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Posted by: Heartsong
« on: November 01, 2025, 03:33:33 pm »

Quote from: KerimF on November 01, 2025, 11:46:51 am
So, in general, an American have now more chance to have enemies around him, therefore, to have more chance to love enemies  ;)
My problem lately is that I have no enemies around me  :(
They do have the chance to love their enemies but they have to choose to do that and that often requires that they make a change in their thinking, understanding and in their life. I've heard people say that they had to hit "rock bottom" or had to have something "drastic" happen to them before they were able to take steps to make the needed changes in their lives and for many that's when they started seeking God and that is the foundation that is needed to make those kind of changes in a person's life. Then they begin to care about others and are able to love their enemies and no longer have hate. Arno Michaels, the former white nationalist is a good example of this and he said, "I needed something drastic to happen in order to kind of push me over those last couple steps.
Posted by: KerimF
« on: November 01, 2025, 11:46:51 am »

Quote from: Heartsong on October 31, 2025, 07:51:53 pm
I used to believe that Americans, for example, didn't view other Americans as enemies. There seems to be a view that just because someone disagrees with someone else that it is because of hate. There doesn't seem to be a willingness to agree to disagree. This is especially true with politics. Even worse now there are those who celebrate the death and call for the death of those who have a different political view. Now there are those who view others as enemies, real enemies. There are so many things that have been used to not only divide people but to cause hate and to believe that violence is acceptable and even to take the life of someone is acceptable who has a different political view or just a different view or different belief.

So, in general, an American have now more chance to have enemies around him, therefore, to have more chance to love enemies  ;)
My problem lately is that I have no enemies around me  :(
Posted by: Heartsong
« on: October 31, 2025, 07:51:53 pm »

Quote from: KerimF on October 31, 2025, 07:26:39 am
These are my 2 cents.
If there are no people at all who don't mind hurting others as a sign of superiority for example, real enemies won't exist. This lets Jesus' saying: "Love your enemies" have no practical meaning in one's life... due to lack of those enemies  :(
I used to believe that Americans, for example, didn't view other Americans as enemies. There seems to be a view that just because someone disagrees with someone else that it is because of hate. There doesn't seem to be a willingness to agree to disagree. This is especially true with politics. Even worse now there are those who celebrate the death and call for the death of those who have a different political view. Now there are those who view others as enemies, real enemies. There are so many things that have been used to not only divide people but to cause hate and to believe that violence is acceptable and even to take the life of someone is acceptable who has a different political view or just a different view or different belief. 
Posted by: KerimF
« on: October 31, 2025, 07:26:39 am »

These are my 2 cents.
If there are no people at all who don't mind hurting others as a sign of superiority for example, real enemies won't exist. This lets Jesus' saying: "Love your enemies" have no practical meaning in one's life... due to lack of those enemies  :(
Posted by: Heartsong
« on: October 31, 2025, 01:58:13 am »

Quote from: Kerry on October 29, 2025, 11:09:24 pm
Thanks for the exact quote, Heartsong.

I was pleased when he said people being kind to him was another important factor in motivating him to change.  I guess it broke down the illusion that everyone who wasn't like him hated him.
Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit and that's powerful.

I recall he said that there was a lack of self worth at the root of what caused these people to hate and become involved in violent extremism. He said that in order to help those people it was necessary to find out what was the root cause of the lack of self worth and the reason for that was different for each of those people. Also I was surprised that he said it wasn't political which I had thought that it was but it was more about acting out in hate and violent extremism because of lack of self worth and not necessarily toward anyone in particular although there were those who were targeted but it was also toward anyone who wasn't them. They enjoyed being violent and the hate seemed like quicksand pulling them down into darkness and destruction.

Posted by: Kerry
« on: October 29, 2025, 11:09:24 pm »

Quote from: Heartsong on October 29, 2025, 03:49:18 am
This is what he said about that.

