In the sea of life, some issues are black and white. Then you have the Waves of Gray.
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Waves of Gray was on the Jesse Peterson radio program on May 31st.
You can listen to the broadcast here.
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NAACP: Are We Advancing?
by A.C. Smith
Here is a message to the NAACP (formerly known as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).
Are we advancing if we are killing our children or slowing our population to grow?
Are we advancing if we are not putting our education in the forefront of the goals we have for our children?
Are we advancing if we do not put our major efforts into snuffing out the drug culture in our communities?
Are we advancing if we do not ensure that men stay in the households and are the leaders in our homes?
Are we advancing when we do not squash out the premature sexual activities?
Are we advancing when we promote profanity in our culture and communities?
Are we advancing when we let the trance of music dominates and negatively influences our men and women and have a place within us?
Are we advancing when we do not incorporate God in every aspect of our lives?
Are we advancing when we support the people who do not follow the biblical teachings and standards of Christ?
Are we advancing when we leave the example of selfishness for our children to follow?
Are we advancing when we do not spend most of our time in fellowship with other Christ-like people?
Are we advancing when we do not leave examples of fiscal responsibility in our lives?
Are we advancing when we support political parties or the color of someone's skin over principles?
Oh, no! WE are doing the devils work! We are possessed and under the influence of the prince of this world!
Wake up people of color! WAKE UP!!!
Wake Up America!
by A.C. Smith
It will not surprise me if U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder does not step down.
It would be good if he did, because that will give President Obama a chance to show that he will change (although I do not think he can or even has the will to do so), by putting someone else in the position to follow the laws.
All the other times, someone with this predicament would step down, but he is actually helping to take some attention away from the president’s failures. So it is a benefit for him to stay.
Look at the problems with what happened in Benghazi, FBI, CIA, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, Israel, the United Nations agreements that relinquish our sovereign powers, and so on! We are so busy in our own selfish lives that America is sleeping while the liberal agenda is trying to make us less important and conforming with other countries.
This is not making the United Stated humble. Instead, it is destroying us and actually making the world a more dangerous place!
Believe me that the liberal agenda had a great plan from the very beginning and it looks to me that this plan has been orchestrated with the support of foreign sources too! We are being played pretty well and the liberals are being very successful! They found out that we cannot be destroyed from the outside in, so they are brilliantly destroying America from the inside out!
Look what America's standing is in the world now! It used to be the United States and the Soviet Union as the superpowers. The Soviet Union destroyed themselves because the government took and centralized all the power so it made it easier to destroy the Union by attacking one target. The government!
The United States was built to unite each of our individual accomplishments as a unit and NOT as a unit that builds us individually!
Did you get that??!!
THE UNITED STATES WAS BUILT TO UNITE EACH OF OUR INDIVIDUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS A UNIT AND NOT AS A UNIT THAT BUILDS US INDIVIDUALLY!
We as individuals used to run the government and in the best way, our voices were heard and that how we became so great! Now, we are hearing voices from our government and in the worst way, we are destroying ourselves!
Look at our Education, military might, transportation, intelligence, architecture, technology, religion, media, discipline, family unit, true love relationships, morality, our ethics, our population growth outside of relying on immigrants, financial status and so on...you name it!
The United States is not the undisputed leader in those areas anymore!
PLEASE!!! WAKE UP AMERICA!!! WE ARE BEING DESTROYED!!!
Connected
by Jamie Neben
In a world full of differences, the fact that we are so alike seems hard to believe. We live in different places, have different faces, and speak different languages. We pray to different gods and grow up with different life experiences. Yet, the human condition binds us together and extends from the largest cities to the far corners of the earth. Our emotions and feelings, although very personal, are not unique. We all know the pleasure of joy and the agony of pain. We’ve all been brave in certain situations and afraid in others. We mourn our loved ones with equal grief in the wake of tragedy. We have so much in common that it’s unexplainable why some people try their best to disrupt our lives rather than helping us to develop into a more connected state.
The intentional chaos that mankind creates is a veritable insult to humanity. Everywhere you look, and especially on social media websites, meaningful discourse is interrupted by so-called trolls who spew inflammatory rhetoric for the sole purpose of agitating the other participants. They often use religion and politics as their platforms, knowing those topics cause more division than anything else has in world history. The most troubling aspect of this ugly reality is that the toxic venom doesn’t originate in a vacuum. Our fellow human beings, perhaps some in our own communities, are posting these hateful words. Chances are pretty good that we interact with them without even realizing it as we simply go about our daily business. The most startling realization is that they could be members of our own families.
I understand the notion that we’re all brothers and sisters is not for everybody and that’s fine. I also know that we’re prone to disagree on many issues, and spirited debate is indeed healthy and necessary to make progress as well as to keep the peace. But I am very curious as to why people who are of sound mind, and are often quite intelligent, feel the need to descend into darkness. When did they start believing it was acceptable to abandon civilized conversation simply because they can remain relatively anonymous? Actual random acts of violence that occur away from the computer are exponentially disturbing. No satisfactory answer exists that justifies attacking a stranger who has done nothing to provoke such an act.
Fortunately, there is still evidence of unity, compassion and charity on a large scale. For instance, we are always quick to send aid to natural disaster victims around the globe. We sponsor children so that they will not die of starvation or disease. As a society, we are increasingly recognizing the freedom associated with marriage equality. If we treat each other with dignity and respect regardless of whether we communicate in person or through a computer screen, we bring honor to ourselves. In doing so, we are also using our hearts and minds in the way that they were truly intended, which is to say that we become connected.
