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Watch “Easter/Resurrection Mark 16:1-20” on YouTube
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Untitled
Cam Newton made public statements recently that have been heavily criticized. Cam said that a woman’s purpose is to cater to her man. Fine. That’s great, especially if a woman can land a man with Cam Newton’s kind of money.
But there were some things missing from his statement. What’s missing is the man’s role. What did the man do to deserve having a woman cater to him. In the case of Cam Newton and his public relationships he didn’t seem to offer love, loyalty, devotion, respect or honor.
Cam Newton didn’t marry Kia Proctor, the mother of his first four children. They had a relationship for around five years. He didn’t marry IG model La Reina Shaw, the mother of his youngest child either. I’m unsure of the state of the relationship between La Reina and Cameron but they don’t seem to be a couple.
Kia is thirty three and an unmarried mom of five. She has a daughter from a relationship before she met Cam Newton and she has four with Cam. What did she really get from that relationship? She spent the prime years of her youth catering to Cameron and having his children.
If Cam was devoted to Kia and their family unit he would be worth catering to particularly since he’s wealthy. But that was not the case. Cam said the relationship changed over time and he became a different person over the years. It’s clear that maintaining their family unit and raising the children in a traditional home was not a priority for Cameron. I’m sure Kia catered to Cam. What did that get her?
Kia got older and preoccupied with motherhood. She was no longer the DC stripper that charmed her way into the NFL quarterback’s heart. I certainly hope she got a nice piece of property or a lump sum of money for her efforts. But she may have been able to get that without tying herself to Cameron. I’m sure Cam would be a great sugar daddy. But he doesn’t seem to be very good husband material.
La Reina seems to be a fling that resulted in a child. It’s hard to say but Cam isn’t showing any devotion and love to her either. I don’t think a man is worth catering to for an extended amount of time if he doesn’t honor and respect you. In Cam’s defense that’s probably not even what La Reina was seeking.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a woman catering to a man but choose one with long term potential. Otherwise you’re wasting time and energy and you’re limiting future opportunities. Kia and La Reina will have complicated families if they get married to new partners while their children are still minors. The greatest baggage of all is Cam Newton. It all sounds like a big headache to me.
Women should cater to their husbands. In order to become a husband a man needs to prove himself honorable. Women should cater to men that are loyal, loving and devoted to them and their children.
There is no reason to waste energy and time on fly by night relationships. Obviously, that’s the case even if he’s rich like Cam. Kia should have gotten some nice jewelry and and kept on stripping. La Reina should have gotten a few nice vacations and kept on IG modeling. They both would have been better off keeping Cam at a distance. If they met that rich guy they could have met a different one; one with long term potential. Women need to invest wisely.
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Watch “Good Friday Mark 15:21-47” on YouTube
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Watch “Palm Sunday Matthew 21:1-11, Zechariah 9:9-12” on YouTube
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“Discarded Things”: A Review
Discarded Things is a part of the genre that I will call Christian movies. I enjoy Christian movies. They are the English language equivalent of Mexican soap operas. Christian movies are a bit campy, dramatic, kind of over the top with a limited budget. Yet the are quite entertaining. They always have an inspirational message. God always prevails after all.
I’m going to avoid spoilers because this film has an ending that will knock your socks off. I’ll keep this brief. I enjoyed this movie. It was a bit corny but I enjoyed the acting and it was a good story. The lead actress is named Karen Abercrombrie. She plays Grace Wyatt who is a teacher for trouble children. She’s fifty eight and a real fox. She was foxy in the movie and they styled her down. Check out her IMDB. Karen is fire.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1620433/
Cameron Arnett plays a pastor named Solomon Grant and the father of Grace. He was in the film briefly but his performance was memorable. He did a great job in this film and played a great villain. I hated him with passion. Cameron did his job. I think he deserves an Oscar.
My criticism of the film is that Grace is a teacher for troubled youth but the youngsters are super sweet and squeaky clean. They aren’t believable as juvenile delinquents. The other criticism is that the film almost feels like it’s two distinct films. I wish the first act that involved Grace’s childhood could have lasted longer. The middle dragged a bit until it picked up at the end.
