Rise and Walk…

It’s something I really like about these Twlogs…they just work for me.  The only draw back from my Twlogs are that until I find an easier way to publish them (and I know that there is)…I have to copy and paste every dang on tweet…that is so time consuming.  Okay…so I went to church last night…and oooh boy it was much needed…because I am in a season of my life that is…or only can be categorized as DIFFERENT and that might just be an understatement.  This Twlog is truly inspired by the anointed Word that I heard last night…

The thing is folks…we tend to get held captive by our situation…

Many times its hard to see the forest through the trees…

And the big picture sometimes is just a tiny portrait…

In those moments…that’s when we need to activate our faith..

Don’t be content…or be consumed by the contents…

When we activate faith…supernatural abilities awaken…

Be patient because I’m driving and using talk to text.

See regardless off the appearance you have to rise and walk…

‏When God orders steps…every step taken has divine support…which means every that’s wishes to trip you is crushed via His favor

 God doesn’t show favoritism…He imparts favor…there is a distinct difference

‏When favoritism is granted…it is given no matter what right or wrong…

‏But favor is activated thru constant obedience and sacrifice.

‏But you can be born into favor…all the while though you must use it or lose it.

‏God won’t continue to grant favor if you won’t capitalize on it…

 It will eventually exhaust…

‏One can’t take for granted that tomorrow will allow for the manifestation of things…

‏Tomorrow is decided by Our Father…

‏So in other words…have a “lize” spirit.

‏Realize…utilize…capitalize

‏Then it will materialize…

‏I say all of everything to say…

‏I got it…#yeast…yeah that’s it..

‏Your life has no purpose until you become yeast…

‏I’m not a baker by any stretch of the imagination…but I have used yeast before…

‏Yeast is vital for the baking of bread..

‏Yeast has to rise before the bread can be a viable product…

‏Expand…come from beneath circumstances and situations..

‏Don’t be afraid to outgrow your clothes…

‏Rise and walk…with purpose on purpose…

‏Any stumbling block is merely designed be a stepping stone to your elevated place…

‏Activate your faith…utilize your favor…

Trap the Trapper…

For the life of me…it is just something about this season in my life where I just cannot sit in front of a monitor and type a blog anymore.  It is not that I don’t have the desire too…it just seems like it is just not enough minutes in the say to allow me to.  So…one day I was on Twitter and came up with a crazy idea to construct a blog via tweeting…and it worked.  You see the great thing about Twitter is that you are allowed 140 characters in one posting (tweet) to speak your mind.  Since all of you that know me…knows that I am slightly dysfunctional…so the 140 characters worked for me.  I was able to throw out there all these tweets at my own speed and created a blog on my own time…opposed to just sitting on my laptop mashing buttons repeatedly. Now the thing about these is that they are choppy, because I’m just posting thoughts in order as they come. Okay…its been a little time…so let me remind you…I…me…David…does not and will not edit any post.  I use punctuation and capitalization however I want and I don’t proofread anything (I do enough of that in school)…Here is the unveiling of my first Twlog (Twitter Blog).  Each line denotes a new tweet. Its kinda different…hope you like it…

 

So while I was in my zone last night I had the opportunity to just reflect..

Life is crazy how things pan out…the people you encounter and how your relationship with them evolves..

Not every relationship is designed to have longevity…many of them are just truly meant for a certain time…a #season

But we always attempt to drag out seasons…you know how when it changes from summer to fall…we gotta wear those shorts one more time…

Then sometimes we involve ourselves in the most toxic…relationships…

But they don’t appear to be combustible at first

Toxins initially don’t appear to be harmful…take alcohol…

Or wine…an occasional drink…here or there…you know in moderation can be okay…

At least we think…people think its when we over-indulge its when they get caught going in circles…

Toxins are traps…

Man…I think this blog is going a different direction now…

Real talk…and you might not like it…at times we all have been…currently or will be a season….

Sometimes you just serve a purpose in anothers life..

