THE WORLD WILL END IN 2012, OKAY, MAYBE

People all over the world are worried that the because of the Mayan calendar the world will end in December of 2012. Did it occur to anyone that the accountant just ran out of chalk and the whole village decided it would be fun to go into town and toss a few back and keep him company on his quest to get more chalk? And for that matter, who said you were going to live to see that day come? Do you drive or walk across streets? Who knows what can take a person out or when.

So why not try this, be the best person that you can be for the rest of your life. Help others where and when you can and live every day like it could be your last because it just might be. Set an example for others by the way you conduct your life and just maybe it will catch on. World peace is an obtainable goal in our lifetime if we can overcome hate and poverty. Don't just sit on your sofa and wait for the end of the world, make it a better one while you're here.

A MESSAGE FROM JESUS AND ME

"Let the one without sin cast the first stone," Jesus said to the crowd when they were about to stone Mary Magdalene to death. Am I without sin? Not even close, but I do try to be the best Mike that I can be with this quote in mind always. Note I said try and I do. Wouldn't the world be a better place if we could all do the same. And I try to stay positive everyday and that isn't easy either especially when I feel like I am standing in the shoes of Mary Magdalene. Being a gay Christian is extremely difficult because SOME who call themselves Christian, would rather hurl their stones at me and others in the LGBT community, chasing some of God's children away from Him instead of bringing them closer. Maybe, rather than hurling stones at the ones you disagree with, you can expend your energies in positive ways: helping the poor; tending to the sick; working for a greener world and saving future generations or maybe just trying to make peace in the world in your lifetime.

I was born gay and so were millions of others. This is not a choice, who would chose to go down a road that would cause you to be cast out not only by family but also strangers, and in the name of God. With 10% of the world being gay, doesn't that tell you that the Lord has a special purpose for us? I have no idea exactly what it is, but I do know that he doesn't make mistakes.

EVERYBODY HAS ONE...

No, not that. Everybody has someone in the film; music; television or other art industry that they relate to on one level or another and feel like that person would be a wonderful person to know and be friends with. My latest is Pauley Perrette who plays Abby on NCIS. I think that she is a hoot and would love to tell her so but someone started stalking her on line and she pulled her personal blog. I'm a fat, old gay man and don't think of her in that way. (However, I do drool over the men on that show, whew!) But I do like to research actors and such, mostly on Wikipedia because I feel safe on that site, and found out that she also supports Gay and Lesbian marriage, now I know we could be friends. But that assumes that she would like me as a friend and has all kind of time to write or call and catch up on things, duh. She is a great actress in my eyes and makes me laugh with some of her antics but we live in different worlds so I just hope someone reads this and tells her for me. I'm a writer but that doesn't mean that she would like or even appreciate some of my tales or short stories, but then again, how could she not? LOL

So, who would you like to write to or talk to? I dream about being able to meet the cast of The Guiding Light I have been watching them for so long I feel like they are family to me.
Mike

FIGHTING GAY MARRIAGE

Why in the world would Christians who profess love, be wasting all of their time; energy; money and other resources be fighting the sanctity of love in any form? Especially when they could be helping fight poverty and sickness around the world. The word MARRIAGE is reserved for when two people who love each other want to make a lasting commitment to one another and announce to the world that they hope that love will last forever. It does not have to be a religious thing, many heterosexuals get married by justices of the peace, in chapels along the highway or in other countries (not to mention those Elvis look-a-likes). More gay and lesbian people than you probably know are Christians, just the same as you. Well, not really like you, but Christians just the same. And why should it matter that they are Christians or not? Who gave you the RIGHT to try and control the lives of others who do not play by YOUR set of rules? This is the United States of America and we have a bill of rights that this country was founded upon and not by any religious organization. We have the freedom to decide what if any set of doctrines that we will follow.

As I said in the beginning, use your money; resources; and whatever is at your disposal to fight poverty and sickness throughout the world. I have seen the bumper sticker on more that one vehicle that asks WWJD? Where would he want you to put your resources? Against love or against suffering?