Droning On
by Jamie Neben
Although unmanned aerial vehicles, more commonly referred to as drones, have been flying the friendly (and often not so friendly) skies for decades, they have suddenly found themselves as a hot topic of discussion. The United States is hardly the only country that operates this type of aircraft, but our increasing use of drones to eliminate terrorists, which now apparently includes American citizens, and the rapidly growing presence of them here at home puts us in a political and ethical quagmire.
This is a slippery slope if there ever was one. I believe that drones can be very beneficial under certain conditions as long as there is sufficient oversight and accountability. But before we delve into the more controversial aspects that have been dominating the Sunday morning talk shows and Senate confirmation hearings, let’s see if we can agree on some positive applications.
Second Thoughts: My Thoughts on Gun Control and the Second Amendment
by Jamie Neben
“A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution
It’s impossible to make sense of the recent massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut because something so horrific is absolutely senseless. But one thing we can do, and certainly need to do, is try to figure out where to go from here, and the sooner the better. The conversation is sure to include topics such as mental illness, family values, and living in a culture that glamorizes violence. But the very hostile elephant in the room is the topic of gun control.
The U.S. Constitution guarantees its citizens the right to bear arms, so any perceived or real threat to that freedom makes many people understandably upset. Occasionally, like as we’re witnessing now, we see a drastic spike in new weapon purchases based on the fear that guns will soon be severely restricted. The fear is usually unfounded since the majority of those who want reform have not suggested that we go door-to-door and round up all the artillery, or even that we outlaw all future firearm sales. On the other hand, a growing number of voices are calling for some kind of action. They believe we cannot just stand by and do nothing at all. Not anymore. So we need a solution that preserves the second amendment but helps prevent future tragedies.
Telling the Truth Does Not Make One a Bully
by A.C. Smith
This post is in response to the viral video about the news anchorwoman that was chastised by a viewer for being overweight (click here to see video).
Instead of addressing the problem, no matter how the message was delivered, we talk about the deliverer's character and oftentimes change the subject to something that it really isn't! It's the same thing liberals do to most issues AND THE RESULT....things stay the same, at best, or most of the time it gets worse!
Lose that Attitude (Be Positive)
by Jamie Neben
One of my primary desires in life, and the underlying reason why I co-founded Waves of Gray with A.C. Smith, is to make the world a better place. As an idealist who believes that change is possible, I strive to spread positive energy in any possible capacity, whether it’s by way of a private exchange, or through mass communication such as a website article or radio interview. Of course, I am hardly alone in that endeavor, and I’m sure we could all name several noteworthy individuals who have contributed untold resources to the cause of improving the lives of other people. But along with the recognition and gratitude, I have to wonder about the degree of resistance each person experiences while seeking to make a difference.
The reason I mention it is because my good vibrations are often met with cynicism, if not outright contempt. Those who will even admit that my mission is laudable are prone to ask me why I bother. I’ve been told that peace is not achievable on a community scale, let alone a global one. From their perspective, the mere thought that I might make a sizable impact is compared to living in a fool’s paradise. Some who are less enthusiastic demand to know why they should be nice to others when nobody treats them in kind. Then you have those who take satisfaction from misfortune.
Will We Ever Learn?
by AC Smith
By President Obama and his own administration's prediction (on paper) to where they believe the economy and employment would be at this point in time, lends to nothing short of a DISMAL FAILURE! They are FAR away from their OWN targets!
We give Obama and his administration too much credit by thinking that they are smart; they know how to help our economy; or even to think that they know what they are doing!
Just think, president Obama tried and did appoint a number of people who didn't do their own taxes correctly at best, or got caught cheating, or both.
Just the mere fact that Obama and his administration were able to have all the information about the economy that the economists had, access to the economist, plenty of experienced people told his administration that the agenda they were pursuing was on the wrong path, and even Obama and his administration said that the economy was the worst since the great depression when asking for the needed stimulus and saying that it would correct the issue...
I can go on and on...and I will!
A Letter to the Left
by A.C. Smith
This post is a letter to Jamie Neben and those who join him on the political left.
The left is founded in confusion. Just listen to the diversions when you all comment on facts presented by the right. Your side doesn't offer proof when you consider them invalid.
For example, Tavis Smiley once said that living under 8 years of the Ronald Reagan administration, blacks had a worse time economically than any other time in recent history. Larry Elder gave him some solid facts and statistics that blew Smiley out of the water, proving that blacks had the best increases in status. Smiley refused to believe those facts and said that he will produce the "real" facts in a couple days. Over a year later, Elder keeps calling out Smiley to produce them. Instead, Smiley keeps going around the nation on his Victim Tour. This is the face and scope of the left.
Compromising Situation
by AC Smith and Jamie Neben
In today’s political climate, our representatives on either side of the aisle are finding less common ground than ever before, and have an even less desire to move toward it. Compromise may as well be a dirty word. With further debt ceiling talks looming large, concessions must likely be made by all. Here is how each of us feels about compromise.
No Room for Doubt...Or Is There?
by Jamie Neben and AC Smith
Jamie says:
During our recent guest appearance on the Jesse Peterson radio program, a question arose as to whether having doubt in matters of faith is considered to be a sin. I replied in the negative because we are all certain to be tested at various times, and periods of doubt are not only quite normal, but they are healthy too since we ultimately become stronger believers once we overcome that doubt. AC Smith quickly found the following biblical passage in an effort to set me straight:
“And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith; for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”(Romans 14:23)