Everybody wants honesty, but how many of us want truth?

There are two things I need to say in beginning this:

1) I will never say that I am faultless or perfect, but I am a constant work in progress that is striving for righteousness.

2) There is a difference between honesty and truth.

Honesty is the correct yes or no answer to any question you want to know the answer to, but truth is the answer to anything you need to know, but never knew to ask. Honesty is a flashlight that casts away the darkness of the lies that are right in front of our face while truth is a blinding light that takes any shadow of a lie that is all around us.

In talking to people and hearing how others handle situations and their daily lives, I can fathom that we all want to receive honesty and most of us try to be honest. When our parents, family, significant others, friends, or anyone else talks to us, we generally and genuinely want them to be honest with us. If we ever find out that those we are dependent on for honesty lie to us, we actually get hurt, upset, or at the very least...disappointed. But this is the extent of honesty; it can only be directed directly at us or we can only give it to others.

The truth, however, is far reaching. In other words, the people in Australia see the same sun that the people in Utah see and the truth is the same and just as relevant whether it's discovered in Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan or China. The biggest difference between the truth and honesty is how we handle it and how we relate to it.

When someone is honest with us, even if the honesty hurts, we eventually deal with it. We deal with it because the honesty is something that we wanted to know about, and it's always a little easier to swallow what you asked for in the first place. On the other hand, when we find out about the truth, there's an entirely different spectrum of possible feelings. The first thing most of us do is to deny what we've been given is the truth. Many times, we don't want to believe it which can also lead us to being angry about the truth or even wanting to "shoot the messenger" just for giving us the truth.

I believe that(and this is my opinion) we deny the truth and we get angry about the truth because we know that once it's brought to our attention, things are never the same afterwards. Granted, some of us ignore what we've learned and try to go back to living the lie we knew before the truth was presented to us. But no matter how hard we try to go back to the ignorant lie, and no matter how hard we try to forget the truth, we're still responsible and held accountable for the truth. Don't believe me? When your parents told you what right and wrong was, did they hold you accountable anytime you ignored them and did wrong? For those of us who have cars, most of them can go over 100 m.p.h., but if we ignore enough speed limit signs, what happens to us?

I write this not only to give the difference between honesty and truth, but to also urge anyone who reads this to always seek the truth. I know the truth isn't always pretty and it isn't always what we want to know, but it is always what we need to know and "the truth shall set you free". Free from living the lies we did or didn't know we were living, free from having to worry about covering up the truth because we'd be living proof of it, and free from the suspecting eyes of others because no matter how hard anyone else could try, they would have nothing on us because we would be walking in truth.

A Shout Out to Whuppings!

First of all, I would like to thank God, my parents, & a suspended high school coach in Mississippi named Marlon Dorsey. I would also like to thank the first mom that used a branch from a tree, a belt, a house shoe, or a hot wheel track to initiate corporal punishment to some little bad kid that deserved it.

I remember the first time and last time I got whipped as a kid. I don't remember why I got whipped the first time, but I remember crying...hard. I remember that I "hated" my parents for whipping me. I felt like I had been abused. The very last time I got whipped, I was a teenager. I had been in the parking lot of my mom's middle school and I was jumping over the hood of my parent's car a couple of times. One of my mom's coworkers saw me and told my mom. When my parents got me home, they questioned me about what I had done. I remember thinking to myself as my dad pulled off his belt, "I know he's not going to whip me. I'm a teenager!" I got my teenage butt whipped that day.

Instances like these, made me dislike my parents, but that dislike was temporary. At the time, I didn't understand what they were doing, but now, I couldn't be happier that they did it. No (good) parent wants to spank, whip, or beat their kids, but talking, nagging, and time outs only go so far, and there's not always a big chance for reasoning with kids especially when they want to have their way. But (good) parents know that the longer bad behavior goes unpunished, the worse the behavior will become.

I'm beyond sick and tired of liberal minded "forward thinking" adults and coddling parents who feel that whuppings are indecent, offensive, and unnecessary. These are the same people that will bemoan the overcrowded jails and the crime rate. When I got too far out of line, my parents whipped me. Because of that, I love and respect them more because they didn't try to be my "friend". Friends don't whip friends and parents aren't supposed to be friends with their kids.

The bottom line is because of what my parents did for me, they made me understand that my actions have consequences so it's best for me to pick the right actions to take. And this understanding kept me away from doing the wrong thing which is why I know better now as a grown man.

SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE PARENTS THAT STILL BELIEVE IN WHUPPINGS!

You done messed up

We are all capable of great and wonderful things, and in our lifetimes, many of us are able to achieve those things. Even with our capability for goodness, there's one thing that none of us can escape. We are all human, and therefore, we are all also capable of messing up.

