describes defining her destiny in elementary school. When asked to write an essay on what she would be, she responded “I will be an actress, a writer, and a teacher.” Her pint-sized classmates laughed, but with a 30+ year career in “The Biz”, Lar can say that she has reached all three of those goals.

I am most proud of Lar for her tenacity. She’s a fighter, and she doesn’t give up. When faced with an obstacle, she figures out another way.

Lar frequently talks about when her precious husband passed from cancer after 14 years of marriage. She didn’t give up. As a single mom, she moved her children from LaLa Land to Texas and raised them beautifully. She also added successful celebrity QVC guest host and talk show extraordinaire to her loaded resume, landing spots on Oprah, Entertainment Tonight and 60 Minutes.

When she battled her own bout with cancer, Lar did what many celebrities wouldn’t do. She talked about it. She shaved her head and took an incredibly inspiring photo. She also donned a sword in a spread for one of famed photographer Mary Ann Halpin’s Fearless Women books.

Having gone through our own journey with cancer, my husband and I personally know that every day doesn’t feel like a fighter’s day, and I’m sure there were days when Lar didn’t feel like a champion. But, she sure was a champion to us.

Lar’s light didn’t dim. She was refreshingly honest. Through ups and downs, she revealed the truth of her life. She revealed her faith in God. Isn’t that what being light is all about?

Jesus describes his disciples as the light of the world. I quote this scripture often when sharing with artists, so many of you may be familiar with it by now.

MATTHEW 5:14-16
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

We see you, Lar.
We see you letting your light and testimony shine before others that they may see all that you do for people and glorify your Father in heaven.

You’re Friday the 13th’s light, friend.
Whenever this day rolls around, once or twice a year (or 3 times like this year), we’ll think of you and thank God for your life and your willingness to shine.

What about us, Fam?
Can we think of ways to let our lights shine this Friday the 13th so that people see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven?
Let’s do it!

Shine, Fam.
Go forth!
Naima

Know anybody who’s letting their light shine?
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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
ACE YOUR TEST
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© photo source

Life is full of tests.
And the secret to acing our test with an A+ is to first know that it IS a test.

Perfect example:
One of our HOPE board members, Rasheed M. McWilliams, Esq., recently made Partner at his law firm. (Mad congratulations!) But before this advancement, he passed years and years of tests: Morehouse College, New York University School of Law, New York State Bar Exam, Georgia State Bar Exam, California State Bar Exam. Tests, tests, tests! Do you know how many cases he’s had to help win (A+)? How many clients he’s had to satisfy (A+)? How many dues he’s had to pay along the way while still walking in integrity and excellence (A+)?

He’s passed each test because
1) he knew he was being tested and
2) he prepared.
He studied. He researched. Then, he aced his exams.

Fam, what life test are you facing?
Have you even acknowledged that you’re in a test?
Have you prepared? Have you looked at how others passed before you?

Last Sunday, we continued our What’s Taking So Long? series.
I summed up Part I in the blog, What’s Taking so Long?, in which we learn that sometimes the answers we are waiting for are caught up in a spiritual battle (Daniel 10).

Part II of what could take so long for us to receive what we are asking of God is that we could be smack dead in the middle of a test.

That’s what happens to God’s people in the wilderness. When they arrive at the Promise Land, Moses explains what they’ve been through over the last 40 years of wandering around the desert. He says God allowed them to be tested… to know what was in their hearts.

DEUTERONOMY 8
Excerpt:
2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you… 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

The Lord tests His children to see what’s in their hearts and to see if they will follow His commands. He humbles and allows them to be crushed so that “in the end, it might go well with you”. The crushing isn’t to take them out, but to prepare them for the resources to come. Then, when they enter into the Promise Land and make themselves wealthy, they will attribute their success to God, not their own hands.

Do we know that we’re in a test?
Could our dreams be slightly out of reach because the Lord is allowing us to know what’s in our hearts before we get there and giving us time to work it out?

If He gave us the Academy Award, Emmy Award, Tony Award, Grammy Award today, would we give Him glory or bow down and worship the statue?

If He gave us the multi-million dollar contract today, would we handle it wisely or squander it? USA Today did an article a few years ago about mega-lottery winners whose millions went bust. Here’s the key, if we have difficulty managing $10 well, let’s not think we’ll be able to manage $10 million well. The best indication of what we’ll do in the future is what we’ve done in the past.

So, what test have we passed lately?
Are we in one now?

How do we ace the test?
First, know it’s a test. It’s not the end. It’s part of our journey.
Second, prepare! Find out all we can. Get tutoring, if necessary. Make good life decisions. Do the right thing.

Let’s ace our tests, Fam.
Here’s an A+ to encourage you on your path,
Naima

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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
COMMON COURTESY AIN’T COMMON
© NaimaLett.com/blog

© Photo source

Is it me… or does common courtesy seem not so common anymore?

Indulge me for a minute.

I was just ’bout run off the road by a driver who simply HAD to get in front of me even though there were no cars behind me. Huh?

Recently, I was in the security line when an impatient airline traveler became livid when those in front did not appreciate him jumping the line.

