Retail Therapy

I used to by shoes when I was sad,
     Shoes when I was stressed,
     Shoes when I was mad...
I love the smell of them fresh out the box
The scent of the newness wafting in my nostrils
The scent acting like an emotional detox—
And I would wear my new shoes feeling hip,
Confident in the way they looked,
Confident in the way they matched my outfit.
Not a single thing in life had changed,
But when I put them on everything was different
But when I put them on, my perspective was rearranged...
I used to by shoes when I was bored,
     Shoes when I was happy,
     Shoes when I was adored.

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Verity Sanders

Greed, The Prosperity Gospel, & 666

How does greed tie in with 666 and the prosperity gospel? That's what we're talking about in this episode. Bible verses to reference: Matthew 6:24-34; Matthew 19:23-24; 1 Timothy 6:9-10.

PSALMS to God · Greed, the Prosperity Gospel, & 666

¹⁰The one who loves silver is never satisfied with silver, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income. This too is futile. ¹¹ When good things increase, the ones who consume them multiply; what, then, is the profit to the owner, except to gaze at them with his eyes? ¹²The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits him no sleep. Ecclesiastes 5:10-12 CSB

Testimony of how I got to this topic

• Independent study of the Word is important; give yourself time with God to allow Him to talk to you
• Going beyong the material given to you by the Church you attend will do wonders for your relationship with God
• I was looking for Revelation 17:15 and did a Google search for "Revelation sea people"
• I found this an article on Revelation and the sea[1] which had an interesting couple of paragraphs that inspired this episode

As for the beast himself: I have come to believe that the number of the beast, 666, is a reference to 1 Kings 10:14. In this passage 666 is the amount of gold that Solomon received annually. Any studied Jew would have recognized that Solomon was doing a number of things that God had said not to do (Deuteronomy 17:16-17). Therefore “666” would be a good metaphor for worldly wealth and for the love of same.

So back to Revelation; we find that the beast of greed for worldly wealth comes out of the people of the world. Then there arises a philosophy within God’s people that it is okay to lust after the greed of the world. This would be the second beast who is also a false prophet. He teaches salvation through wealth.

Jesus' death and resurrection dealt a mortal wound to greed -- or at least it should have been. The resurrection proves the relative worthlessness of seeking salvation from wealth. Nevertheless, greed survived and flourished among both the people of the world and among God’s people until God throws greed into the lake of fire. The International Teaching Ministry of Douglas Jacoby [1]

What are the two beasts?

• The beasts are talked about in Revelation 13: one beast comes out of the sea and the other comes out of the land
• The sea represents nations and people (Revelation 17:15) and the land represents God's people (Revelation 12:6)
• The beast of the land is a false prophet and deceives the people of God

The war between good and evil is about worship.

• Greek root of the word "anti" from "anti-Christ" means in place of or in opposition to[2]
• Satan's goal is to be worshipped as a god (Isaiah 14:13); he wants to take Christ's place
• A false worship system is what Satan has set up to distract people from the Most High God

666 & Solomon?

• Solomon received 666 pieces of gold (1 Kings 10:14)
• Solomon stored up tons of wealth and had many wives (Deuteronomy 17:16-17)
• Interestingly the story preceeding Solomon receiving this amount of gold is that of the visit from the Queen of Sheba when Solomon flaunts his wealth and wisdom.

⁹But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 CSB

The prosperity gospel[3]

• Most of the voices dominating "Christianity" are prosperity gospel pastors (e.g., Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar)
• A little lie in the midst of truth is what the devil uses to get people (Galatians 5:9)
• People quickly become obssessed with "sowing a seed" and "manifesting"; the message is that you should worship God for your own personal gain/benefit here in this life
• Greed has people losing sight of God's message
  1. Example 1: a fellow believer refused to rent because they think its giving away money and a waste of money, but their end goal is to buy a duplex and have someone rent it out to pay their mortgage. That's like selling crack even though you wouldn't take it or let your friends/family take it.
  2. Example 2: In high school my friends and I started competing to see who could make $300 on a paycheck; I worked 50 hours a week, worked 6 days a week, and skipped lunch (even though that was illegal). I was completely wiped out when I got home and on my day off. I didn't even get to enjoy the money I made.
• Warning signs that greed is overshadowing the Kingdom
  1. Not spending time with your family
  2. Not studied the Word, attending Bible study, etc.
  3. Not fellowshipping with your fellow believers
  4. Not spending time doing God's work (e.g., community service)
  5. Not recognizing the blessings you have (many of us are living better than most people in the world)
  6. Forgetting that this Earth is temporary

²³Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:23-24 CSB

The mark of the beast is about mentality: what you think (forehead) and what you do (hand)

The Biblical end of the world and climate change are basically the same thing—mankind's greed (sin) is the root of our planet going haywire

• Earthquakes (Revelation 6:12—among others)
• Pestilence (Matthew 24:7)
• Famine (Revelation 18:8)

The Word says that there will be "birth pangs" (John 16:21; 1 Thessalonians 5:3) before the end and 2020 has definitely been giving us a taste these signs:

• Wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6-7)
  • Azerbaijan vs. Armenia[4]
  • US vs. Iran[5]
  • China vs. Hong Kong[6]
  • China vs. India[7]
  • China vs. Taiwan[8]
• Earthquakes[9]
• Hurricanes [10]
• Murder Hornets[11]
• West coast fires[12]
• Locusts[14]
• COVID-19

Financial literacy is important but be careful not to let money matters become an idol in your life.
There will be a time when you have to choose between material wealth and God—you cannot serve both God and money.

No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24 CSB

Now it the time to be focused on the Kingdom, not the world
Invest in your relationship with God
Invest in your relationship with your fellow man (family/friends)
Invest in your community

²⁵“Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? ²⁷Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? ²⁸And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. ³⁰If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? ³¹So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ³²For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. ³⁴Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:25-34 CSB

References & Footnotes

1. Douglas Jacoby. "Q&A 1486 – Why is there no more sea in Revelation 21?". The International Teaching Ministry of Douglas Jacoby.
2. "Strong's G473. αντι". Blue Letter Bible; visited September 29, 2020
3. "Prosperity Theology". Wikipedia; visited September 27, 2020
4. Lucian Kim. "Fighting Between Armenia And Azerbaijan Threatens To Spiral Into Full-Blown War". NPR. September 28, 20202
5. "Iran crisis: US 'ready for serious negotiations' with Tehran". BBC. January 9, 20202
6. John Ruwitch. "As China Imposes New Hong Kong Law, U.S. And Allies Take Steps To Retaliate". NPR. July 2, 2020
7. Indrani Bagchi. "India shoots down China’s 1959 Line". Times of India. September 30, 2020
8. James Griffiths. "When it comes to international recognition, even when Taiwan wins, it loses". CNN. September 29, 2020
9. "USGS Magnitude 2.5+ Earthquakes, Past Day". United States Geological Survey; visited September 29, 2020
10. Chris Dolce. "All the Records the 2020 Hurricane Season has Broken So Far". The Weather Channel. September 22, 20202
11. Mike Baker. "‘Murder Hornets’ in the U.S.: The Rush to Stop the Asian Giant Hornet. The New York Times. May 2, 2020
12. "California and Oregon 2020 wildfires in maps, graphics and images". BBC. September 18, 2020
13. TruthUnedited. "Did You Know All This is Happening?". YouTube. September 18, 2020
14. David Njagi. "The Biblical locust plagues of 2020". BBC. August 6, 2020
15. Associated Press. "Many Venezuelans Struggle to Put Food on the Table in Crisis". US News. February 28, 2020