Now when I say that we are capable of messing up, it's not a cop-out or an excuse for anyone to do wrong. What this means is that if we gave in to our body's desires and whims, then we would quickly and easily mess up. I can't count how many times I've personally screwed up, but I can honestly say that every time I did, I was never forced into the wrongdoing. It's always in our control to do the right thing or fall for the wrong...remember that.

The main reason I came up with this blog is because of something I read. There was a rich and powerful man who had the best of everything and beautiful women all over him. One night, he saw this gorgeous woman and he found out who she was and he found out she was married. He didn't let marriage stop him because he sent his hired help to tell her to come to his house, and when she did, he slept with her and got her pregnant. So he came up with a plan of sending her husband to the front line of a war, and her husband was killed. After that, this rich man married the woman. I can't begin to describe how many ways this man messed up.

The story I'm talking about is the story of David, but here's the kicker...David was so wrapped up in how good his wrongdoing felt that he didn't even realize he was doing wrong. God ended up sending someone to him to tell him that he slipped up and messed up. That's just how warped we get when we get caught up in the wrong thing. We lose sight of the fact that we're doing wrong, and I can recall several occasions where someone else had to tell me that I was in the wrong. Of course, the first thing I did was get upset, and I've also said, "Who are you to judge me? You ain't perfect!".

No, there is no one among us that's perfect, but if your first thought when someone tells you that you messed up is to get angry, you need to pause. Think about what they said, and why they said it. Sometimes, people will try to call you out on something just because they don't like you. But there are also times that people will tell you, "You done messed up." because they actually care enough about you to fill you in when you're clueless about how badly you're slipping up.

And when you realize what you've done wrong, "I'm sorry" is the first thing you need to say to the ones you've wronged. Just remember that it's always easier to tell yourself "No!" when it comes to doing something that you know is wrong than having to humble yourself and apologizing for the wrong that you allowed yourself to do. And if you ever need a visual reminder of what happens when you slip up, check out 2 Samuel 12:1-12. It's a lot easier to read someone else's consequences than to have to face your own.

You can move mountains

Hopefully I won't get too wordy with this and if you take away one thing, make sure it's this:

The world will never be right, but we were never meant to conform to the world

Now I do want you to understand that this isn't a doom and gloom tirade because along with fact, I am also stating my testimony. I have learned and we all know that there are just as many people in the world that want to see you fail as there are people who want to be the ones to cause your failure. There are people who don't like you or even hate you and they don't even know you. I'm not sorry to be the one to say this, but I do pray for these intolerant ones.

On the flipside, I'm proud to say that peace and righteousness are not foreign things no matter what part of the world you live in. I know that I can say if you choose not to fall victim to an unfeeling world, not only will you accomplish greatness, but you will inspire greatness as well. Please understand that I don't necessarily mean greatness as in money or power, but greatness is always overcoming hardships, bigotry, and evil. The Little Rock Nine, Mohandas Gandhi, and Mother Teresa are all shining examples of achieving greatness in spite of circumstances, but there are so many more examples if you choose to seek them or be them.

The bottom line is that there is more than enough problems in the world to criticize, but criticism and anger does nothing. Rather than cry for change, be the change you want to see in the world. Even if you don't see yourself moving mountains, just by moving your neighbor to be that positive change as well, you have just moved humanity one step closer to achieving greatness.

I can't STAND dopeheads!

dopehead(n.) - A drug ADDICT.

No, I can't stand dopeheads and no matter how anyone will ever try to justify things, there are dopeheads in baseball, dopeheads on the track, and from what I've heard today, dopeheads are riding bikes and catching balls too. I can't stand the lot of you! I'm not jealous because of what you have, but my anger towards you is based on what you're screwing up.

First off, 90% of the athletes that take to the field and take to the court have been blessed with a particular talent that not everyone has. It is this talent that gives you the ability to play the game, but if you want to win on a consistent basis, you have to train, practice, and in sports like football, you have to study! Raw talent is nothing without work and effort. You dopeheads feel that you can get away with doing things halfway if you take a little HGH. You are robbing yourself of the chance to see if you can actually hang with those who are younger and/or hungrier than you are. If the guy on the opposite team isn't juicing, then what gives you the right to have an unfair advantage? Work like your teammates do!

