To me,{Whitney Houston} her life and career wasn’t so much about her being gifted and anointed. All that spoke of God’s grace and mercy. He could’ve been taken her out-when she had made Bobby and drugs her god-but the Lord sustained her and freed her. We can say Whitney was resilient and strong, but it’s not about her. Her trials and triumphs lead to Christ. This is why we shouldn’t idolize her. Our minds and hearts should be filled with the idea that we all need Jesus. Because some of us have addictions that we’re slowly dying from too that will cause our hearts to fail. Maybe our drug of choice is unforgiveness. Autopsy reports won’t show that. It’s easy to criticize Whitney because her addiction was public and easy to detect. I gotta do a self-inventory and determine what might be my silent killer. Lord, what have I not yielded unto you that could cause my untimely death?

We manage time; we waste time. We spend time; we save time. We wish the time would come; we wish the time would pass. We see time fly; we feel time drag. We watch clocks and carry calendars, creating the illusion that we somehow control time, yet all the while moments flow forward like a mighty river that cannot be stopped, harnessed, or re-routed.

See, as a man, I understand. For so long, so many people have done you so wrong. Even those you attempt to feed, turn around and bite your hand. The women who pretend its you they need, want nothing more than to enjoy the fruits of your labor, deceived in their own beliefs that what you possess is what makes you the better man. The friend who’s only a friend when you give, but never around when you need. So no matter how much you gain, you feel like someone’s trying to take, and what started as a dream turns to greed. You just wanted to do your thing and stack a little cheese. Now you can never have enough, because someone else always has more. Becoming more prideful in that which you have, the more you realize you’re becoming the man all the women are checking for. We all know, wherever the women are, you’re sure to find other men. See, other men are checking for those women who are now checking for you, and this is where the hate begins.

Religion is a curse; one that was created by men and has caused the countless wars where the blood of millions has been shed. Religions are merely the interpretations of God’s Word by carnal minds that lacked deity and heavenly wisdom. It’s no wonder so much fighting has been done in the name of God. We each have a version of God we worship, and we each believe He requires something different of us. Our beliefs may vary, and when that happens, “discussions” (read: fights) can occur. We fight for our discovered truth, hoping to convert and conquer. So little respect exists between our faiths, and so we fight on, ignoring the very basis of our Christianity—love.