It’s not that the person is throwing you to the wolves…

It’s that you’ve ran your course…

Accept that fact…

It’s like this…and I’m going to speak about toxic relationship…

Shooting straight from the hip…probably gonna irritate some of my people…but when I write chalk it up…charge it to the game…

Most toxic relationships stems from things that are easily accessible…

From a person that was an option not a priority…but what happens is that you get so caught up in a psuedo reality…

I call those false positives…

You catch feelings and become confused…

Then get caught making your right now…a lifetime…

Kinda like the grass is greener ideology.

Toxic relationships are meant to trap you…what do I mean by that?

The sole purpose of these relationships are to get you off course…it allows you to get up field and make progress…

Then side-swipe you…then you don’t know what hit you…

The thing is though…you have to have a trap the trapper mentality…

I mean the very thing that is attempting to trap you…you trap it. Learn discernment…

So when that situation crosses your face…blow it up…trap the trapper…before it traps you…

The Devil Doesn’t Live Here Anymore….

I want to do something different with this post.  God works with me extremely different than He does with other people.  Well let me take that back…I’m not sure how He deals with you…so for that fact I will scale back from what I just said.  I guess what I need to say is that God works with me on several different levels.  He typically allows me to observe a situation…and then allows me to see this situation in slow motion…other times…He drops things in my spirit…but every so often He gives me a dream when He really wants to get something across to me.  He typically uses things that are strong in my life to get drive His point…last night was one of those “dream” nights.  So what I decided to do is blog about my dream…but in poem form.  This is the first time I’ve done something like this…but I just had the urge to do something different…so I’m about to sit back and allow it to do whatever it wants to do…and I pray through these stanzas that someone is blessed…

Get out of my life…

Why are you here…

Who gave you the right

To even be in my life.

 

Don’t you know that it was you

It was you that choose to do what you do

It was you that held the key

It was you that gave me the key

So why do you question me

Because it was you that gave me the right to be in your life

 

Get out my life

Why are you here

What is it that you want

Why are you bothering me

Just go ahead and go

You had your time

You ran your course

You and I are not for better or worse

 

Why do you talk to me like this

It’s me that you are calling telling me you miss

The things that I do

Don’t try to turn my do to a did

I’m gonna always be where you end…and where you begin

You gave me this key

I don’t have to go

So continue to complain

It’ll be you dealing with the pain

As for me…I will be me

I will be alright

Because I have a key

And I have a right

 

I’m sorry you have no right

I’m even willing to fight

To get back my life

That you are trying to steal

This is my life…I have dominion…

You have no right

 

Yes I do…remember everything you gave me

You gave me a piece of you

You gave me a part of your virtue

Now that tie can’t be broken

And I am here

Psst…come close…psst come near

Let me tell you this

You laid with me and now we are one

We are tied at the soul never to be undone

 

The devil is a lie

It’s time for you to go

Right or wrong your purpose is done…on purpose

So pack your bags its time to fly so I can enjoy me and mine

 

Ha…think it is that easy

That easy for me to go

I have a key

This is my home

I can come and go

Remember it was you that let us in

It was you that loved to sin

Now you try to make me go

Excuse me sir…I don’t think so

Let me tell you this…

Remember that choice…I would be remised

Not to bring up all those times

All the doors that you opened

All the distractions and attractions that gave you carnal satisfaction

You just can’t dismiss this

It is this that you will surely miss

Come over here…give me a kiss

Why are so looking so confused…so disheveled

Hey you…come dance with the devil

 

Get out my house

This is my house you don’t belong

Take you…all of yall and leave

This is my home…this is my place

Now it is time for you to depart this place

I am no longer that person

I have changed…

No…its not the more things change…the more the remain

GET OUT MY HOUSE

You are not welcomed here

GET OUT MY HOUSE

Leave fast…or I’m gonna whip your…

See I told you I’ve changed

Before I would have said it

But not now…I know how to stand proud

So GET OUT MY HOUSE right now

You no longer have the right to be in my life

While you’re at it leave the key at the door

I don’t want to see you anymore

One thing I know is that God has my back

We are fighting back…we are on the attack

GET OUT MY HOUSE

And I command you not to come back

Psst now you come here…let me tell you something

I can stand up boldly and proclaim

I don’t need you now or never

As for me…I’m doing better

So leave the key at the door

Devil your lust don’t live here no more

Know your own strength…

This was initially supposed to be a small Facebook status, but the more I typed…the more came out, so I decided to share this with everyone.