Loans

Loans
Bad math
Student debt

Keeps piling higher
The numbers never move
Creating financial woes

"The new cost of freedom is high"

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/JP Valery

Tithes & Offering

What does the Bible actually say about tithing and offering? I'll give you a hint, Malachi 3:8-10 is often quoted out of context. Spoiler alert: you are NOT cursed if you aren't giving 10% of your income to a man made institution.

⁸“Will a man rob God?
Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say,
‘In what way have we robbed You?’
In tithes and offerings.
⁹You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even this whole nation.
¹⁰Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house, Malachi 3:8-10 NKJV

definition

tithe[1]

noun

1. : a tenth part of something paid as a voluntary contribution or as a tax especially for the support of a religious establishment
2. : the obligation represented by individual tithes
3. : TENTH
   broadly : a small part
4. : a small tax or levy

What is Tithes?
Why do we tithe?

Tithing before Israel

• Genesis 14:22
• Genesis 22:28

• Both Abraham and Jacob tithed
• Abraham gives a 10th of the spoils of a war to Melchizedek, priest and king of Salem
• Jacob promises God a 10th of everything he is blessed with
• Both instances are voluntary

Tithing in Israel

• There are actually 3 types of tithes
  1. Tithe for festivals (Deuteronomy 14:22-27)
     • We just talked about the feasts, the Israelites were told to contribute food to the temple which was consumed during these feasts
  2. Tithe for the Levites (Leviticus 27:30-33; Numbers 18:21-31)
     • The Levites were not given an inheritance (Deuteronomy 9:10)
     • The tithe was not because they were priests, but because they did not have land for livestock or to harvest
  3. Tithe for the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 26:12-13)
     • This tithe maintained the poor: orphans, widows, and strangers

Who are the Levites?

• Many think the tithe of the Levites is what we give to the pastor
• Levite priest is not the same as a pastor.
• The Levites represent a bloodline; most pastor's today are not from that bloodline
• The Levitical priest was rendered unnecessary by Christ, who has ascended as our High Priest (1 Timothy 2:5)
• All believers are priests in the kingdom of God (1 Peter 2:5-9)
• The reason the Israelites were tasked with giving to the Levites is because they were not given a share of the land; they had no way to harvest crops or raise livestock.

More Bible Verses on Giving

• 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
• Hebrews 7
• Mark 12:32-34
• Luke 21:1-4
• Luke 18:9-14
• Acts 20:28-35

Sow a Seed?

• Prosperity gospel pastors teach this idea of "sowing a seed." You will hear people with this idea that giving money to God (re: the church) is like an investment. They believe that giving to a building will benefit them and that is why they give.
• We should not give with the expectation of receiving! That is not what God means by a cheerful giver.

Christ on tells the Pharisees that justice, mercy, and ? are more important than tithing (Matthew 23:23)

A little more on the history of modern tithing

• It wasn't made mandatory in Christianity until the 8th century (prior to that it was always offering)[3]
• Chapter eight of Pagan Christianity does a good job of summarizing how clergy salaries and how tithing became a requirement/custom in Christianity[2]
• Beyond Tithing is a book on the history of tithing (I haven't read it yet but I've seen it quoted in many places)[4]

Summary

• God command the Israelites to tithe to provide for the vulnerable people in their community
• Similarly if we love God, we will take care of His people (Matthew 25:31-35)
• Some of us have more and God may expect more from us than those who have less (Luke 21:1-4)
• God doesn't need money; He wants you to use what you have to take care of His creation
• What does it say about us if we blindly give money to a building but refuse to give to our neighbor?
• How many grandiose churches have you seen in decrepit neighborhoods? Do you think God, Who sacrificed His only Son so that the Holy Spirit could dwell in us and turn us into living temples, wants His people to suffer so that a building can be top of the line?
• Tithe in the Old Testament was food; your offering can be whatever God is calling you to give: time, money, skills, etc.

³¹“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. ³³And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

³⁷“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

⁴¹“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴²for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

⁴⁴“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ ⁴⁵Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ Matthew 25:31-45 NKJV

References

1. "Tithe". Merriam-Webster; visited April 7, 2020
2. Frank Viola and George Barna. Pagan Christianity; visited April 7, 2020
3. Tithe. Encyclopædia Brittanica. February 9, 2016
4. Stuart Murray. Beyond Tithing. December 19, 2011

Illustrated Faith: A $100 Bible?

How much would you pay for a Bible? There's a certain point when companies are just being unreasonable. The price of the Day Spring Illustrating Faith Bible has me questioning the values of the company. I refused to pay that price and decided to make my own.

I was watching youtube video on Bible Journaling, and saw a pretty cool Bible. I followed the links and ended up on the page for Day Spring's Illustrating Faith Bible.[1] Somebody, please explain to me who thought it was a good idea to sell a Bible for $100 and why people are actually buying it. I don't remember the part in the Bible where any of God's prophets charged outrageous amounts of money to hear God's Word, nor do I remember the part where other people in God's kingdom charged or were charged to use their respective gifts. Whoever at Day Spring came up with this price was not just trying to get compensated and make a living, they're down right greedy and to use a phrase I've been using a lot lately, "pimping out Jesus."

How To Do It Yourself

I already make my own journals, so I can say with confidence, that Bible did not cost $100 to make. I would estimate $50-$60 for production, which may justify a price tag of $60-$70 if you must make a profit. How do I know? Because I did the math and made my own.

Printing

The biggest hurdle I had was printing. The Illustrating Faith Bible is 9x9, but I wanted to make mine a little bigger, maybe 10x10 or 11x11 so that I could have bigger print and/or less pages. Unfortunately my printer can't handle a width greater than 8.5. I found two ways to get their size of 9x9 or larger: have it professionally printed or buy a printer that handles larger sizes.

Professional printing, due to the size requirement and sheer number of pages was quoted at $200, which is insane for black and white printing. At that point, you might as well just buy Day Spring's Bible, right?