Check it out if you get the chance. Regardless of your beliefs explore Christian films. They are wholesome albeit a bit corny. They are family friendly and always have an inspirational ending.
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Demi Moore is a Victim Too
I’m not going to go into The Slap Heard Around the World at this year’s Oscars Ceremony. We’ve heard about it enough. The real victim here is Demi Moore. I’m sure her feelings are hurt because the comparison Chris Rock made to Jada Pinkett Smith caused such a storm. I bet she thought she looked fabulous all these years since the 1997 release of the film GI Jane. She’s right. She did look fabulous and Demi did not deserve to become collateral damage in this fiasco.
The word iconic gets thrown around a lot these days but Demi Moore’s look in GI Jane is iconic. I never saw the movie and I’m not sure it was critically acclaimed or popular. Demi Moore as a Marine is what made the film memorable. She was sexy, beautiful and bald and that’s all anyone remembers about the film.
She looked gorgeous and I’m not sure why Jada Pinkett Smith was upset by the comparison. It was a compliment. It should have got her wheels turning. The light bulb should have gone off. She should have gotten her movie star husband to produce a remake of the film and put her in it. But instead the Smiths decided to be their messy, dramatic selves.
Jada Pinkett Smith is a part of a very small club of women that go bald and look beautiful. Mrs. Smith says that she is sensitive about her baldness due to alopecia which I can understand but I don’t think her insecurities should have been made the center of an international media event like the Oscars. Besides that a woman with her resources can afford the best wigs available if she doesn’t like going bald. If Will and Jada had a problem with what Chris said they should have settled it in the parking lot. I didn’t care for the dramatic outburst.
Anyway, it’s not fair to Demi Moore that her look in GI Jane is seen as so bad that someone deserved to be slapped over it. A bald head certainly isn’t traditional femininity but she made it look good as does Jada. Here are a few others that made having no hair a fashionable and sexy look. I don’t know what all the fuss is about.
If Jada asked me for my advice I would tell her to embrace her look. She has a beautiful face and a great figure. She’s still feminine and sexy. The bald head gives her kind of an edgy look which I thought she liked. But if she wants a more traditional feminine look invest in a good wig. She can afford the best. If I was advising Will I would tell him to keep his professional game face on when at high profile events and settle differences in the parking lot.
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90s Pixie Cuts
I love good pixie cut. The 90s was a great decade for fashionably short hair. Here are a few lovely examples of pixie cuts.
Can you think of any others?
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Watch “1 Samuel 16:7 Your Heart is More Important Than Your Appearance” on YouTube
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Watch “Sabbath/The Lord’s Day Hebrews 4:1-13 Exodus 20:8” on YouTube
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80s Pop Lyrics Were Toxic!
If you’ve ever wondered what went wrong with Generation X study the lyrics to some of the pop songs from back when our parents were still together. This music is toxic. Baby Boomers were psycho in their prime years. It may be a good thing that they got divorced and left their children alone. Take a look at some of these lyrics about love gone wrong, a lack of boundaries, infidelity, low self worth and financial abuse. (Take this is jest.)
Women put their desperation on full display in the 80s. I listened to these lyrics for the first time in the last year. I was shocked to hear this from Diana Ross of all people.