Probably the realest status I’ve ever posted. For four years now the months of February and March has given me a different set of emotional issues. It was February when my dad died and march when wife died. As I set in traffic on the highway listening to this gospel playlist…a song that was sang at Ronya’s funeral came on…I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO LISTEN TO IT AGAIN WITHOUT JUST BREAKING DOWN…but today no tears…no breakdown…just a smile.

Psalms 30:5….weeping may endureth the night but joy cometh in the morning.

My night might have been a little longer than others…but my Sun did shine. So with all this being said family…press through your storm. Don’t give up. It’s all in God’s perfect plan and divine timing. Don’t be scared of a little rain. All plants need water to grow. Understand this…if you are not dead…it made you stronger. You must recognize and utilize the strength that you now have. There
is not much worse in the entire world than not knowing your own strength.

Be blessed all and have a tremendous day. This might be the only time someone hears this today…hey you!….yeah you…I LOVE YOU.

You Can’t Put a Price on it…

Happy New Year all!!!  Welcome to the year of 2012.  I just want to get that out the way before we start to talk about what we talk about.  If your eyes are reading this…that means you made it…which actually is a great thing.  The site looks kind of different huh?  Well I felt that my blog was well overdue for an overhaul and what better way to make a change then to correlate it with the new year.  I wanna say welcome to all  my new readers and subscribers…and to my returning readers glad you decided to come back.  Okay, I have to put this out there from time to time…because I do have new readers and also some of yall old heads forget…I…Me…David…yours truly or whatever form of I you want to use does not…I repeat…I DO NOT proof-read nor edit any of my post.  I truly believe to capture the essence of what I attempt to convey is mainly in the rawness of the delivery…so what you see is that you get…from my fingers to your eyes.  Plus, I do enough writing and editing at school… 

You can’t put a price on it…looking at this statement one can garner a surplus of ideas of what it means.  One can say that you can’t put a price on love (which I believe is true)…you can’t put a price on joy (agree)…I can go on.  What do I mean by this simple statement…You can’t put a price on COMPANIONSHIP.  Personally, I believe that there are a total of 5 “ships” that matter in life.

1. Companionship
2. Relationships
3. Partnerships
4. Sponsorships
5. Friendships

All of these “ships” make up our very existence.  They are the crux of what we are.  Each of these “ships” defines every essential part of our being.  Our “ships” dictate the who, what, when, where, how and why’s of our life.  They are a valuable cog in our lives.  As with anything…too much or not enough of one thing can lead to consummation of something great…or can lead to the demise and eventually something horrific.  Through all of this…it is imperative that we control our “ships” to create to most favorable outcome in our lives.

For quite some time now I have been pondering on subjects to write about.  Often I solicit the help from others, because my brain can get drained at times…and I attempt not to write about the same subject repeatedly.  The other day I was sitting alone at work thinking about all the people in my life…the good one’s…the bad one’s and those that don’t make the meter move either way.  As I’m talking to myself…I say, “Self?”…self says, “David!”…then I’m like aww hell…I’m talking to myself…hahahaha (true story…does that make me crazy?) That seriously did happen…but back to what I’m talking about…as I thought about the different “ships” it hit me to write a series on the different “ships” and what I feel like that mean…my plan is…over the course of the next 5 days, I will present to you a different post highlighting a “ship”.