There are printers that will print these custom sizes, and while they were cheaper than professionally printing the pages, they still had a price tag of over $100. If you're an avid crafter/journal-er, you may already have a printer than can print any size for your pages, which means this isn't a problem for you. If it's something you wish to get into, it may be worth the investment. I decided to scale down and settle for 8.5x8.5 pages, since this is the only project I envision needing this functionality. However, if I had chosen to, say, mass produce Bibles at a custom size, I would have bought a printer and the cost of that printer would be spread out across each unit sold. For example, if the printer cost me $150 and I only make one Bible, I had to spend $150 in printing costs, but if I make 100 Bibles, I only spent $1.50 for each Bible in printing cost.

Of course, printing isn't just the printer being used, but the paper and ink needed, as well. You can get a ream (500 sheets) of standard white paper for anywhere from $15 to $20; I paid $17.49. That works out to about $0.03 per sheet. For the ink, I have a Brother printer that uses toner instead of ink cartridges. I can print roughly 3000 pages with one toner cartridge. The cartridges cost me $80.59, this works out to be a little less than $0.03 per page. Day Spring's Bible has just shy of 1000 pages. Depending on the translation you use (perk of creating it yourself) and the font size you choose, you may need more or less pages. Assuming you ended up with 1000 pages, the paper would cost $15-$20 (remember 1 sheet = 2 pages) and the printing would cost you a little less than $30.00.

You'll notice in the pictures I have, I chose to handwrite the text for my Bible instead of printing the text. I chose this because it helps me memorize scripture and I'm currently in a Bible Study group where we are going through the Bible chapter by chapter. This may not be a feasible solution for most people, which is why I include the estimates for printing the full text.

Cover Page

Day Spring's Bible has faux leather for a cover. I used laminated cardstock and chipboard for mine. I did this because I was in a rush and didn't care about the cover. I couldn't find faux leather exactly, but I did find vinyl covers. You can get them pre-punched for binding, or do it yourself. Once again, bulk pricing is against people who only want one notebook, but for someone who mass produces things (*cough* Day Spring *cough*) or creates journals often, the price isn't too bad. You can get 100 covers for somewhere between $36 and $50 (they may charge a little extra to have the cover cut to the desired size). Worst case, that's $2 per cover sheet and you need 2—one for the front and one for the back. So that's a worst case charge of $4. The laminated cardstock + chipboard cost me about half the price

Binding

Once you have all your pages and your cover, all you have to do is bind it. You could take it to a store like FedEx or Staples to have it bound if you don't have a binding system, or you could do it yourself. Unfortunately, I don't have an estimate for professional binding, because I've been doing my own binding for the past 5 years. I've more than paid off the machine that punches the holes in the paper. I was able to buy 25 2" coils for $44 way back when, but the company I bought them from has since gone out of business. The closest thing I could find to what I have was 100 coils for $300. That would be $3 for the coil compared to the $1.48 I paid. Of course, there are other binding methods (discs, comb, etc.) that could be less expensive.

Total Cost

In total I paid about $50 to create the same product. What agitates me about this price is that I know everything costs less when you buy in bulk, so I know Day Spring could get many of these costs down because they produce mass quantities of similar products. A $50 production cost is on the high end, if an average Joe like me can get create it for the same price. I'm not a professional and I don't have access to the suppliers or the bulk pricing that Day Spring does. Even if we include fancy packaging and foiling in the cost and ignore the better pricing they have access too, the Bible would still only cost $60 to produce. That's $40 of profit for them. That's 60% of the product's value! So you're paying them 160% what the product is worth.

Conclusion

Make no doubt about it, Day Spring is over charging, but creating the Bible yourself is probably problematic if you aren't an avid journal maker and don't already have binding tools on hand. That's what Day Spring is counting on. Of course, at the end of the day, most translations of the Bible are copyrighted (did not realize a man could copyright the Words of God, but #ThisIsAmerica), so printing more than 500 verses may or may not get you into trouble and unless I get in league with publishers for the rights to print the Bible, I can't create a competing product to offer for a cheaper price.

References

1. "Illustrating Bible". Day Spring; visited December 2019
2. "Vinyl Binding Covers". Binding101; visited December 2019
3. Bill Muehlenberg. "The Bible and Copyright Law". Culture Watch. June 23, 2017
4. "Public Domain"

Fruit of the Spirit: Self Control featuring GirlTalkWithFo

Season 1 Episode 39

⁵For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, ⁶knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, ⁷godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-7 CSB

Is it odd that the only thing in life we can control is our self, but that's one of the toughest things to do? The final Fruit of the Spirit is Self Control (or Temperance). I called up published author and finance blogger GirlTalkWithFo to talk about this fruit.

About GirlTalkWithFo

Fo has written two books ("They That Wait" and "Dump Debt & Build Bank: The Everyday Chick’s Guide to Money") and has her own podcast, GirlTalkWithFo. She's also one of the first people I met in college. I've learned a lot about self control from her so it only seemed right to have her here for this episode.

Important Verses

• Acts 24:25
• 1 Corinthians 7:5,9
• 1 Corinthians 9:25
• 1 Thessalonians 5:6,8
• 1 Timothy 3:2,11
• 2 Timothy 3:3; 4:5
• Titus 1:8; 2:2, 5-6
• 2 Peter 1:6

References and Footnotes

GirlTalkWithFo Website

GirlTalkWithFo Podcast

Faneisha Ragin. They That Wait. May 25, 2015

Faneisha Alexander. Dump Debt & Build Bank: The Everyday Chick’s Guide to Money. February 24, 2019

The verse Fo is referencing is 1 Corinthians 15:33

"Quicker rather than not so quick"? Y'all I was definitely trying to say "sooner rather than later"

Ask And You Shall Receive

Season 1 Episode Q

Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for—believe that you have received it and it will be yours. Mark 11:24 CSB

My Testimony Tuesday was too long for an instagram video, so I decided to make it into a podcast episode. When I need God to straighten out my finances, He came through with a quickness. At the end of the day though, it's not just about God filling up my cup, it's about what I do with what He's giving me.

Book Review: Before We Were Yours

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Last Sunday, I sat down to read and determined that I would read for an hour or two. The book I chose to start was Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. Taking inspiration by the very real events surrounding the Tennessee Children's Home Society from the 1930s to 1950, the novel weaves together the story of a modern day, privileged, daughter of a Senator and a group of orphaned siblings trying to stay together and find their way home. An hour or two quickly turned into all day as I became engrossed in the story.

I had never heard of the scandal surrounding Tennessee Children's Home Society. Reading the book definitely inspired me to look into the history of what happened. It sounds like something from a dystopian novel, but it happened, and it happened right on the cusp of my own parents' birth! Knowing that this could be someone's reality added gravity to the story that left me extremely thankful for my upbringing.