Diana Ross Upside Down
I said upside down
You’re turning me
You’re giving love instinctively
Around and round you’re turning meUpside down
Boy, you turn me
Inside out
And round and round
Upside down
Boy, you turn me
Inside out
And round and roundInstinctively you give to me
The love that I need
I cherish the moments with you
Respectfully I say to thee
I’m aware that you’re cheating
When no one makes me feel like you doUpside down
Boy, you turn me
Inside out
And round and round
Upside down
Boy, you turn me
Inside out
And round and roundI know you got charm and appeal
You always play the field
I’m crazy to think you are mine
As long as the sun continues to shine
There’s a place in my heart for you
That’s the bottomlineUpside down
Boy, you turn me
Inside out
And round and round
Upside down
Boy, you turn me
Inside out
And round and roundInstinctively you give to me
The love that I need
I cherish the moments with you
Respectfully I say to thee
I’m aware that you’re cheating
But no one makes me feel like you doUpside down
Boy, you turn me
Inside out
And round and round
Upside down
Boy, you turn me
Inside out
And round and roundUpside down
Boy, you turn me
Inside out
And round and round
Upside down
Boy, you turn me
Inside out
And round and roundUpside down you’re turning me
You’re giving love instinctively
Around and round you’re turning me
I say to thee respectfullyUpside down you’re turning me
You’re giving love instinctively
Around and round you’re turning me
I say to thee respectfullyI said a upside down you’re turning me
You’re giving love instinctively
Around and round you’re turning meI say to thee respectfully
Upside down you’re turning me
You’re giving love instinctively
Around and round you’re turning me
I say to thee respectfullyUpside down you’re turning me
The SOS Band took feminine longing, anguish and delusion to another level.
SOS Band Just be Good to Me
Friends tell me I am crazy
And I’m wasting time with you
You’ll never be mine
It’s not the way I see it
‘Cause I feel you’re already mine
Whenever you’re with me (oh, oh, oh)People always talkin’ about
Your reputation
I don’t care about your other girls
Just be good to me (oh, oh, oh)Friends are always tellin’ me
You’re a user
I don’t care what you do to them
Just be good to me (oh, oh, oh)You may have many others
But I know when you’re with me
You are all mine
Friends always seem to listen
To the bad things that you do
You never do them to me (oh, oh, oh)People always talkin’ about
Your reputation
I don’t care about your other girls
Just be good to me (Oh, oh, oh)Friends are always tellin’ me
You’re a user
I don’t care what you do to them
Just be good to me (oh, oh, oh)La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
Just be good to meLife is a game of chances
So I’ll take my chance with you
And you, I won’t try to change
We talk about it and I
Never had a piece of you
And to have all of nothing (oh, oh, oh)But just be good to me
In the mornin’
Just be good to me
In the afternoon or evenin’, oh, yeah
Just be good to me (oh, oh, oh)I’ll give you love, I will smother you
I’ll give affection, I won’t bother you
I’ll be good to you, you’ll be good to me, yeah, yeah
Just be good to me (oh, oh, oh)I’m not the jealous type, I won’t tie you down
When you need me, I’ll be around
I’ll be good to you, you’ll be good to me
And we’ll be together, be togetherLa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la (oh)
Just be good to me (oh, oh, oh)La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la (be nice to me, be sweet to me)
Just be good to me (oh, oh, oh)La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la (we’ll be good to each other)
(Oh, each and every day) just be good to me (oh, oh, oh)La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la (we will love each other, ooh, yes, we will)
Just be good to me (oh, oh, oh)La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
Just be good to me (oh, oh, oh)In 1983 The Police gave us the stalkers anthem.
The Police Every Breath You Take
Every breath you take
And every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I’ll be watching youEvery single day
And every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I’ll be watching youOh, can’t you see
You belong to me?
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take?Every move you make
And every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I’ll be watching youSince you’ve gone, I’ve been lost without a trace
I dream at night, I can only see your face
I look around, but it’s you I can’t replace
I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace
I keep crying baby, baby pleaseOh, can’t you see
You belong to me?
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take?Every move you make
And every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I’ll be watching you
Every move you make
Every step you take
I’ll be watching youI’ll be watching you
(Every breath you take)
(Every move you make)
(Every bond you break)
(Every step you take) I’ll be watching you
(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay) I’ll be watching youI’ll be watching you
(Every single day)
(Every word you say) Whoo, hoo
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay) I’ll be watching youI’ll be watching you
(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay) I’ll be watching youI’ll be watching you
(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay) I’ll be watching you…The Human League wrote a song about being jealous of a woman’s coming of age and success.
The Human League Don’t You Want Me
You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar
When I met you
I picked you out, I shook you up
And turned you around
Turned you into someone new
Now five years later on you’ve got the world at your feet
Success has been so easy for you
But don’t forget it’s me who put you where you are now
And I can put you back down too.Don’t. Don’t you want me?