You can’t put a price on it…that is companionship I’m talking about.  Without a doubt I think that companionship is the most important of the 5 “ships”.  Many people have it misconstrued…folks would tend to think that relationships, friendships or even partnerships are the most important.  I beg to differ and I will tell you why.  You can google companionship on the internet and most definitions of the word will state:

• the relationship of friends or companions.

I agree with the definition, but I would even take it a step further…a companionship is derived from the word companion which means:

• one of a pair; match
• comrade, partner, mate.
• a person employed to accompany, assist, or live withanother in the capacity of a helpful friend.

Let’s see here…a companionship has the components of a relationship, partner (partnership), friend (friendship)…in its totality…a companionship has 4 of the 5 ingredients of all the “ships” that I mentioned.  Essentially, a companionship is birthed via all the other “ships”…that is why it is the most important. Companionship’s are essential for total prosperity.  We can enjoy life by ourselves…we can achieve many things…even happiness can be obtained…but to truly appreciate life and the art of living we must seek and embrace companionship.  When a person has a true companion…it makes life worth living.  Companions are mates…one pair..a match.  Read those words over…that MATES…MATCH…ONE PAIR.  Companions are for a lifetime…they don’t put on seasonal attire.  Companions are here today…tomorrow and forever.  A companion will walk with you at anytime…they will be your legs when you can’t walk. Companions love you despite of you.  They are loyal to you when you aren’t even loyal to yourself.

“An apple tree is just like a person. In order to thrive, it needs companionship that’s similar to it in some ways, but quite different than others.”
― Jeffrey Stepakoff

Sometimes it is the Hardest Thing to do…

…letting a person go.  Every so often…and I am willing to bet a dollar to a dime that we all come to a point when we must end a “ship” in our life.  Some are easier than other to walk away from.  Today, I was faced with an ultimate decision…should I keep a person in my life…or should I continue to subscribe to these internal emotions that I have suppressed on the inside of me and ignored for an extraordinary amount of time.  Before I made the decision a number of things entered into my mind (and I will come back to this at another point).

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu

Just the other day I wrote a post about Seasons, Reasons, and Lifetimes.  The crazy thing is…I was oblivious to the fact that this blog would come back and speak to me.  Life is an amazing thing I tell you.  People in your life are even more amazing.  Just take a moment to think about all the people who you encounter on a daily basis…how many people you pour into physical, mentally, emotionally, spiritually…and vice versa…people that do the same things to you.  The number is quite alarming.  The funny thing is…at times we don’t even have a clue that we accomplish these things for others.

Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.- Raymond Lindquist

Sometimes the hardest thing to do…is letting a person go.  Pulling the trigger on a “ship” is like a game of never-ending tug-of-war…it doesn’t seem like anyone would be victorious.  It’s like you are playing this balancing act between your heart and mind…and anytime that is the case…you’re in trouble.  The heart can make the mind feel something it can’t understand…and the mind can make the heart understand something that it can’t feel (think about that for a second). but just because a person is riding your bus, doesn’t mean that they are to get off at your bus stop.  That goes back to slotting people accordingly.  I believe life is about many things…but a fundamental attribute to living is joy and being successful via making the correct decisions.  Choosing the right people to encompass you is a slippery slope…one must have a strong sense of discernment.  If you can’t discern properly, that is how seasonal people get lifetime privileges.

“Change is never easy, you fight to hold on, and you fight to let go.” – The Wonder Years

Remember this…when progressing in life…have the ability to make the correct cuts.  Removing folks out of your life is not mean…it is necessary for progression.  Example if you are a recovering drug addict…chances for full-blown recovery are better if you associate yourself with people who are not addicted to drugs.  It is foolish to keep yourself around the same people you did before when you were getting high.  Relapse is a real possibility if so. Congregate with people who strive for you to be a better person.  Leaving situations behind is the harsh reality of life…don’t be afraid to make the pertinent cuts…its okay…God has many band-aids for the wounded. What happens when you don’t let people go…you handcuff your reality and insist on living a perception of your life.  It’s hard to go…but I gotta leave. Don’t be afraid to let people you know, become people you knew.