The story follows two characters: Audrey and Rill. Audrey is 30 years old, navigating her career as an attorney in the shadow of her powerful family of senators. Rill is a 12 year old child struggling to keep her siblings together after they end up in the Tennessee Children's Home Society. What I loved about the author's style is that she made both characters believable. They both have strengths and weaknesses, as well as realistic character flaws. Audrey, though well meaning, occasionally slips into a privileged Southern belle, which only brings us to sympathize with the much poorer and disenfranchised Rill. Rill isn't a super hero, she behaves exactly as a 12 year old would and her commentary on the black people she encounters is quite fitting of a white child living in pre-Civil Rights Tennessee. Aside from being from the South and female, I don't have much in common with either character, yet I found myself invested in what would happen to them, rooting for their success, and concerned about their well being. This is a testament to the weight of the story and why I would recommend it to anyone.

Disclaimer for those wondering if it is appropriate for their teen and/or people who have experience with sexual assault: Given the premise of the book, you can expect their to be some gruesome parts of the book. Nothing is ever explicitly detailed though sexual assault and murder are heavily implied.

How Well is Hollywood Rewarding Black Actors/Actresses?

Earlier this year, Mo'Nique complained about the offer Netflix made her, arguing that they undervalued the talent of black female comedians. Mo'Nique may or may not be worth more than what she was offered, but I think she poses an interesting question about pay gaps. Is there a pay gap in Hollywood for black actors or actresses?

Introduction

Earlier this year, Mo'Nique called for a boycott of Netflix over allegations of unfair pay based on race and gender. While I don't necessarily think that was the issue for Mo'Nique (we'll talk details later in the post), it did make me curious about the salaries of black actors and actresses in Hollywood. So many of the movies I've watched staring black actors or actresses are low budget that it seems impossible that they could be raking in the same amount of dough as their white peers. I want to explore this topic.

Mo'Nique

Who is Mo'Nique

If you're black and you have a little age on you, you probably already know who Mo'Nique is and what I'm about to say. For those reading that don't know who Mo'Nique is, I thought I'd provide some background. During the late 90s and early 2000s, Mo'Nique was one of the most popular black comedians in Hollywood. Like other black comedy greats (e.g., Steve Harvey), she was given her own show, The Parkers, in 1999. The Parkers ran for 6 seasons![13] Like Martin (starring Martin Lawerence) and The Steve Harvey Show, my family watched The Parkers all the time.

After launching into a new tier of fame with the success of her show, Mo'Nique began landing roles in movies such as Soul Plane, Hair Show, and Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. Her major break came in 2009 when she landed a role in the award wining movie, Precious. Precious was nominated for 6 Academy Awards, one of which was awarded to Mo'Nique (Best Supporting Actress).[12]

At the height of her popularity, Mo'Nique had been given the honor of hosting the BET Awards 3 times.[4] There is no arguing that she was both successful, good at what she does, and a household name.

The Downfall of Mo'Nique

Since Mo'Nique's Oscar win, however, she's been pretty much ghost. Her IMDB page shows a 5 year gap between the time she won the Oscar and her next role. This gap is the evidence of a bitter feud that erupted with Hollywood moguls Oprah and Lee Daniels after the filming of Precious wrapped up. This feud went on to include Tyler Perry.[15] Let's be honest, if you're a black actor or actress, these are the gatekeepers. Most "black" movies are produced by one of these three people. Whatever went down behind the scenes, became even worse when she became vocal about it (Hollywood is like a secret society), and now, Mo'Nique is basically banned from Hollywood.

Mo'Nique vs. Netflix

Recently, Netflix offered Mo'Nique $500,000 for a comedy special. Considering Mo'Nique hasn't had a role since 2016, isn't in the spotlight anymore, and is blackballed in Hollywood, that's actually pretty high (in my opinion). At the height of her fame, I would definitely agree that this is a low ball offer and with an Oscar under her belt, maybe Mo'Nique is worth more than $500K. However, the underlying factor here isn't race or gender, it's politics. The facts are, right or wrong, Mo'Nique made the wrong people mad and it sabotaged her career.

For comparison, Netflix payed legends Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle $20 million for their specials. Commedian Amy Schumer was only offered $11 million, though it is unknown how much she received after negotiating this value. Although Amy Schumer is the first female to make the highest paid commedian's list, she's nowhere near as legendary as Chris Rock or Dave Chapelle.[1][2][7] It would appear that each person was getting what they deserved, but something still isn't quite right...

We know that sexism exists in our world and we know that racism exists. As black women, we get the burden of bearing both of these issues. Companies and industries can "prove" they aren't racist by showing how well the pay or treat black men (e.g., Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle) and they can "prove" they aren't sexist by doing the same for white women (e.g., Amy Schumer), but black women often get lost and remain on the bottom. So tell me, can you name a comedy special on Netflix starring a black woman? What about Tiffany Haddish or Leslie Jones? What about legends like Adele Givens or Sommore?

Comedian Salaries

Photocredit: Unsplash/Vladimir Solomyani

When I think of comedy, I must admit, I think of black comedians. Black people have been stereotyped and pigeonholed in to class clowns and joksters for so long that I'm not surprised many black comedians (Kevin Hart, Will Smith, etc.) are household names. In 2016, Kevin Hart managed to snag the number one spot for highest paid comedian![9] As I said earlier, Amy Schumer is the first and only female to make that list, which means there are no black women on the list. References [7]-[11] provide insight on comedian salaries and awards.

Nuances and Politics

It wasn't long ago that #OscarsSoWhite was trending. There was not a single black nomination in the mix, but in the true spirit of American racism, the Oscars chose the very black Chris Rock to host. They basically said, "but my best firend is black." All month I've been talking about how black characters (and thus black people) are often pushed to the side or only exist in the background. Well, the Oscars are the culmination of this problem.

The same way we expect our good performance in school or at work to garner great letters of recommendation, which in turn help us to gain optimum employment, awards like the Oscar should help actors and actress gain better roles and bigger paychecks. If you haven't guessed by #OscarsSoWhite, black actors and actresses aren't doing so well on that front. Let's talk about 2 acting award shows I think most people are familiar with: The Academy Awards (Oscars) and The Golden Globes.

Oscars

The Academy Awards may be the most prestigious award for actors and actresses. This year marks the 89th award ceremony. The first black person to win an award was Hattie McDaniel for her supporting role in Gone With the Wind in 1939—we're not going to belabor the point that she played Mammy. Black wins for lead roles didn't begin until much later. The first black man to win an Academy Award for Best Actor was Sydney Portier in 1963; only 3 other black actors have won since then (Note: 2 are nominated for the 2017 season but the results are not out yet). The first (and only) woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress was Halle Berry in 2001.[24]

While black actors and actresses are often awarded for being in the background (supporting roles), it's obvious that they aren't being recognized for being front and center. It's also notable that the only black female to win Best Actress is also very light skinned. The favoring of fairer skinned women in Hollywood is a symptom of colorism. When will we see talented dark skinned women like Lupita N'yongo and Viola Davis winning this award instead of supporting actress?