While my hair moisturized under the dryer at the beauty salon last week, this joker (who shall remain nameless) just came in and changed the channel on the big screen. Never mind that there were 5 of us, heads wrapped in cellophane, watching the news before you came in the room. Is it so hard to ask, “Does anybody mind if I change the channel?” Common courtesy, right?!

Does this happen everywhere?
Or just in LaLa Land?

I grew up in the South.
We said:
“Please.”
“Thank you.”
“No thank you.”
“Yes & No Sir.”
“Good morning.”
“Good night.”
And “Excuse me”, when we needed to interrupt.

I know times are a’changing, but wouldn’t it be nice if the neighbors thought “It’s a little late to light up the block” when folks start calling it a night? Just saying.

You feel me?
Or are you the neighbor refusing to shut it down before midnight?

Anybody remember the Golden Rule?
I think it would revolutionize our lives if we really took it to heart.

MATTHEW 7:12
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Jesus tells His disciples to treat others the way we want to be treated. This comes after He instructs them to ask, knock and seek God for their needs, understanding that our Heavenly Father gives good gifts to those who ask.

So, we are to emulate our Father. He gives good gifts to those who ask. We, too, should treat others well. We should treat them exactly the way we’d want them to treat us.

That means that I can’t boomerang my Kindle across the room at the salon channel-changer, no matter how rude he is. I should treat him how I want to be treated. I can politely say, “Might be nice if you asked before you changed the channel… Common courtesy.”

I can treat my neighbors neighborly, get to the airport early enough not to cause other folks drama, and drive like I’ve got some sense. It helps none of us to internalize the ignorance of others behind the wheel. Besides, dealing with LA drivers keeps my prayer life spicy. How ’bout yours?

We have control over our own actions.
We can treat people with respect.
We can put the gold back in the golden rule.
We can put the common back into common courtesy.

What do you think?
Do-able?
Naima

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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
SPIDER-MAN’S SECRET
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© Marvel, Sony Pictures, official site

“Secrets have a cost…”
That’s what Aunt May (portrayed masterfully by 2-time Academy Award winner Sally Field) shares with Peter Parker/Spider-man (reinterpreted by Golden Globe nominee Andrew Garfield.)

I won’t get into all the details of the film, just in case you weren’t one of the moviegoers that pushed this blockbuster to its $140 million US box office victory within the first 6 days of release.

But I will say that a major theme of this Spider-man reboot directed by 37-year old Marc Webb (as reiterated in the video trailer above) is secrets.

Spider-man’s biggest secret is his true identity as Peter Parker, high school geek.

In this new series, Peter designs his Spider-Man mask when he narrowly escapes an opponent who taunts, “I know who you are. I’ve seen your face.”

But this film also deals with all the secrets that have been kept from Spider-Man as well.
Hint: Stay through the end credits.

Secrets shape his life, and as Aunt May says, those secrets have a cost.

Isn’t that the same in our own lives?

SECRETS COST.

Double identities.
Affairs. Cheating. Adultery.
Undisclosed “love children”.
Molestation. Abuse. Incest.
Leaked photos and sex tapes.
Embezzlement. Bribes. Tax evasion.
Misuse of campaign funds.
Hidden addictions: drugs, alcohol, porn.
Jealousy. Envy. Coveting & wanting everybody else’s stuff.
Backstabbing. Lying. Conniving to get ahead in the industry.
The list goes on and on.

The longer the secret is kept, the longer it eats away at our souls.

I have spent the majority of my adult life inviting folks to ditch their harmful secrets and live in the light. As a minister, I have been entrusted to guard people’s confidences while guiding them to truth. I do not take this responsibility and calling lightly. It’s what I do. I lead people to Truth.

My one-woman plays (Shattered Silhouettes, The King’s Family, 3 Marys) all encourage people to live in truth, especially Shattered. My soon-to-be-released book and series, Confessions of a Hollywood Christian, are about guess what? The freedom of living in truth.

You’d think I was pretty passionate about this.

TRUE IDENTITY

The truth about who we really are is paramount.

In Spider-Man/Peter Parker’s case, he is tormented because he cannot reveal who he really is. When he does, people who are close to him can be hurt. And he can be killed.

Thank God we’re not in his predicament.

The very best life we can live is in transparency and fully embracing who we truly are.

When confronted about His true identity in JOHN 8:21-59, Jesus reveals that God is His Father, and He tells those who believe in Him that if they hold to His teaching, they will know the truth which sets them free.

JOHN 8:31-59
Excerpt
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”… 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father (the devil).

If you get a chance, read the rest of that conversation. It brought the house down. By the end, Jesus was headed towards a severe stoning. Good thing it wasn’t His time to go yet.

Jesus says that His followers who stay in His word discover who they really are as His disciples and they know truth that sets free.

Who doesn’t want that freedom?

Take a load off, Fam.
Do you have any secrets you need freedom from today?
Find someone you trust and let go.

There’s no need in donning a mask, especially if its latex. I don’t know how Spidey does it!
Let’s take the masks off and relax.

© Marvel, Sony, The Amazing Spider-Man

Secrets cost.
Let’s stop paying.

We are not Spider-Man.
We don’t have to try to save the world.
We know a Savior who’s doing a slam up job of that already.

Besides, it’s so much easier to live in the light.
I promise,
Naima

Can you let go today?
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