“There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life.” –Unknown

 

 

Financial Aid and Sidewalk Chalk…

Disclaimer…this post was actually intended to be released on 12/22…even though a few events have changed the basis of the post is still intact.  Felt the need to let you know…so you wouldn’t think that I was all the way dysfunctional…just slightly. 

I’m in the process of placing the finishing touches on my financial aid for the winter quarter and also registering for classes as well…ok hold on that was so random. Let me explain…due to my neglect I forgot to do a few things correctly and it seems that unless my appeal is granted, yours truly will have to pay or sit out this quarter at school. That sucks…but improperly prioritizing and not being thorough places me slap dab in the middle of this…so I have nobody to blame but the author of this post.

As I walked on campus today it seemed slightly different…there wasn’t an overbearing Christmas feel to the campus…in all actuality…I really hadn’t paid attention that Christmas was this Sunday until the other day when it was mentioned to me…true story. Well as I walked (and this happens a lot when I’m alone…I’m sure yall know this by now…I think)…thinking for me can go several ways and today was not any different. As I left the college of liberal arts main office…I looked around just because I can I guess…and I started to think about my goals and aspirations for the upcoming year…short, medium and long-term goals…excited, nervous and somewhat sad I was processing all the thoughts that I compiled. See the thing is that I don’t do resolutions…I think those stunt growth…I believe goals promote expansion…the average person usually honors their new year’s resolutions just for a few weeks. My short, medium, and long-term goals are an agglomeration..they each build upon the next.

Ok back on track…as I walked I looked down on the pavement and there to the left of me spray painted in ugly black handwriting…”U CAN DO IT”. Even though these are just a few simple words…they reign very much true. Kind of like a hand…seperate each finger serves a purpose but doesn’t have mighty power…but if you bind them together in a fist…you can strike a hefty blow.  ”U CAN DO IT” I said aloud.  I was thinking of how this applies to my current season in my life (im actually debating on the level of transparency here)…many of you know that I made the executive decision…well not really I…it was me listening and being obedient to God’s word exactly 2 years and 6 months to the day to not work and continue with my education extensively. This was a huge leap in faith…but I did it…over the course of these months…I’ve experienced many highs and lows…emotionally, financially, spiritually…etc. this ride has not been easy…recently I’ve.decided to go back to work part-time while attending school. I know things will be harder…due to time constraints…but it can be done.

Fast forward…in life we are presented with obstacles…hurdles…some harder to jump than others…life is a complimation of trials and tribulations designed to strengthen you along your ultimate journey. During this journey we learn many things about ourselves..at least we think we do…one thing I know is that the resolve of a person never truly manifest until the ultimate adverse situation is encountered. Many times these situations are in stark contrast to our goals.

Where am I going with all this…let’s see…when we set goals…we are personally making a declaration about the course of our lives…we are no longer standing for the status quo in our lives…Proverbs 21:5 the plan of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to proverty..

What is this all saying…your goal is merely a plan…a blueprint. Before any sound structure can be built a blueprint is needed. Be persistent in your goal. Often it won’t be easy..and If it was easy…how fulfilling is it really.  Any plan executed over time properly will lead to profit…BUT if one isn’t willing to.endure the rigors of the journey and prefers to expedite the process…more than likely will lead to emptiness…

Simply…set a goal…press through the process…U CAN DO IT. remember this…achievement and sucess is not a single action..its a life long process…

Short-Term Investments…Long-Term Attention…

With the upcoming New Year…I know many people are creating a list of resolutions that they plan to achieve this upcoming year.  My advice to many of you is this…exactly what the title of this post states, but I’m going to add two additional words that will change the entire dynamic of the title…STOP GIVING…short-term investments…long-term attention.  This is a major problem for many of us…because ace numero uno…most people look for immediate returns and are incapable of waiting for a delayed return…well incapable is a harsh word… they don’t exhibit the patience that is needed to endure a long-term return.