Golden Globes

This past January marked the 75th Golden Globe Awards, and it was still experiencing firsts for black wins. In 2018 we shouldn't still be seeing "firsts" for blacks in long standing awards or institutions...

Sydney Portier was the first black man to win a Golden Globe for Best Actor in 1962. Diahann Carroll was the first black woman to win Best Actress (for a TV Series) in 1969. January's award show marked the first time a black man has won Best Actor in a Drama TV Series.[20]

In it's 75 year history, only 3 black men have won the title Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama[18] and only 2 have won Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.[19] Only two black women have won the title Best Actress in a Motion Picture—Whoopi Goldberg in 1986 (for Drama) and Angela Bassett in 1994 (for Musical or Comedy)—and 5 have won for a TV Series (3 in drama and 2 in Musical or Comedy). Black men have won Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy TV Series 6 times, but no blacks have won Best Director or Best Screenplay.

Just a reminder from the previous post, black people make up about 13% of the population so statistically speaking, we should expect a little less than 10 black winners for each category over 75 years. We really only seen this in categories for supporting roles.[23]

Salaries

As I said, I was curious how the salaries and net worth of black actors and actresses compared to their white peers. Given what I already knew, I assumed "mainstream" actors like Will Smith and Morgan Freeman would have much higher net-worths than black movie favorites like Morris Chestnut or Sean Patrick Thomas. Nonetheless I still expected there to be a significant gap between their net-worths and popular white actors like Leonardo DeCaprio or Tom Cruise

I found a ton of lists about celebrity wealth (apparently we're all obsessed with how much money they have), and I've linked them in the reference section. Here I'm going to focus on the list provided by Huffington Post of the highest paid actors and actresses. To my surprise, Dewayne Johnson (The Rock) and Vin Diesel are the only black actors or actresses on the list and come in 14 and 15th place. In a list specifically for the wealth of actresses, no black actresses were listed.[3][5][6]

References

1. Karen Mizoguchi. "Amy Schumer On Salary Negotiations: I 'Don't Deserve Equal Pay' to Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle". People. August 24, 2017
2. Elyse Wenshel. "Amy Schumer Asked Netflix To Up Her Pay After Learning Male Comedians’ Salaries". Huffington Post. August 24, 2017
3. Natalie Robehmed. "Full List: The World's Highest-Paid Actors And Actresses 2017". Forbes. August 22, 2017
4. "Top 100 Richest Actors". The Richest; visited February 2018
5. "GOBankingRates. "20 Highest-Paid Actors of Hollywood Like Robert Downey Jr.". Huffington Post. August 24, 2015
6. GOBankingRates. "10 of the Richest Actresses of All Time. March 31, 2016
7. "Top 100 Richest Comedians". The Richest; visited February 2018
8. "The World's Highest-Paid Comedians". Forbes; visited February 2018
9. Olivia Blair. "Forbes Highest-Paid comedians: Amy Schumer makes history while Kevin Hart finally topples Jerry Seinfeld". Independent. September 27, 2016
10. "Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album". Wikipedia; visited February 2018
11. "American Comedy Awards". Wikipedia; visited February 2018
12. "The 82nd Academy Awards | 2010". Acadamy Awards. March 7, 2010
13. "The Parkers". IMDB; visited February 2018
14. "BET Awards '07 Highlights: Third Time's the Charm for Mo'Nique". BET. June 26, 2007
15. Christina D'Zurilla. "Mo'Nique slams Lee Daniels, Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey in harsh standup riff". LA Times. May 15, 2017
16. "A History of Emmy - The 1940s". The Emmys; visited February 2018
17. "Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". The Emmys; visited February 2018
18. "Winners & Nominees Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture". Golden Globes; visited February 2018
19. "Winners & Nominees Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy". Golden Globes; visited February 2018
20. "Winners & Nominees Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama". Golden Globes; visited February 2018
21. "Winners & Nominees Best Director - Motion Picture". Golden Globes; visited February 2018
22. "Winners & Nominees Best Screenplay - Motion Picture". Golden Globes; visited February 2018
23. "List of black Golden Globe Award winners and nominees". Wikipedia; visited February 2018
24. "List of black Academy Award winners and nominees". Wikipedia; visited February 2018

The Unfortunate Truth: The Rich Man In the Bible Is Me

When we read any book, we usually identify with the hero. the Bible is no different. We always think we would make the right choice. We think that put in the same situations as people like the young rich man of Matthew 19, we would make the right decision... But would we? Hindsight is 20/20 after all.

Introduction

Someone once told me God speaks to us when we're sleeping because we have nothing else to do but listen to Him. Well, it's 2:30am, I had nothing better to do, and God just dropped a revelation on my spirit.

As I approach the big three-oh (30), a lot of life questions are floating around me. I've finished school and started my career, I'm working on my relationship with God, but will I get married? Will I have a child? It seems that now is the season to think about such things.

In theory, I want a God-fearing, compassionate spouse that I get along with. In online quizzes or in conversation, I would rank superficial qualities such as wealth or looks very low on the priority list. I know in my heart that the character of a man is the most important quality. Yet, what we know and what we feel are often in conflict with each other—I know I shouldn't eat fries every day, but if I smell fries, I want fries...
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My Personal Problem

The biggest issue I've always wrestled with, concerning marriage, surrounds the concept of a wife submitting to her husband.

I have an aunt who is a housewife. Her husband makes all the decisions. She is not allowed to drive his car, which is nicer than the one he bought her. She goes where he wants to go. If he does not go, she doesn't go. When my family gets together for Thanksgiving dinner, she is the only person who doesn't come, even though she only lives about fifteen minutes away. If she's happy, I'm happy for her, but I can't imagine myself living like that.

What's more is that I have met my fair share of men who can barely support themselves and yet they want a woman who will bow down to them this same way. They expect her to do all the household chores, be supportive, take care of the children, maintain her sexiness, and still go to work to pay the bills—I guess they're looking for the Proverbs 31 woman.

A friend of mine was dating and had a child for man like this. They both worked, but she made significantly more. Yet, she was responsible for picking up their child from daycare. She bought their house. She was responsible for walking the dogs. She cut the grass. She painted her office. She painted rooms in her house. And when she got a moment to have a girls' night with us, she still brought the baby with her. I kept asking myself, what is his purpose then? Is he at least cooking and cleaning? I can't imagine working all day, rushing to the daycare after work to pick up my child, strapping her to my back while I mow the lawn and walk my dog, while my husband is chillin' like a villain inside the house I paid for.

