For me, this one Christmas my mom had won a Christmas giveaway from a casino in California. We had no idea they won because for the holidays we would go down to Mexico to visit our family. When we got back to California, my siblings and I saw the biggest tree we ever had up until that point decorated immaculately.  The tree was lined with so many presents that we didn’t know what to do. We all had more presents than we ever had before. I remember my mom trying to get us to believe Santa brought the gifts in but we never took to that belief. Around this age and time was when I developed fond memories of watching “How the Grinch stole Christmas.” Till this day it is my favorite Christmas movie.

I wanted to take some time today to write on a topic that I had the privilege to preach on, over a year ago. It’s the topic of abuse and how we navigate it as a believer. Most if not all of us have suffered abuse in some way, shape or form. Personally, I experienced abuse as I was growing up and then again by my ex-wife.

Grief has been with us since the beginning of time. Many of us have grieved over things or people that we have lost and there is no doubt in my mind that you have experienced this feeling too.  Often times, we may be grieving but confuse it for sadness. Or, the people around you can confuse it for sadness.

I have recently gone through my own reason for grieving. I got removed from a position I really enjoyed and loved being in. The amount of people who have asked me how I have been doing, made me wonder if they think that I am more distraught than I say I am. It sparked the desire to write about grieving.

I write this article with a heavy heart. We have witnessed another African American slain by the hands of the Police. Those that are sworn to protect them; but it seems they have been handed a license to kill. African Americans are tired of having to fight the nice fight. We all should be tired of watching online as they are taken from us in horrific ways. 

We had a tragedy strike El Paso, Texas recently. The focus has become on gun control and mental illness. These are things to think about when it comes to the mass shootings in the US, however when it comes to El Paso, I think we are missing a huge point. It’s something that I read in a great article by Adrian Carrasquillo, “This Is What Latinos Think Everyone Got Wrong About El Paso”. This isn’t about gun control or mental illness. This was a hate crime against a people group

We should all be citizens of the world.

What does this statement above mean?

We are all humans inhabiting this planet. Although we inhabit this world, we are not citizens of the world. Being a citizen of the world is a duty that we have to take upon ourselves. As citizens of the United States, we have civil duties that we consistently comply with such as voting. It is instilled into us that we need to vote because it is our civil duty. We should consider where our conviction lies in being a citizen of the world.

imagining growing and watching Barack Obama being elected as the first black President. It must have been exciting and you most certainly wanted to be a part of the process. What if I told in three points that it didn’t matter whether you voted or not?

As I was sitting in speech class waiting for everyone to finish presenting their speech, a black girl gets up to do a speech about “make America great again.” I was just listening to what she says, trying to decipher how to feel as a Mexican and knowing how people view us.

Her statements are from what she learned in a Government class. She realized that she’s a Republican and agrees with Donald Trump, but not how he says it. So I listened to her points to see what she had to say. Her first point was that undocumented immigrants are taking government assistance while not adding anything through taxes. Her second point was on how we Mexicans are taking jobs from American citizens while her third was on how we are bringing drugs into this country. Her premise was about building the wall against Mexico and in particular undocumented immigrants.

What is an expectation?

The definition is “a belief that someone will or should achieve something.”

In other words, we are believing that a person will achieve something or do something, usually being something we want. Expectations are tied to our desires or experiences. If we experienced something we usually want it the same way again or know it will be the same way. For example if you go to McDonald’s and you have a wonderful service, you expect the same service at every McDonald’s. Now if you had terrible service at every McDonald’s, the next trip to McDonald’s you expect it to be terrible.

Have you ever received constructive criticism? I’m sure we all have. If there was something you weren’t doing correctly, you may have received constructive criticism. If you are like me, constructive criticism feels like a shot against you.

Constructive criticism is a recommended set of instructions that aims to collaboratively improve the overall quality of a product or service. These instructions can also be applied to improve you as an individual. It is meant to be a good thing to help an individual, or even a business, improve in what they do.

As I have grown up year after year, I realize how not having a dad or functional family has really put me at a disadvantage. If I had been taught how to do things I would be in a different place with my relationships, emotionally and in life. There are so many essential things a Dad teaches a son. If a Dad isn’t present he can’t show his son how to be a man.

Offense in basketball is trying to put the ball in the basket. It may sound really simple, but it can be very difficult. The difficulty can come in a number of reasons: Have you put in practice time? Did the defense shut you down? Did you psyche yourself out? All these things can prevent you from putting the ball in the basket. My coach used to tell me “practice makes perfect practice which then gives you a perfect game.” I used to catch the bus to go to basketball practice three times a week. One was a special practice at 7AM in the morning on a Saturday. I practiced to make my offense better, to put the ball in the basket

In the Asphalt, we talk about real world instances of basketball and how they can feed into our natural lives. The other day I was reading an article about the Golden State Warriors. The article was talking about how the Warriors weren’t worried about being the #1 seed anymore. As before, they chased it to assure themselves home court advantage. They no longer needed it because they were battle tested in long playoff runs. The same could be said for individuals in life.

I’m starting a new called “The Asphalt.”  It’s life from the perspective of basketball and what we can learn from it.  I’m not talking about a particular play or game, but topics such as defense and offense strategies, real world stories, and my personal experience.  Look for posting every other week on Tuesdays.