See…check this out…when a person attacks short-term investments…with long-term aspirations it never works.  That investment is current usage.  It is not made to endure longevity.  Have you ever sat back and wondered why you always seem to get the same response or end up arriving at the same place you always have?  Much of that has to do with the investment period…it is slotted incorrectly.  Let me put a spin on this…discern the type of investment…and attend to it as it is needed to be.  Let me go slightly deeper…all of us have people, circumstances, situations…whatever in our life that gives us trouble. Even deeper…there are persons in our lives that have been a part of our lives forever…and it seems like it is just a never-ending cycle of foolishness.  It is not that this particular person is a bad person…the fact of the matter is that you’ve slotted them incorrectly.  They are short-term investments…stop granting them life-time benefits…

Seasons, reasons, lifetimes….

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you figure out which one it is,
you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty;
to provide you with guidance and support;
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

 

I Have Much To Write…

…but I’m not sure how long I have to write it.  Hey everyone…its been some time again.  I know…I know…shaking my head. What can I say…I’m going to get it one day.  Hopefully it is sooner opposed to later. Okay, no empty promises, but I will try extremely hard to be more consistent with my writing.  School for me is slightly different this upcoming quarter…I’m predominantly taking on-line classes, so this should free up a tremendous amount of time where I can dedicate this to you.

Over the last couple of years I have written hundreds of blogs…the funny thing is many of them I never post.  I guess that is the quirky thing of being an alleged writer…A). one can write whatever they want 

and B). one can do with it as they please.  My goal is this for the upcoming year…TO BE CONSTANTLY CONSISTENT.  This is am enormous step for me, because I just haven’t been the structured type for a few years now.  I bet that inconsistent streak that peeks out from me often has caused the demise of many of  my “ships”…you know what “ships” are companionship’s, relationship’s, friendship’s…and any other one you can think of.

It happened again today people…well let me backtrack, this initially started about three weeks ago and culminated today.  It originated by me standing in a roll-a-way dumpster and completed with me on my hands and knees washing every centimeter of the bathroom today with a small rag.  One of this was by necessity, the other by choice…I won’t say which was what…but they both at first glance SUCKED!

Hold on…why did I do all that talking about writing blogs…well often I’m not sure what I write…I just write it…then if I feel the need to post…presto…cha-ching…ba da bing…you have it. Like I say all the time I write based on emotion…so if you pay attention to my writings…it’s easy to see the season that I am currently in…life that is.  Some time ago I met a lady…well met is too strong of a word…she was given my blog address and was interested in reading my writing.  Hell I don’t care who reads my work…I write to influence the mass (I guess)…naw…I’m lying…I write because it is therapeutic…Writing is like an epic orgasm to the soul for me.  Ooh no…sorry for the descriptive use of language…but that’s how serious writing can be for me.  Right…back to this lady…after she read a few on my post she became interested in my writings because we share a similar story…both have had a spouse pass away.  Now I’m not sure of any of the details of her situation…but I can feel her pain…Now I have NEVER spoken a word to this woman…nor exchanged emails…texts…or pleasantries…I just know of her.  After hearing a little bit of her story through our mutual contact I knew that at some point I would write a post for her…I just did not know when sooooo…and I never speak on people’s name’s on my post…but for these intended purpose I will…Ms. Evelyn…this blog is for you…

Life is life…it is what we make out of it.  It is filled with a plethora of smiles and cries…high and lows…there is an indefinite amount of adjectives that I can give for life.  There is one thing that I know Ms. Evelyn…one must learn to fall, before they can ever realize what getting up is.  All throughout life we are presented with obstacles that often derail our initial plans.  Growing up…we never think about the hurdles of life…we just know that we plan on being this successful person…maybe rich…good-looking…a beautiful house, family…dog and probably white picket fence.  We never think about the reality of things…sometimes bad things happen to good people.  We as people never ask for tragedy to happen…hell who wants that..but when we look at things sensible…before greatness is achieved…an epic failure has preceded it.