You know I can’t believe it when I hear that you won’t see me
Don’t. Don’t you want me?
You know I don’t believe you when you say that you don’t need meIt’s much too late to find
When you think you’ve changed your mind
You’d better change it back or we will both be sorryDon’t you want me, baby?
Don’t you want me? Oh!
Don’t you want me, baby?
Don’t you want me? Oh!I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar
That much is true
But even then I knew I’d find a much better place
Either with or without you
The five years we have had have been such good at times
I still love you
But now I think it’s time I lived my life on my own
I guess it’s just what I must doDon’t. Don’t you want me?
You know I can’t believe it when I hear that you won’t see me
Don’t. Don’t you want me?
You know I don’t believe you when you say that you don’t need meIt’s much too late find
When you think you’ve changed your mind
You’d better change it back or we will both be sorryDon’t you want me, baby?
Don’t you want me? Oh!
Don’t you want me, baby?
Don’t you want me? Oh!Don’t you want me, baby?
Don’t you want me? Oh!
Don’t you want me, baby?
Don’t you want me? Oh!Don’t you want me, baby?
Don’t you want me? Oh!
Don’t you want me, baby?
Don’t you want me? OhDon’t you want me, baby?
Don’t you want me? Oh!
Don’t you want me, baby?
Don’t you want me? Oh!Here’s another song about a man using money as leverage in a relationship.
Oran Juice Jones The Rain
I saw you (and him, and him) walking in the rain
You were holding hands and I’ll never be the sameTossing and turning another sleepless night
The rain crashes against my window pane
Jumped into my car–didn’t drive too far
That moment I knew I would never be the sameCause I saw you (and him, and him) walking in the rain
You were holding hands and I’ll never be the sameNow here you are begging to me
To give our love another try
Girl I love you and I always will
But darling right now I’ve got to say goodbyeCause I saw you (and him, and him) walking in the rain
You were holding hands and I’ll never be the sameI saw you (and him) walking in the rain
You were holding hands and I’ll never be the sameHey, hey, baby, how you doin’, come on in here
Got some hot chocolate on the stove waitin’ for ya
Listen, first things first, let me hang up that coat
Yeah, ‘n’ how’s your day today, did ya miss me?
Oh, you did, yeah, I missed you, too
I missed you so much I followed you today
That’s right
Now close your mouth
Cause you cold busted
That’s right, now sit down here
Sit down here
So upset with you I don’t know what to do
‘n’ my first impulse was to run up on you
And do a Rambo
Whip out the jammy and flat-blast both of you
But I ain’t wanna mess up this thirty-seve hundred dollar lynx coat
So instead, I chilled
That’s right, chilled, then I went to the bank
Took out every dime
And then I went and canceled all those credit cards
Yeah
All your charge accounts
Yeah
I stuck you up for every piece of jewelry I ever bought you
Yeah
That’s right, everything
Everything
Did fool out with me
Naw, don’t go, you ever go, don’t go looking in that closet
Cause you ain’t got nothing in there
Everything you came here with–Is packe dup and waiting for you in the guest room
That’s right, what was you thinking about, huh?
What were you tryin’ to prove, huh?
You’s with the Juice
‘n’ I gave you silk suits, Gucci handbags, blue diamonds
I gave you things you couldn’t even pronounce
Now I can’t give you nothin’ but advice
Cause you’re still young
That’s right, you’re still young
I hope you learn a valuable lesson from all this
You know?
Gonna find someone like me one of these days
Until then, know what you gotta do?
You gotta get on outta here with that
Alley-cat-coat wearin’
Hush-puppy-shoe-wearing’
Crumb cake I saw you with
Cause you dismissed
That’s right, silly rabbit
Tricks are made for kids, don’t you know that?
You without me: like cornflake without the milk
It’s my world–you just a squirrel, tryin’ to get a nut
Now get on outta here
Ah!
Don’t touch that coat!Adultery carrols.