While I think that these are both examples of men who are not necessarily seeking or listening to God and I don't think God would send such a man for me, I can't say it hasn't effected the way I view relationships. Because of these examples, I have difficulty with the questions "would you marry a man who makes significantly less that you?" and "would you be a housewife?" As a woman who has been essentially supporting myself for 7 years, it seems insane for me to marry a man who can't support me or one who would rule over me with an iron fist.

Like I said, I don't think God would put me in either situation; but, I do think God would send me a man who, though able to support me, would not be able to provide the standard of living I'm used to. This is where, when honest with myself, the truth doesn't look so good. As much as I can rationalize why I should be ok with this, the idea of working hard on a job, putting in the same amount of work at home, and then having to ask to spend money that's mostly mine sounds horrible. Why would I do that when currently I'm able to live on my own just fine, with complete autonomy and freedom?

Regardless of what my ideal lifestyle is, the fact that I feel this way, though probably a natural human reaction, is an indicator of a problem in faith (Matthew 6:25-33). One that I am sure the devil would be happy to exploit. You see, I have a Ph.D. in Computer Science. The likelihood of me finding a single, God-fearing man that makes even the same amount of money as me is borderline wishful thinking. Of the men my age I know right now, I know exactly 3 who make more than me. One is married. One doesn't believe in God. The other is spiritually confused and in a relationship. It is very likely that should God place a man in my life to be my spouse, he will make quite a bit less than me. Though I believe he would be compassionate and hardworking (unlike the examples I shared earlier), I will have to learn to consult with him before spending money and respect his opinion, even if most of the money is earned by me. Obviously, even with a man who made more than me or the same as me, this change would be necessary, but pride definitely rears in this situation. If it's not his money (makes sense to ask to use his money, right?), or our money (again, we equally contributed, we equally decide to spend), but my money, the devil starts doing a whole lot of talking. I can easily see the devil exploiting this by ruining a good marriage, or attempting to trick me into marrying a semi-God-fearing man who has money, instead of the fully-God-fearing man God intends for me. Now that is a test I don't want to fail. Like I said, it's easy to say I prefer a poorer God-fearing man than a richer semi-God-fearing man, but in practice, what would I actually do?

Introducing the Rich Man

In Sabbath school, less than 24 hours ago, we talked about the rich man (Matthew 19:16-30). Our topic of discussion was the difference in the rich man's reaction to following Jesus versus the reaction of Peter and Andrew (Matthew 4:18-20)—the same is true of James and John (Matthew 4:21-22).

In class, I tried to explain a thought I had about why it was the middle class fishermen whom Jesus both approached and succeeded in recruiting versus the poor or the rich, and it came out completely botched (or at least, I feel like I didn't explain what I truly meant). What I was trying to express is that in Jesus' day, being poor really meant being a servant. A poor man was likely indebted to a master and could not think of following his own desires. Furthermore, would Jesus really ask you to cheat someone you owed by simply up and leaving? On the opposite end of the spectrum, the rich man already has everything he wants, making it hard to take a risk and follow uncharted territory that may leave him with less than he already has (materialistically). It is the middle class who would be both able and willing to just see what happens. In my actual response, however, I feel like my words minimized the abilities and perspective of poor. That weighed on my mind the entire day.

It's very possible that I didn't actually say anything wrong, but that I just feel guilty speaking on the poor at all since I've never been poor. At the time of the discussion I was thinking of myself as middle class, like Peter and Andrew, like James and John. Here, in the US, I am considered middle class. Naturally, that biases my opinions to favor middle class people...

But, God has revealed to me that I'm not middle class; I'm actually rich. I have way more in common with the rich man than I thought.

How the Rich Man is Me

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Mike Wilson

You see, as I type these words on my fancy MacBook Pro, in the comforts of my very own apartment, with my fridge completely stocked (or rather it will be after I buy groceries today), the AC blowing, and my fluffy cat at my side, half of Puerto Rico still doesn't have power.^[2] Their laptops are dead, their AC doesn't work, their fridge doesn't work, and all their food spoilt. Clean water is in short supply and hot meals are probably hard to come by. Right now, there's an ethnic cleansing in Myanmar.^[3] People are fleeing their homes, leaving everything behind to live as refugees in countries that are sending them back to their death. Let's not forget about the atrocities happening in Aleppo,^[4] the poverty ripping through third world countries such that children are being recruited as soldiers or sold as brides...^[5][6]

Globally, the median income is $10,000 a year. That means half of the world's population is living on less than $10,000 a year. Liberia reported the lowest median income at $781 a year.^[1] My first job, at the age of 14, I only worked about 12 hours a week for 3 months at minimum-wage and made about $600 after taxes.

I am rich, and that scares me.

Jesus told the rich man to sell all his belonging and follow Him, but the rich man was saddened because he had great possessions. Is that any different than me being afraid of a situation where I have to ask permission of man who makes significant less money than me to purchase what I want?

In the Bible, the church is always represented by a woman because we are the Bride of Christ. The New Testament constantly tells us to draw parallels between our relationship to Christ and our Earthly marriages. In Christ, we are to submit to Him no matter what. Moses fled being a prince of Egypt, ended up in the wilderness for 40 years, and never got to see the promised land—but he's gonna be in Heaven. Jesus left Heaven, took on an Earthly body, lived a humble life, was (and still is) rejected, beaten, and ultimately killed (albeit only temporarily)—but He is God. John the Baptist was beheaded. John, who wrote Revelation, was exiled. Paul was thrown in jail. Peter was crucified.

The rich man wanted the lifestyle he had, that's why he wasn't willing to give it up. However, that wasn't what God wanted for him at that time. (I say at that time because there are examples of rich and prosperous servants of God (Job, David, Solomon, etc.).) God is more concerned about our spiritual well-being than our material well-being. Most of us know this. As I said earlier, I know it is not of God to think I should not consider a man who makes less. So, why do I still feel saddened the same way the rich man does—especially when God hasn't even asked me to give anything up, yet?

Determined Not To Be the Rich Man

In a previous post, I concluded by asking would we drop everything to follow Jesus. When asked like that, I felt my answer would be yes without doubt. Yet, when placed in the context above, I see the same hesitancy as the rich man. This is why God included this situation in the Bible. This is why God woke me up at 2:30 in the morning to reevaluate my life. I will not be like the rich man, I will be like Andrew and Peter.

If God should bring along a single, God-fearing man (emphasis on the God-fearing—I'm not saying jump off a yacht into a canoe with a man who isn't going to lead you closer to God!), I am resolved that money will not be my concern. Before tonight, it was something I thought I should be ok with, but now I have made peace with it. And now that I've made peace with it, I guess I can go back to sleep, now.