"I needed something drastic to happen in order to kind of push me over those last couple steps. What happened was, was early in 1994, the mother of my daughter and I broke up, go figure, but hate and violence and alcohol is not a recipe for a healthy relationship between a man and a woman. And I found myself a single parent to our 18-month-old daughter. "

That's all he says about that on this video. He said that he was involved in hate, violence and alcohol so he and the mother of his daughter broke up because obviously it wasn't a healthy relationship. He didn't say the mother of his daughter was involved in those things. So he either got custody of his daughter after the break up and became a single parent that way or he had shared custody and in effect was a single parent. 
It doesn't sound like he had his life together at that point as far as being completely out of that violent lifestyle and being an alcoholic so I would think the mother of his daughter got custody. I do know of people in similar situations who refer to themselves as single parents even though they don't have full custody. He doesn't go into those details so it's speculation on my part.
Thanks for the exact quote, Heartsong.

I was pleased when he said people being kind to him was another important factor in motivating him to change.  I guess it broke down the illusion that everyone who wasn't like him hated him. 
Posted by: Heartsong
« on: October 29, 2025, 03:49:18 am »

Quote from: Kerry on October 28, 2025, 11:19:03 pm
I should have listened to one part again.  Did he say his wife left him to be a single dad to an eighteen year daughter?  That's so hard to imagine, I can't figure out what her problems were.  I can see why she wouldn't want to live with him, but why would she leave a baby with him?  Was she on drugss to handle the pressure?  Was she unemployed?
This is what he said about that.

"I needed something drastic to happen in order to kind of push me over those last couple steps. What happened was, was early in 1994, the mother of my daughter and I broke up, go figure, but hate and violence and alcohol is not a recipe for a healthy relationship between a man and a woman. And I found myself a single parent to our 18-month-old daughter. "

That's all he says about that on this video. He said that he was involved in hate, violence and alcohol so he and the mother of his daughter broke up because obviously it wasn't a healthy relationship. He didn't say the mother of his daughter was involved in those things. So he either got custody of his daughter after the break up and became a single parent that way or he had shared custody and in effect was a single parent. 
It doesn't sound like he had his life together at that point as far as being completely out of that violent lifestyle and being an alcoholic so I would think the mother of his daughter got custody. I do know of people in similar situations who refer to themselves as single parents even though they don't have full custody. He doesn't go into those details so it's speculation on my part.
Posted by: Kerry
« on: October 28, 2025, 11:19:03 pm »

Quote from: Heartsong on October 28, 2025, 01:19:21 pm
Arno Michaelis is a former white nationalist skinhead, lead singer of the neo-Nazi metal band Centurion, and member of Hammerskin Nation, one of the most violent white supremacist gangs in the US.

From 1987 to 1994, Michaelis played a central role in spreading neo-Nazi ideology through music, street violence, and recruitment efforts across the United States and beyond. His band sold over 20,000 copies of its white supremacist albums within six months.

Michaelis provides a rare look inside the world of violent extremism, detailing how white nationalist groups recruit young men, fund their operations, and use propaganda to radicalize followers. He describes the brutality of life inside the movement, the constant state of fear and paranoia, and how his involvement led to addiction, crime, and self-destruction.

After leaving the movement, Michaelis became an anti-hate activist, speaker, and author. He works with Parents for Peace to deradicalize extremists, exposing the tactics used by white nationalist groups and guiding individuals away from the influence of extremism through prevention. He is the author of "My Life After Hate" and "The Gift of Our Wounds," which was cowritten with Pardeep Singh Kaleka, whose father was killed in the Oak Creek Sikh temple shooting.

How US Neo-Nazism Actually Works | Authorized Account | Insider
I was a neo-Nazi for 7 years going through life in constant hate and fear. My daughter was the major push I needed to finally quit"
I should have listened to one part again.  Did he say his wife left him to be a single dad to an eighteen year daughter?  That's so hard to imagine, I can't figure out what her problems were.  I can see why she wouldn't want to live with him, but why would she leave a baby with him?  Was she on drugss to handle the pressure?  Was she unemployed? 
Posted by: Heartsong
« on: October 28, 2025, 01:19:21 pm »

Arno Michaelis is a former white nationalist skinhead, lead singer of the neo-Nazi metal band Centurion, and member of Hammerskin Nation, one of the most violent white supremacist gangs in the US.