Atlantic Starr Secret Lovers
Here we are the two of us together
Taking this crazy chance to be all alone
We both know that we should not be together
‘Cause if they found out
It could mess up, both our happy homesI hate to think about us all meeting up together
As soon as I looked at you it would show on my face
Then they’ll know that we’ve been loving each other
They can never no, oh no, we can’t leave a traceSecret Lovers that’s what we are, we shouldn’t be together
But we can’t let it go, oh no, cause we love each other soSittin at home I do nothing all day
But think about you and hope that your ok
Hoping you’ll call before anyone gets home
I’ll wait anxiously, alone by the phoneHow could something so wrong be so right
I wish we didn’t have to keep our love out of sight
Living two lives just ain’t easy at all
But we gotta hang on and after fallSecret lovers that’s what we are
Trying so hard to hide the way we feel
Cause we both belong to someone else
But we can’t let it go, cause what we feel is oh so real
So realYou and me, are we fair
Is this cruel, or do we care
Can they tell what’s in our minds
Maybe they’ve had secret love all of the timeIn the middle of makin love we notice the time
We both get nervous cause it’s way after nine
Even though we hate it, we know it’s time that we go
We gotta be careful, so that no one will knowSecret lovers, that’s what we are
Trying so hard to hide the way we feel
‘Cause we both belong to someone else
But we can’t let it go
‘Cause what we feel is oh so real
So realYou can tell a lot about a culture from it’s art. This is art from the 80s and it says a lot about relationships between men and women just as pop music tells us a lot about relationships now. I’m kidding around in this post. I’m not trying to be super sensitive, politically correct or cancel anyone (not that I could). These are historical observations that I find interesting and kind of humorous. I love the 80s!
BONUS TRACKS
Only in the 80s could a song about child abuse become a pop hit. What were we thinking? Suzanne Vega dropped this gem in 1987. It’s about a boy getting his ass beat and the neighbors heard it through the walls. This seems to have been a regular occurrence yet no one saw fit to call the cops. Oh well, it was catchy. The 80s were madness I tell ya!
Suzanne Vega Luka
My name is Luka
I live on the second floor
I live upstairs from you
Yes I think you’ve seen me beforeIf you hear something late at night
Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight
Just don’t ask me what it was
Just don’t ask me what it was
Just don’t ask me what it wasI think it’s because I’m clumsy
I try not to talk too loud
Maybe it’s because I’m crazy
I try not to act too proudThey only hit until you cry
And after that you don’t ask why
You just don’t argue anymore
You just don’t argue anymore
You just don’t argue anymoreYes I think I’m okay
I walked into the door again
If you ask that’s what I’ll say
And it’s not your business anywayI guess I’d like to be alone
With nothing broken, nothing thrown
Just don’t ask me how I am
Just don’t ask me how I am
Just don’t ask me how I amMy name is Luka
I live on the second floor
I live upstairs from you
Yes I think you’ve seen me beforeIf you hear something late at night
Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight
Just don’t ask me what it was
Just don’t ask me what it was
Just don’t ask me what it wasThey only hit until you cry
And after that you don’t ask why
You just don’t argue anymore
You just don’t argue anymore
You just don’t argue anymoreThis song actually made it to number eight in 1991 on the Billboard 100 chart. It was the early 90s so I’ll throw it in. Crystal Waters made a song about homelessness into a dance hit. That’s right, a song about homelessness and probably mental illness sent party goers to the dance floor during this era. It’s kind of morbid when you think about it.
The winds are blowing every morning
Just to do her hair now
Because she cares you allHer day oh wouldn’t be right
Without her make up
She’s never had a make upLa da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee daShe’s just like you and me
But she’s homeless, she’s homeless
As she stands there singing for moneyLa da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee daIn my sleep I see her begging
Reaching police
Although her body’s not mine
I ask now I do, now I doShe’s just like you and me
But she’s homeless, she’s homeless
As she stands there singing for moneyLa da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee daShe’s just like you and me
As she stands there singing for moneyLa da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee da
La da dee la dee daKnow me
Did you know, did you know
Did you know
Thoughts, Observations, Impressions
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Shannon's Life in the Midwest 