References

1. Glenn Phelps and Steve Crabtree. "Worldwide, Median Household Income About $10,000". Gallup. December 16, 2013
2. Maria Perez. "When Will Puerto Rico Have Power? Half of Island Still Without Electricity After Head of Power Authority Resigns". Newsweek. November 18, 2017
3. Sarah Gibbens. "Myanmar's Rohingya Are in Crisis—What You Need to Know". National Geographic. September 29, 2017
4. Nabih Bulos. "Syrian rebels on the cusp of losing Aleppo as humanitarian crisis deepens". LA Times. December 7, 2016
5. Marcus Bleasdale. "Child Soldiers". Human Rights Watch. 2013
6. Nick Kirkpatrick. "The ‘saddest bride I have ever seen’: Child marriage is as popular as ever in Bangladesh". The Washington Post. August 28, 2008

Ecclesiastes 8-10: Wisdom

These 3 chapters of Ecclesiastes hold some oft forgotten wisdom along with a few popular quotes. My favorite quote from Ecclesiastes is found in chapter 9, verse 11: "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."

Introduction

Solomon's words in Ecclesiastes 8-10 contain nuggets of wisdom that are repeated even in the secular world today. From reminding us not to be idle and to focus on our own race, to discussions on leadership and how we carry ourselves, Solomon gives us more to think about than I could ever summarize. Below are just a few take-a-ways I had while enjoying these chapters.
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Keeping the Commandments

Solomon tells us that whosoever keeps the commandments will not feel evil things. Our brain can be trained by our thoughts and actions (if you're interested in this topic, look for information on Neuroplasticity). Basically, the more we do something, the easier it becomes, until it's a habit. If you are carrying out the commandments as intended, you are programing your brain to good.

In the New Testament, we see the Pharisees adding to the law and attempting to follow script rules rather than the spirit of the law. Solomon is referencing the spirit of the law. Jesus summarizes the spirit of the law throughout the Bible reminding us that we are to love God and love our neighbor. If we truly love both, the actions of the law will follow.

What's interesting is that in most cases, the Ten Commandments intersect. For example, coveting is the first step to stealing and adultery (perhaps even dishonoring your parents, depending on the situation). Theft and adultery often escalate to murder, while the envy produced from coveting can also tempt someone to kill. The feelings and actions we are commanded to abstain from are the foundation for evil behavior. If we eliminate our desire to break those commandments, and make a habit of following the commandments, it stands to reason that we will not have evil thoughts and feelings.

Death

Solomon reminds us that no man—neither the righteous nor the sinner—has any control over death. We don't know when we will die and when death comes to us, we have no power to stop it.

Death Comes To All

¹¹Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. ¹²Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: ¹³But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God. Ecclesiastes 8:11-13 KJV

Solomon points out something very important here. We are often discouraged because it seems as though God is not punishing the wicked, however, God knows what He is doing. When we observe those around us, we only see part of the story, God sees the whole picture. What's more, God doesn't want us to fail! This is why He isn't quick to dispense punishment—He wants us to choose correctly. If we ultimately choose wrong, however, we will be punished. Solomon is reminding us that we shouldn't dwell on the actions of the wicked because eventually they will pay. (We're going to come back to this verse when we talk about leadership, though.)

Just as this issue comes up in our minds often, it shows up in Solomon's writing often. He begins this discussion in Ecclesiastes 8 and continues in Ecclesiastes 9. Whether we are good or bad, we must experience all there is in life, both good and bad. With the exception of a select few (such as Elijah, Enoch), we all must experience the first death, and sometimes it will seem that we do good in vain. We have to remember that our end goes beyond the first death; we are kingdom bound.

The State of the Dead

So many people express sentiments about their loved ones being in Heaven as soon as they die, or acting as guardian angels. Yet, in Ecclesiastes 9:4-6, Solomon tells us the dead are not aware. Once we die, we are essentially in a dreamless sleep until judgment day (the saints from Matthew 27:52 have already been resurrected as firstfruits, however). Revelation 20 tells us the dead will be awakened in 2 different resurrections: 1 for the saved and 1 for the lost.^[1] Solomon is reminding us that once we die, all the choices afforded to us in this life disappear. If we haven't chosen to follow God at that point, we are eternally lost. Solomon tells us the dead have no more business in our world, which makes sense because after the resurrections of Revelation, Heaven and Earth will pass away. The dead will wake to the creation of the new Heaven and the Earth (Revelation 21:1). Nothing we have accumulated on this planet will be left for us when we are resurrected.^[2]

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. Ecclesiastes 9:11 KJV

The Nature of Power

We all know the saying "absolute power corrupts absolutely." Solomon starts chapter 8 with a bit about power, and it's weaved through the text. One of the most beautiful things about Ecclesiastes, to me, is hearing the man who ruled Israel at the height of it's greatness, discus power with realness. As one would expect, Solomon encourages the people to obey the commandments of the king, pointing out how ridiculous it would be for someone to question the king. However, Solomon prefaces this obedience with the stipulation that the king is wise and following God. We can identify the wise man because his face shines with light of God—one example of this is Moses when he returned from Mount Sinai (Exodus 34). Nonetheless, throughout the chapter, Solomon gives us more to dwell on in terms of power.

The Timing of Punishment

Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Ecclesiastes 8:11 KJV

Much of Solomon's musing focuses on the question of why the wicked get away with so much. God is patient and often it seems as though the only punishment the wicked will receive is the second death, a permanent death in which they can't escape. Often, I believe, we simply aren't privy to the punishment they receive. For instance, many celebrities are rumored to have incurable STDs, they suffer from depression, and self medicate with narcotics and other drugs. Meanwhile, all we see is the fame and the fortune. The same is true for our neighbors; we never truly know what they're struggling with.

Solomon reminds us that while God is longsuffering, punishment must be dealt quickly. When I first rescued my cat, who was an 8 week old kitten at the time, the vet was very clear that in order to train her, I needed to reward and punish good and bad behavior as it occurred. If you wait, the cat doesn't understand what she's being punished or rewarded for. Children are the same way. With adults, I think we know right from wrong, however, the longer we get away with doing wrong, the easier it is for us to convince ourselves it is right. The fact that Jesus has been gone and hasn't returned in over 2,000 years has definitely caused people to doubt both His existence and the promise of His return. This is part of why the closer we get to the end, the more mankind turns away from God.

Once we become apart of God's kingdom, we become representatives of God on Earth. Like Solomon, we often question why God has not punished people and watch them descend further and further into evil. Yet, we often enable this behavior. Remember, the devil only has power because man gave it to him. We choose to listen to his crazy schemes. We choose to watch movies and listen to music or attend sporting events despite the reputations of the people we are supporting. We often choose to remain silent when our friends and family do wrong, allowing people to believe we are ok with their actions. Solomon is reminding us that as earthly leaders and earthly representatives of God, we have a duty to speak up for righteousness. God is often waiting to see if His people will chose to allow rebellion against Him in their midsts (this is exactly how Satan got his hooks in 1/3 of the angels) or if we will stand for God.