READ YOUR BIBLE PREACHER

I left organized religion years ago mostly because of all of the finger pointing and the holier than thou priest and preachers who would gladly take your money and condemn you to hell. Most would make you feel bad about not having the money to spare telling you that Jesus needs your money. Jesus doesn't need money but he does expect us all to be the best person that we can be.

I also fought my inner demons because of my sexuality before I came to believe that God had a higher purpose for myself and the millions of other gay and lesbian people. The simplest reason I could come up with was that we were put here to test the Christian community of learning to love one another and not kill those who are different from us. Most of the gay and lesbians that I know are also Christians, I know that must come as a shock to many people.

To me, the worst kind of Christians were and are the evangelicals who would rob or shame the poorest of their life savings so that they could lead grand lives. That was until I saw Ted Haggard on Oprah and then again on HBO and now I believe that he is the most Christ like of any holy man alive. I also believe that his church officials and his congregation are the the worst examples of Christians I have ever witnessed. You don't go to an AA or NA meeting to listen to someone who knows nothing about the problems of addiction, the person you need to hear from is the person who woke up in the gutter hurting and penniless, someone who had been down that road and recovered and can help you lead a better life. I hear all the time that homosexuality is wrong because sex is for procreation. Really? So none of you use birth control or have sex even when the doctor tells you that you are barren or two old to conceive? How about sex during a pregnancy?

The countless millions/billions of dollars being spent every year to condemn or kill homosexuals every year could feed the world, build housing for less fortunate people and solve REAL problems in the world. If God wants to judge us and put us to death that is up to HIM and HIM alone. And if Ted Haggard were to start preaching close to where I live I would be there every Sunday. I do hope that you have taken the time to read this and that you will comment here or pass this blog on to others and share it.
Mike

MARRIAGES BEING ERASED

If you are not gay and you are married, try to imagine what it would feel like to wake up one morning and find out that someone was trying to ruin your life. That's exactly what is happening in California. Not only have they stopped any new marriages from happening but they want the ones that have already taken place to reversed. I understand that different people think differently but what happened to individual rights? Is it now okay for one religious group (I'm talking about Christians here) to decide what rights everyone except gays and lesbians? Isn't this how the Holocaust started out? Along with those of the Jewish faith, gays and lesbians were also gathered up and killed, is that what is coming next? I am a Christian as are many of us and I don't think that your religion or any other rules supreme over this great nation. Your money being used to fund this fight could be better put to use by feeding the homeless, helping people find jobs and letting them feel more like humans again. There are all kinds of ways for your money to be put to good use. And if you are going to enter the political arena then I demand that your tax status be changed and you should be paying your share to voice your opinions.

I have a personal belief as to why there are so many gay and lesbian citizens of this world and that is to teach people, especially the religious, patients; understanding; kindness and love. For Jesus said: Love each other as I have loved you. And if any two adults love each other and want to create a home where that love can abound, then who are you to disobey His message. Oh yes, there is that other quote about "judge not less ye shall be judged". So take your money and put it to a finer purpose, one that would make GOD proud not anger him for destroying love.

Mike

AT WHAT PRICE SHOULD YOU BE ELECTED?

Today is November 3rd, the day before people all over America will elect a president and local representatives. I voted early to avoid the crowds but they are still out there and that is a very good thing that people are excising their right to vote. But what I want to talk about today is how those running conducted themselves and what it is doing to the public at large.

How many of us have had our blood pressure raised listening to all of the DIRTY TRICKS that these people will stoop to just to get elected. Lies and lies by omission of the facts. Smearing your opponent with slander. Commercials every couple of minutes until you just unplug the tube or just watch the cable channels. Who can you believe? Stupid questions by the media or those who just show up at the events to cause trouble. If a politician were asked, "Is it true that you have stopped beating your wife?" how could a person answer such a question. And now everyone thinks that he might be a wife beater even if his wife comes forward and calls it BS. The seed has already been planted.

