Truth really can be stranger than fiction.

First Page - Now launched! All the stories are true, or based on real events. Unlimited reading for $4.99 / month. No downloads. Read on your phone, tablet or computer.

La verdad puede ser más extraña que la ficción.

First Page - ¡Ya está en marcha! Todas las historias son verídicas, o están basadas en hechos reales. Lectura ilimitada por $4.99 / mes. No hay que descargar nada. Lea en su teléfono, tableta u ordenador.

Manna Minutes Podcast: Eye-opening Bible study in less than five minutes! Access all episodes here.

Manna Minutes en español:

Estudio bíblico que nos hace abrir los ojos en menos de cinco minutos! Acceda a todos los episodios aquí.

Manna Minutes Podcast auf Deutsch:

Augenöffnendes Bibelstudium in weniger als fünf Minuten! Alle Episoden finden Sie hier.

Was There A Curse On Helen's Romantic Life?

The Third Man by Angela Sheffield is based on a true story. Read chapter one now!

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¿Qué tiene que ver conmigo? por Teófila Gottfried

Lo que leemos en la Biblia tiene que ver con todos los seres humanos, sean cristianos o judíos, ateos o agnósticos, budistas, musulmanes o adherentes a alguna de las filosofías o nuevas religiones que surgen en el mundo. ¿Por qué? Ver mayor información sobre este interesante libro.

Scripture of The Day - St. John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Escritura del día - San Juan 14,6

Jesús le dijo: Yo soy el camino, y la verdad, y la vida; nadie viene al Padre, sino por mí.

Bibelstelle des Tages - Johannes 14,6

Jesus spricht zu ihm: Ich bin der Weg und die Wahrheit und das Leben; niemand kommt zum Vater, denn durch mich!

All Lives Matter, Not Just Black Ones

I got off welfare to take a bill-collecting job that would yield an increase of $100 a month above my welfare check; not to mention that I was cursed out several times a day by angry people delinquent on their mortgages. After my case manager did all of the calculations, I ended up with my paycheck, money from social services to pay for child care and I was allowed to keep my Title XI. (State Medical Insurance) I had not been on the job for very long when it was discovered that I had gallstones, which required surgery. I came through the surgery well and returned to work. Unfortunately, when my doctor asked if I had a sedentary job, I partially lied, and he released me to go back to work. Actually, I did have a desk job, I just failed to tell my doctor that several times a day I had to carry heavy files back to an area where they would be refiled after I had made the collection calls to our delinquent customers. Well, to make a long story short, I busted my stitches and ended up back in the hospital. My doctor demanded to know my job duties—in detail before releasing me a second time. To give me sufficient time to heal, he suspended me from working for the next couple of months. The process for collecting my unemployment took so long that I was without income for three weeks. I appealed to the county relief office which somehow got me approved to receive welfare again until my unemployment came through.

I was standing in a check-cashing line one day with the welfare check in hand when two men behind me in the line looking over my shoulder noticed that the color of my check screamed welfare check. They started talking loud enough for everyone near to hear them say how they resented all the taxes being taken out of their checks to support welfare people who should get a job. I wasn't the angry person back then that I am today. So, I didn't respond. I simply wanted to hurry up and heal so I could get back to work. If I encountered those men today under the same circumstances, believe me the scene would have went down a lot different than it did that day, years ago. The point being made here is this: People are unfairly judged everyday. We are individuals forced to live by rules and systems that may unfairly label us just because... Just because I was cashing a green welfare check that day didn't mean I was like any other person who was receiving welfare assistance.

Those men who threw me in the pot with their opiniion of people who receive welfare started an anger in me that day that just won't die. In fact, it has grown as I observe the same "one size fits all" attitudes of public opinion of police officers. They are not all the same—they are not all killers of black men anymore than all black men are wife beating, child deserting, lazy ni***s. We are individuals and unless, and until the individual shows otherwise, he/she deserves to be treated with respect, regardless of what someone else wearing a like uniform or cashing a green check (like mine) does or how he/she acts. When George Floyd was murdered by someone whose uniform represented peace, justice, fairness, etc., the officers standing by at that moment had the chance, as an individual, to make a choice of how he was going to handle the situation in order to make the uniform mean something to the public—the mixed race and gender public he had sworn to protect. Unfortunately, the wrong decisions were made that resulted in a man's death.

That man could have been my or your relative. And unless things change, somewhere down the road, it will be mine or your son, brother, or dad. Maybe even your grandpa. What it all comes down to is that EACH of us needs to examine our heart, and where there is unfair judgment, acknowledge it. Am I angry at ALL White men because of what I overheard two White men say years ago? No! My experience was real and it hurt deeply. I still feel it when I think about it today. But when I look at another white man, I have the good sense to realize I'm looking at another human being like myself who had nothing to do with what happened back then. So, I wipe the slate clean, look this white man in the eye and wonder where this encounter may lead. But I don't expect it to be a negative one unless I see the look of disdain, or a tone of voice that indicates there is dislike for me just because of my physical appearance or gender. I leave it completely open. And I do as the Bible says: "If it is possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Since the Bible didn't describe the color of the men, I take that to mean just what it says: "...ALL MEN." (Romans 12:18)

In all honesty, I have to say that the lingering anger I feel over that experience from years ago is not just because of that one incident. In other situations, I have encountered the unfairness of the one in charge of saying yes or no to me to something to which I was fairly entitled to. So, I remind myself that the Bible also said: "...lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." (Hebrews 12:15) I could have caused my children to be defiled had I shared my experience with them displaying the anger in my face and tone. I did share the experience with them, however, with the caution that not all men with white skin think and behave like those two men did that day. All lives matter!

We'd love to receive your feedback on this opinion. And you may submit your opinion on any topic. Please use the contact form below.

Based on true events, The Third Man by Angela Sheffield, brings the Bible up close and personal as the characters face real issues of life: Betrayal, deceit, romance, bitterness, anger against God, hopelessness, will power, perplexity, triumph, unforgiveness, mental illness, and the "Alcohol made me do it" excuse. Read chapter one FREE now.

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