From 1987 to 1994, Michaelis played a central role in spreading neo-Nazi ideology through music, street violence, and recruitment efforts across the United States and beyond. His band sold over 20,000 copies of its white supremacist albums within six months.

Michaelis provides a rare look inside the world of violent extremism, detailing how white nationalist groups recruit young men, fund their operations, and use propaganda to radicalize followers. He describes the brutality of life inside the movement, the constant state of fear and paranoia, and how his involvement led to addiction, crime, and self-destruction.

After leaving the movement, Michaelis became an anti-hate activist, speaker, and author. He works with Parents for Peace to deradicalize extremists, exposing the tactics used by white nationalist groups and guiding individuals away from the influence of extremism through prevention. He is the author of "My Life After Hate" and "The Gift of Our Wounds," which was cowritten with Pardeep Singh Kaleka, whose father was killed in the Oak Creek Sikh temple shooting.

How US Neo-Nazism Actually Works | Authorized Account | Insider
I was a neo-Nazi for 7 years going through life in constant hate and fear. My daughter was the major push I needed to finally quit"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-g3Z8IWsdU
Posted by: Heartsong
« on: July 04, 2025, 01:02:35 pm »

Stranger pays for man's gas bill — with one simple request


Tyson Crawley recently realized he couldn't pay for his purchase at a gas station, and he was shocked by what happened next.

One man's generous act at a gas station has inspired a string of kindness.

Tyson Crawley of New South Wales, Australia, had just filled his car up with gas and grabbed a couple coffees last Friday when he went to the register and realized he couldn't pay for his purchase. He'd recently opened a new bank account and had forgotten the pin number, and had no cash on hand.

"My dog was barking wildly, I had to get to work, and I was starting to freak," Crawley wrote in a popular Facebook post about the incident.

Tyson Crawley was surprised when a stranger — later identified as John Kennedy Jr. — paid his gas bill.

That's when another man at the store stepped in and offered to pay, picking up Crawley's AU$110 tab (about $84). Crawley, 30, was stunned. When he asked the man to write down his contact information so he could pay him back, the man simply wrote his name and the words "pass it on."

"I was just incredibly overwhelmed," Crawley told TODAY. "I couldn't believe how beautiful and kind people could be."

He asked to take a selfie with the man, who has since been identified as John Kennedy Jr., a Michigan-born ice hockey player who plays for the Newcastle North Stars, a team in New South Wales. The photo has since gone viral.

In a Facebook post, the team wrote that it's "not surprised" to hear about what Kennedy did, as "we know his quality of character."

"We hope to continue on following your example," the team wrote.

Crawley hopes to meet Kennedy again: "It will be good to catch up and get a beer one day," he said.

He's also been fulfilling his part of the bargain, and paying the kindness forward.

"I decided I was going to start my journey in the same sense, so I went back to the same service station and I just walked in and asked to pay for a man's fuel," Crawley said. "On the back of the receipt, I wrote, 'Tyson — pass it on,' the same way John did."

He hopes the story helps encourage other people to be kind and "to look out for each other no matter who we are in the world."


https://www.today.com/news/stranger-pays-man-s-gas-bill-one-simple-request-t103358
Posted by: Heartsong
« on: June 24, 2025, 04:05:33 pm »

Dallas restaurant owner shuts down weekly to feed homeless


Once a week, Paulette Johnson shuts down her South Dallas restaurant to paying customers, so she can serve the homeless or those in dire need.


Cooking is Paulette Johnson's passion.

At Trucker's Cafe at 1910 Martin Luther King, Blvd. in South Dallas, it's the Monday lunch crowd that really feeds her soul.

They aren't the usual clientele.

Once a week, Johnson shuts down her restaurant to paying customers so she can serve the homeless or those in dire need.

Here, they get a hot meal, clothes, shoes, toiletries. But most of all, Johnson wants them to walk away with hope.

"I just feel blessed that somebody is out here to care, people like us," said Barbara Jameson, who has an easy smile despite the hardships that led her to Johnson's Monday lunch.

"My heart just flooded, there's no word ,I just feel good," Johnson said. "I been aching all day in the morning, feet everything, dealing with my health, but once I see these guys, all that goes away."