I remember standing in that dumpster a few weeks back…just thinking…”how and the hell did I get here?”…I’m not saying that this was a bad thing…but who the hell wants to be standing in a big ol dumpster?  As I looked over top of the opening of the dumpster I started to think about life…how many things in our life we discard…its not needed anymore…well its actually trash.  Let me tell you part of the reason why I was standing in the dumpster…I was actually clearing away some files from a storage closet that was no longer needed.  There was 365 days with of files, as you can imagine it was A LOT of files.  Instead of just throwing them in there any type of way…to maximize the space in the dumpster, I decided to get in and re-arrange things.

Now walk with me here Evelyn…today I was on the floor cleaning my bathroom with a rag.  It wasn’t my intentions to get down on my hands and knees…but my mop smelled like hot Cheetos and baby diapers…so that was a no-brainier. As I filled the bucket up with disinfectant and began to wipe the baseboards and the floor, I bent over in amazement…I don’t think that…scratch that I know that I have NEVER did anything like that before…so as I wiped everything…I started to get up…but I noticed under the faucet on the sink…there was some built up grime…even though the top of the faucet was exemplary…the bottom was less than desirable.  At this point Evelyn, my mind was wondering…because I know me…when I notice instances like this…it not normal…its time for me to zone in.

Why am I talking about “ships” and dumpster and mopping and such…this is the thing…it took me to be down on my hands and knees to be able to see all the filth of what was above me.  It allowed me to see how the surface…the exterior was “clean”…but the intricate…the interior parts of the faucet still needed to be clean.  It’s like that in life…you have to fall and sometimes fall hard to see what is needed to be seen.  Falling gives you a different perspective on life.   Like the files in the dumpster…sometimes we have to throw things away…we have to let things go…to truly receive what has been destined for us.  I had to clean out the storage closet to move newer things in…now I never will forget what was discarded, but what was discarded will help me cherish what is being imparted in my life.

Through all the pain you hold on to…realize this the crime is not in falling…the crime is in not getting up and progressing.  ”Don’t be afraid to keep moving on, For what was before, now has gone, God wants to accomplish so much more, But we need to move forward in the Lord.”

Life is a full circle…what goes around…will definitely come back around.  You can never be the head until you have experienced being the tail.  Finish the race…complete your circle.  Even though I don’t know you Evelyn and maybe will never meet you…I love you!  I pray peace and blessings over your life.

Can you miss your…date with destiny???

I’m actually pondering that question as I type.   Can you miss your date destiny?  I’m not sure of the answer to that question…but one thing that I know for sure and two for certain…by the end of this post I’ll know exactly what it is that I need to know.  Today is already kind of different.  First off, you know that it has been extremely long since last I’ve posted.  Like normal…I must apologize for my tardiness…but I always say…I might be delayed…but I’m never denied. Ooh yeah…one more thing…FYI I don’t edit my writings…I do enough of that at school.  Back to regularly scheduled programming which is already in progress…. Can you miss your date destiny?  Well…can you? 

Over the course of the last few weeks I have encountered some sleepless nights…as usual my life has been overwhelming demanding.  Lets see…it’s finals week at school…I’ve taken a basketball head coaching position (at a middle school) and football…whew football has been crazy to say the least.  Of course I must apologize for my neglect…actually let me say that I’m sorry.  I’m not a fan of people saying, “I apologize”…that just seems like a thank you text message…really informal, that is done out of obligation opposed to sincerity.  When one says that they are “sorry” it just feels more genuine…heart-felt.  Can you miss your date with destiny?