Now dopehead, think about the health risks. Yes male dopeheads, we know that steroids will shrink your balls, make you more aggressive, and could give you breasts. I'm not going to google what HGH does for you female dopeheads because I know about the unmentioned health risks. All those times when you bang your fist on the table and you scream, "I have NEVER used steroids and I don't appreciate being accused of it either.", you're lying to yourself and us, plus you're taking years off your life. All that anxiety, tension, and nervousness that you feel as people investigate whether you're telling the truth or not...it's unnecessary. The truth will come out...the truth always comes out. Save yourself the headache and the possible ulcer and just be honest. On top of that, think about your family dopehead. They don't need the headache of watching the family name being dragged over the coals while you keep pretending you didn't shoot up.

There are so many more reasons I can give for stomaching what you're doing dopeheads, but I want to call out one of you right now. FLOYD LANDIS! It's not bad enough that you vehemently denied using only to have to swallow your lie, but now you want to be a rat too?! You want to say that Lance Armstrong is a dopehead too? There's a problem with your accusation Floyd. First, I know I'm not the only one who doesn't believe that Armstrong used, but if he did, I would think lesser of you than I would of him because you're only telling on someone else because you got caught? Are you 5?!

Even if Armstrong used, he's a source of inspiration that you'll never be. We all know that Armstrong had stage 3 testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain, but by the grace of God, some skilled surgeons, and a kind of testicular fortitude you could only hope to have, he not only went back to racing, but he won 7 back to back tours. Floyd, you have been accused and proven to be a dopehead, so accept your status and your consequence, but don't try to take someone else down with you as well.

Second life

My name is Garrett Rogers, and I've already died once. I have lied, cheated, and misused people. I've burned almost as many bridges as I've made, and some of those bridges will never be under construction again. I was told by my doctor that I have a big heart, and in this case, I'm not talking about the giving kind of heart. My doctor told me I had an enlarged heart, but it wasn't because of genetics; it was because I ate cake, burgers, pizza, and drank Dr. Pepper like the government was going to ban junk food the next day. Yet, in spite of giving in to my vices, my fears, and my prejudices...I still live.

I don't live because of my sin or bad habits, but I live in spite of them for two reasons...grace and choices. I'm saying that God has been graceful to give me a chance to see the sun rise for 33 years, and even if you don't share my belief, you have to know that your alarm clock isn't the only reason you wake up. My choices also keep me alive because rather than live the same life I have lived, I've chosen to change all that was negative and wrong with me. So that meant cutting out the Dr. Pepper, and eating a salad every now and then, but I didn't give up all of my junk food though. I also had to walk away from the people or things from my past life of wrong. It's not that they were wrong and everything I used to do wasn't bad, but I make the choices I make to make sure that I don't go back to a life that would entice me to do wrong or is wrong for me.

I don't write these words for condemnation, sympathy or even understanding, but I write these words to be an example and a voice. I want others to see the life that I used to live and then see the consequences I faced for living that life, and once you see the before, pay attention to the after. I'll tell you what I did and then you can see what I'm doing. Every day I strive to find a way to improve my life and to improve the lives of others because I am given a second life and I want to live this life for good.

The bottom line is that if you are alive to read this right now, do right by your self and do right by others. Trust me when I say that the rewards will be 1,000 times better than if you chose to do wrong.

Just because you think it's right doesn't mean it is

I finally saw Law Abiding Citizen and it's my new favorite movie. I won't ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but the movie makes a great point on the subject of right and wrong. Just because we think something is right doesn't mean that we are doing the right thing.

To put this in the simplest and easiest perspective to understand...a little "white" lie is still a lie. We try to tell ourselves that by telling this lie, we are "helping" someone else by not admitting the truth(and the truth does not have to be brutal). Then there are times we feel justified by what we do because we are somehow "owed" something so it's o.k. if we "use"(steal) a few things from work(since we do work a thankless job for a miserable boss). Here's the kicker...if these two events were the "right" thing to do then the people that we call "terrorists" would be justified for their violent actions because many of them believe that they are doing the work of Allah.

For the record, I think any lie is wrong just like any theft is wrong, and God or any higher power anyone chooses to serve would not condone the killing of innocent people. I also think that whatever you or I choose to believe is right then we should not only believe it internally or in certain company, but everyone should know our personal code of ethics. In other words, if a person is a racist among members of their own race, then they should spit their racial epithets to any race. Will this sort of free speech make someone a hated individual or possibly beat up...yes, but it comes down to...consequences.

If we think it, and act on our thoughts, then we should be willing to face the consequences for our actions. This is the problem for some of us who choose to be hypocritical and not live up to the thoughts that we actually have and instead, choose to act on what is considered publicly to be the right thing. I'm not writing all of this to tell you what is right and what is wrong, but I am saying that if we think what we do and how we act is right and justified, then we should face the consequences for our thoughts and actions. For a better example, see the actions of those involved in the Montgomery bus boycott.

"There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." - Proverbs 16:25