Paulette knows what it's like to go without. She grew up in a battered women's shelter, where she learned to cook and give back.

"I just thank God for waking me up, do what I do today. Because I know people out here struggling every day," Johnson said, through tears. "It's still hard for me, but I'm just worried about everybody that I could help. It's just me, and if I can help and put smiles on people's face, that's all I need."

Johnson said running a restaurant herself isn't easy, but she only spends on absolute necessities for herself and her family, so she has enough money to give back.

There's a sense of community during the Monday lunch. Doors open at noon, and everyone is greeted enthusiastically, and given a number and a seat when they walk in. Everyone is served a home-cooked hot meal when their number is called. No one is turned away.

Johnson invited singer Capt. Jack Watson to perform at her Monday lunch. He used to be homeless, and now travels with a band.

"Just hug them and inspire them and let them know, somebody up there still cares, still loves," Watson said. "Never look down on anybody because you never know, the next day that person might be up, and I'm a living example."

Johnson said she doesn't just serve the homeless on Mondays. She'll never throw food away, and will give any extra to those in need.

Trucker's Cafe is always looking for volunteers and donations for their Monday lunch. If you'd like to help you can stop by the restaurant.

If you're in need of a hot meal, you can stop by Mondays, noon to 2 p.m

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/dallas-restaurant-owner-shuts-down-weekly-to-feed-homeless/287-540290596
Posted by: Heartsong
« on: June 03, 2025, 04:05:14 am »

Quote from: Helen on June 02, 2025, 10:46:33 am
Great story ! That’s an amazing save .

But sadly the man will have extensive burns to deal with for the rest of him life !

   If I put myself in his position I’m honestly not sure which way was best .
 I’m such a coward where pain is concerned , I’m guessing I’d would have rather died of smoke inhalation and not woken up.

    But we are all different , and if he wasn’t sure of his ending destiny , he is probably very glad to be alive!  :)


There are people who stand by and watch and record someone needing help and then there are people who don't hesitate to help someone even risking their own lives. We need more people like that who help especially these days.

The one young man said it made him feel good to save somebody's life and I thought of the scripture, .He who gives is more blessed(and receives greater joy) than he who receives.'”
Posted by: Helen
« on: June 02, 2025, 10:46:33 am »

Great story ! That’s an amazing save .

But sadly the man will have extensive burns to deal with for the rest of him life !

   If I put myself in his position I’m honestly not sure which way was best .
 I’m such a coward where pain is concerned , I’m guessing I’d would have rather died of smoke inhalation and not woken up.

    But we are all different , and if he wasn’t sure of his ending destiny , he is probably very glad to be alive!  :)

Posted by: Heartsong
« on: May 25, 2025, 11:12:59 am »

Young heroes rescue Marion man from burning home
The two young men decided to take action and risk their own lives to save a stranger.

"As we're coming out of the house, we can't see anything but only thing I can sit there and tell you if you believe in God, mysterious things will happen," Harvey said. "He was there the whole entire time showing us the way out."

"It makes me feel good. Like – I know I saved somebody's life for real. I saved somebody's life."

MARION, Ind. — Two young men are being hailed as heroes in Grant County, after rescuing a man from his burning home.

Sunday afternoon, before emergency crews arrived on South Adams Street in Marion, Tré Jones, 25, and Marcus Harvey, 24, saw danger and faced it head-on.

They were in the neighborhood when they noticed a fire.

"I'm like 'I smell some smoke. Somebody's house is on fire,'" Jones said. "There's people in the front yard, some of them recording."

"They basically tell us there's a guy inside the house," Harvey added. "We didn't know where he was at, just heard him screaming and everything."

The man inside was trapped by smoke and flames.

"Then I started hearing him," Jones said. "I'm like so why are you all just standing there?"

He decided to take action and risk his own life to save a stranger.

"So I kicked the door in. When I kicked the door in, fire, smoke, all that came through," Jones said. "It blew out at me. I see a little tunnel area I can duck down and get underneath the smoke. Now I could hear him a lot more clear so I'm like 'here I come,'" Jones recalled. "Picked him up, scooted him out the house. When I got to the door, Marcus assisted me. He grabbed by his pants. We dragged him out here. That's when the firefighters came and stuff."