And regardless of who gets voted in I as a citizen intend to hold them to every campaign promise that they made and if they fail us then we need to find a way to get them out. It won't be easy, they get real comfortable once they're in, but it is up to each and everyone of us to make sure that we get what we paid for. We do it when we go grocery shopping and that same theory should work for politicians as well. Grass roots got a lot of them elected and we should be able to de-select them the same way.

That's what's on my mind today. How do you stand on this idea? I'd love to hear you thoughts.
Mike

FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAY

It occurs to me that all things considered, I have a lot to be grateful for and I've been lucky enough to have a lot of help along the way. And now it's my turn to be on the helping end and yours too if you want to join in. There are 24 hours in everyday and if we all take just one quarter of one of those hours to help someone else we can make this a better world. Maybe you could call people who you know are shut-ins or just alone and make their day and you will feel better about yourself as well. Make phone calls from your home to encourage people to get out and vote for the candidate of their choice and make a difference for your area or for all of the USA.

There are all kinds of volunteer organizations that would love to have an hour or two of your time even if it's only once a week if you can spare the time. And another benefit of doing this kind of work is that you are likely to make friendships with others, people who also want to share and make a difference and after all who doesn't want more good friends like them.

At sometime in your life there was someone there for you, could this be your time to reach out and give fifteen minutes of your time? I hope so and I'm glad to call you my friends.
Mike

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES

Since I live in Florida, the acknowledged Sunshine State, perhaps it is up to me to start pushing for solar power. The state and local communities would be a great place to start I think. Just imagine if there were no electric bills for all of those offices, jails, libraries and other government offices. This alone could lower taxes all around the state both sales and property taxes, is it possible that is a bad thing? Could it be that I'm the only one who has thought of it? And this would bring about less dependence on both foreign and domestic oil and bring all of our residents cleaner air.

And while we're at it, why not start building cars with built in solar panels on the roof or trunk. Have I gone too far? I think not. Offer large one time only tax breaks for private citizens and business' for installing solar panels as an incentive for installing them. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.This would also create new jobs to manufacture and install these units and show the rest of the country what we are made of and maybe start a revolution of revitalization in America.

And then there are those wind mills. One hurricane or even a near miss would probably light up the state for a month. We have the technology at our disposal, why not put it to good use. Big oil could fight us every step of the way or they could use some of those windfall profits to get behind us and clean up their names at the same time. Give the Ozone a chance to heal it self with our help and make this a better world for all of us.And just think of the help we could extend to third world countries, give them free electricity and build a better world for them. What would you give to know that some how you were building a better world by maybe just starting a letter writing campaign or collecting signatures to send to your government representatives.

The world, this planet we call home, deserves a chance and we can do it, one person at a time.

Just thinking out loud, what are your thoughts?
Mike

POLITICS AS USUAL

Well it's that time again. Once every four years it happens and no, I'm not talking about the summer Olympics, that I like. No, it's time for the dirt to be hitting the fan in the presidential elections and their commercials. Smear campaigns on every channel, except the premium channels and those are what I will be watching. I have sent letters to newspapers, TV and radio stations and to the candidates for years all to no avail. Don't tell me what you know or think about your opponent, talk to me about you and let me make up my own mind. I already know that I don't want a book burning soccer mom (aka pit bull with lipstick, a heartbeat away from the top job in the world). Hillary I would have loved to have seen but not Palin and I made up my own mind from watching the conventions.

And if you are planning to enforce the beliefs of your personal religion on this nation, stop now. I have already lived thru too much of that already. Read the constitution and the bill of rights and follow them. No one religion will satisfy an entire nation, nor should it. And equal rights for all citizens means exactly that, not just what you personally believe in. If you don't believe in abortion, don't have one. If you don't believe in gay marriage, that is your personal belief but don't think that it gives you the right to stop others from what they believe in. That is NOT your right. I don't tell you how who to pray to, don't tell me who I can marry.
Mike