Okay, background…the high school football team that I coach in my city made the state high school playoffs in Ohio.  In Ohio that is a big deal when a school makes the playoffs because there are roughly 800-900 schools that participate in sanctioned football and only 190 of these schools qualify to participate in the playoffs.  On top of that…my school earned a home playoff game.  In all the years of football existence…no public high school in my city has ever hosted a playoff game…so this was history in the making.  Secondly, my team was playing the #2 ranked team in the entire state in our division.  Doubly as important.  What makes this even more significant is that our school is in the inner city of Dayton and anyone who knows about demographics knows about my city.   Even though my school is not the only high school in the city, we carried the entire weight of our city on our backs.  See to many people in Dayton, this was more than just your average run of the mill game…it was BIGGER.  It was the underprivileged, misguided, poor, non-disciplined, inner city community…against the BULLY…the judgmental, privileged, disciplined, wealthy Catholic school community.  Your classic David versus Goliath.  Black versus white. 

Can you miss your date with destiny?  Let me fast –forward because I can really see this post getting out of hand and me missing the entire purpose of the blog…maybe even missing destiny huh?  Back to the game…both teams came out extremely focused and it was an epic battle…the lead was changed or shared several time…but at the end of the night…it was my team that upset the #2 ranked team in the state and pandemonium ensued.  This was only the third playoff win for the entire school district in over 75 years of high school football.  The shockwaves that this victory sent across the state was insane.  No matter where I went that following week…I was greeted with nothing but respect and admiration for this tremendous feat.  Okay…here I go folks…I’m really getting off track…promise I got you….

We advanced to the second round of the playoffs and we were in uncharted territory…win this game and we would accomplish something that no other Dayton Public School has not…advance to the third round of the playoffs.  This week of preparation was like no other.  Our children knew the significance of winning this game.  We were locked…loaded and focused.  It was only one thing that stood in the way off our date with destiny…the #1 ranked team in our region.  Be patient now…it’s game-time and now its time to cash-in on all of our hardwork, the blood, sweat and tears since January.  Destiny is on the other side of the window and she is looking awfully beautiful.  Our team took control of the game early and raced out to a 13-0 halftime lead.  All appeared to be well.  We’ve preached to our children all season…to be great you must be willing to go above and beyond…one must be able to tread in uncharted territories in confidence and impose its will.  Can you miss your date with destiny?

Follow me now…life is about focus and adjustments.  It’s never how one starts…its how one finishes.  Typically, the person that makes the least amount of mistakes…learns from the mistakes that they’ve made…adjusts and be able to withstand adversity will always be victorious.  Back to the game…without warning…we started to make uncharacteristic mistakes…we started to forget assignments…we began to play unfocused…and our opponent began to play more consistent…and via our mistakes…they exuded more confidence.  They made halftime adjustments.  As the minutes ticked off the clock our lead dwindled until the score was tied going into the fourth quarter.  We were 12 minutes away from dancing with our destiny.  With the weight of the city on our shoulders again…we slugged back and forth with the #1 team.  Like a #1 team should…their greatness began to radiate.  The adjustments that they made started to manifest even deeper…and our lack of adjusting began to be exploited.  Finally, with less than 4 minutes to play, they took the lead 20-13.  Now our backs are against the wall and we must mount a drive to win the game…we are fighting and clawing all the way down the field.  And with less than two seconds in the game we have the ball on 4^th down at our opponent’s 2 yard line to tie the game.  We ran the play and our running back gets the ball…and in a controversial call…our running back was deemed to had fumbled the ball before he crossed the goaline and the other team recovered the ball…there you have it…we lost.  Stunned, dejected, hurt, wounded and angry…our date with destiny stood us up.

Where am I going with this…see in life one is presented with opportunities.  It is the choices that one makes…it is the decisions that they make when adversity strikes.  The true character of a person is not determined at the time of the test…that is a life-long misconception…the true character of a person is determined at the time of the pop quiz.  Does that make sense?  You might or might not agree but let me tell you this…One has time to prepare for a test…but how does one perform during a sudden change?  When adversity strikes how well do you perform…are you able to stand strong…adjust and re-focus?  Destiny is a part of life…we are all destined for something…but it is our decision making or lack thereof that causes us to miss out on our destiny AT the original appointed time.  

So can you miss your date with destiny?  My answer is no…you can’t miss your date with destiny…sometimes she just decides to change the date to another day…