"As we're coming out of the house, we can't see anything but only thing I can sit there and tell you if you believe in God, mysterious things will happen," Harvey said. "He was there the whole entire time showing us the way out."

The victim, 56-year-old Guy Tarlton, fell asleep while cooking Father's Day dinner. The fire is believed to have started in the oven.

Tarlton's nephew says his uncle's rental had no smoke alarms. Guy is now in critical condition at the hospital, but alive.

"30 percent of his upper body's burned. He has burns on his arms, on his head," Tarlton's nephew said. "We just gotta keep praying that God will bring him through."

The nephew met his uncle's rescuers for the first time on Tuesday.

He wanted his mom, Guy's sister, to meet them too, to say thank you.

Jones and Harvey have been keeping in touch to get updates on Guy. They can't visit him because of COVID-19 restrictions. But they're glad he's still fighting to survive.

And they're glad they faced fire, to make sure he could do so.

"They just had an instinct of human nature to save a person if you hear them saying help," Tarlton said of the young men.

"I didn't know it was that bad. When I was in there, I didn't know, I wasn't even thinking how bad it was. I just knew I had to get him out," Jones said. "It makes me feel good. Like – I know I saved somebody's life for real. I saved somebody's life."

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/young-heroes-rescue-marion-man-from-burning-home/531-c5d78e7b-ead9-4dcf-95e0-31f7f72d39e0
Posted by: Heartsong
« on: March 06, 2025, 02:51:48 pm »

Good news is hard to come by these days but this is good news. This is really close to my heart.  :)

Foster child, 12, finds forever home: 'Love doesn't have a color'

Rachel Paula Abrahamson
Updated Wed, September 9, 2020 at 2:05 PM EDT2 min read

Two years ago, Dominique and Kevin Gill opened their Nashville, Tennessee, home to a withdrawn foster child named Andrew.

Andrew, who was 10 at the time, had been in state custody since the age of 6, when his parents' parental rights were terminated.

“Andrew has four siblings and they were all adopted right away,” Dominique, 27, told TODAY Parents. “During his first week with us, he sat in his room with the door closed and looked at old pictures. He didn't want to talk."

Then one day, Dominique’s son Joc asked Andrew if he wanted to play video games. To Joc’s surprise, Andrew nodded his head.

“They’ve been best friends ever since,” Dominique revealed of the boys, who are now finally brothers.

In May, Dominique and Kevin asked Andrew, 12, if he wanted to become a permanent part of their family.

The Gills never planned to adopt when they began fostering, they just wanted to help as many kids as they could like Dominique's parents had done when she was growing up. But after a second adoption fell through for Andrew, Dominique knew the shy seventh grader was meant to be their child.

"Our mindset was we'd help him until he found his forever home," Dominique explained. "But after the second adoption didn't work out, I realized God put Andrew in our lives for a reason. God made sure the adoption didn't work out so he could come back to us."

Andrew broke down in tears when the Gills asked him if he wanted to stay with them forever.

“From the beginning, Andrew has always said, ‘Thank you for accepting me,’ ‘Thank you you for not giving up on me,’” Dominique shared. “People would read his file and get scared away. But I knew he was a good child who had experienced a lot of trauma.”

Dominique noted that in the beginning, Andrew would “scream and behave badly” to try to push them away.

“He’d start shouting, ‘Just let me move out!’ But I refused to give up on him,” Dominique said. “I was like, ‘We are going to get you together.’”

With love and consistency, the Gill family did just that. Andrew has learned to control his emotions and has not had an outburst in over a year. But the Gills still get a lot of looks when they're out in public.

"Because Andrew is white and we're Black, people will stare at us," Dominique said. "They're confused."

Race has never been an issue for Andrew or his adoptive family. He checked the "no preference" box when he was asked about his race preference for his foster parents.

"Love doesn’t have a color. (Andrew) is our son just like Joc is our son," Dominique told TODAY Parents. "He’s a part of us.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/foster-child-12-finds-forever-180500304.html