Cruel Leaders

If I asked you to list cruel leaders of the world, I'm sure you'd be able to list several with rapid speed. We are often shocked at the people that are elected, beloved, or simply followed out of fear in this world. In Ecclesiastes 8:9, Solomon points out the fact that sometimes leaders are destructive. They hurt the people they are meant to lead, but ultimately they hurt themselves. Solomon goes on to remind us that because they aren't following God they will ultimately fail (see Matthew 18:6). Those of us who believe and struggle with our sins may lead meek and humble lives on Earth, but after judgement day, we will enjoy the kingdom with our Father.

Live Life To the Fullest

Solomon reminds us to eat and drink with a merry heart because God accepts our works. When God accepts our repentance and our actions (or works), our garments are made white. Matthew 17:2 tells us about Jesus' garments turning white during the transfiguration. In Revelation 3:5, God tells us that the saved are clothed in white, which represents their purity.

Solomon continues to remind us to enjoy that which we have in our life. Once we are in God's graces, we have nothing to worry about. Nothing bad can permanently affect us if we have dedicated our live to God. Although we will not stay dead forever, once we die the first death, we can no longer serve God or enjoy the blessings we were given while we were alive. As such we should strive to do all the good we can while we are alive.

Doing Right Isn't Popular

My dad always told me that when you do the right thing, you will stand alone. My dad got this wisdom from Solomon. When we stay close to God and follow in his footsteps, we will often be laughed at and unappreciated. Solomon tells us wisdom is always better than foolishness, but people won't always appreciate wisdom. Sometimes we won't be liked and we might not be remembered among the wicked, but God will remember and that's the only thing that matters.

One Bad Step...

Solomon tells us something we should know even without reading his texts. It only takes one lapse in judgment to ruin a person's character. There are plenty of celebrities and big names that I'm sure you can think of on your own, but I'd like to share a personal observation. When I was in high school, students from a college nearby used to help with our band. One of those students was a phenomenal musician; the section he helped with benefitted greatly from his mentoring. What's more, he pushed the rest of us just as hard. He knew the fine line between pushing too hard and just enough to make us great. One summer, he decided to involve himself with a girl from our school. According to accounts from him, her, and her friends, she lied about her age, nonetheless when her parents found out he was charged with satutory rape and barred from helping with the band. With a conviction, he also lost the ability to become a high school band director (possibly any band director, actually). His whole life turned upside down over one poor judgement call.

Solomon tells us that just a little folly can ruin our honor. Think of preachers who are found guilty of adultery. Seeing someone who professes to be a Christian in a compromising situation (i.e., drunkenness, rage, etc.) stains their testimony. The number one complaint among non believer has nothing to do with God and everything to do with us, His followers. Ghandi once said "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."^[3]

In short, Solomon is advising us to be careful what we say and do.

Words

Solomon's advice about words could truly be an extension of his warning about one wrong move tainting an person's honor, since often it is our words that get us in trouble. I've placed it in it's on section only to highlight Solomon's description of the words that come from the wise versus the foolish.

Wise men speak graciously; they know when to be silent and how to speak out of love instead of hate. The more I read Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, the more I'm compelled to work on my own speech. As believers, we are often given wisdom beyond our own understanding. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to things those who have not accepted Jesus are unable to understand or experience. With this knowledge comes the desire to share, but the flesh isn't always kind about how we share things. Sometimes we rush knowledge upon people who aren't ready, or we harshly judge someone when they need a more tactful reply. As representatives of God, it important that we let Him control the words we speak (or write!). We don't want to turn someone away from the kingdom because of our foolishness. Also, we want to be silent long enough to allow those who are wiser to tell us when we're being foolish!

Another trait of the foolish is the need to lie. When I was interviewing this past Spring, many of my interviewers would comment on their shock that I could admit when I didn't know something. One of the hardest things to do is stand in front of people that you are trying to impress or lead and admit you don't know something. Yet, we all know that no one knows everything. Foolish people try to bluff their way through every situation. Some of them are really good at it too—think about politicians—but in the end, this method not only agitates people who can see through the lies, it endangers people as well. Instead of providing someone with the wrong answer, I should be encouraging them (as well as myself) to seek the right answer.

Honestly, this is a major reason why the 18-35 demographic is missing from churches today. We often didn't receive adequate answers to our questions, and no one directed us to the proper way of studying to find the answer. A babe in Christ with a rocky foundation and faulty answers is a sitting duck for the devil to swoop away.

Money and Wealth

The Bible spends a lot of time commanding us to take care of the poor and do right by the less fortunate. This is one of the few times we are told not to curse rich. Often, when we are angry with people for having wealth it is out of jealousy or how we perceive (i.e., judge) them to be.

In college, I had friends who often complained about the nicer cars in the student parking lot. Most of the time, they went into tirades about the parents of the students being bad parents for buying their child a Corvette or a Miata or whatever. The strange thing was that they had no idea who the car belonged to or how the person acquired the car. The car could have belonged to a student with a full time job, or a older student who came back to school for some reason. It could be borrowed while their car is in the shop. A parent or grandparent may have died and left them the car. They may have been battling an illness and been given the car in consolation. Who knows?

Without meaning to give away their thoughts, my friends clearly explained why it angered them to see someone with something they perceived as "too nice." The first reason was jealousy. Their parents had not bought them a car at all, they had never owned a new car, and they couldn't afford the cars they complained about other people having. The second reason was presumption. They all assumed the owners were stuck up and spoiled without ever having met them.

We have to be careful not to fall into this trap. It's easy to see other people succeed while we work ourselves to the bone and be upset that they have what we are working for. That is the devil distracting us. As an song we used to sing in church goes "keep your eyes on [your] prize, hold on."

An Idle Mind...

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Kristina Wagner

Again we know the saying "an idle mind is the devil's playground." Solomon addresses this in Ecclesiastes 10:18. Have you ever paid attention to where your mind wanders when you aren't focused on anything? How about looked back on a week and realized all the time you wasted that you couldn't get back? When I choose to do things that are unproductive, I often ask myself what will be lost that could have been saved if I die the next day. We could accomplish so much more if we motivated ourselves beyond slothfulness and idleness. Unfortunately, our society teaches us to indulge in these behaviors from such an early age.

References

1. "Are The Dead Really Dead?". Amazing Facts; visited October 18, 2017
2. "Ecclesiastes 9:4-6 Commentary". Bible Hub; visited October 18, 2017
3. "Mahatma Gandhi. "Quotable Quote". Goodreads; visited October 21, 2017