Organized Randomness: Thoughts, Dreams, Questions

Living Your Life in 3D

2013-07-30T05:19:00.001-07:00

Psalm 127

Unless the Lord builds the house,
    the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
    the guards stand watch in vain.
²In vain you rise early
    and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
    for he grants sleep to those he loves.

³Children are a heritage from the Lord,
    offspring a reward from him.
⁴Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
    are children born in one's youth.
⁵Blessed is the man
    whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
    when they contend with their opponents in court.

This scripture is asking us to live a life in 3D (Dependency, Determination, and Deliverance).

Dependency: Too often we want to do things on our own. We depend on our own understanding, using our own frame of reference to solve our most pressing issues. Our independence and even our interdependence interferes with our reliance on the Source of all power in this world (Ephesians 1:15-23; Matthew 28:18). Developing a Dependency on God to build our house will lead to true power and purpose.

Determination: having a healthy relationship with God, depending on Him for the things we desire will give us a Determination to do His will for our lives. God is wanting us to use our desires, ambition, and determination to help us win souls for His Kingdom. If we keep doing what is right, we will get that we desire, but we must have a steadfast determination, a don't stop, won't stop mentality to live our purpose and please Him (2 Timothy 4:7; Galatians 6:9).

Deliverance: When we are dependent on God, determined to do what is right to please Him, he will fulfill His promise to Deliver us for the grasp of sin (Psalm 23). He will comfort us as we walk among the Enemy, and we will not be afraid when they come against us (Psalm 34:17). Just as David used a rock to defeat the Giants he faced, the Lord said that depending on Him and He shall be that rock to deliver us from the challenges we face (2 Samuel 22:2).

I pray today that God lead you to a more abundant life, filled with joy, peace, and purpose. With so much going on in this world it is important to stop and reflect on the awesome power of God and His grace that is upon each of us. God is calling us to do great things – to live on purpose, with purpose. He proposes prosperity to those who put pride in its place and are Determined to Depend on Him to Deliver us from darkness. Begin to live your life in 3D! May God Bless you today. Amen

Potential Power

2012-10-25T13:32:00.001-07:00

I know how to love. I know how to make great choices with love. I know the reasons to love and how to fight for it. I know the things I need to do in order to maintain love. Love is an action and I know the actions that demonstrate love. I know the wonderful potential of love. I know how I'd like to be loved. I know that I will gain nothing from any action if I do not have love in my heart. I know the patience of love. I know love's kindness. I know that love is selfless and takes its time and does not keep score. I know that love forgives. And protects. And hopes, perseveres, and never fails (1 Corinthians 13:1-8). I know these things and more because I know God.

They say knowledge is power. I do not believe them. They say that knowing something can take you far. It is believed that the acquisition of more knowledge will set you free. It can help you soar among the stars and open you up to wonderful things. But simply knowing something is incomplete. Knowing the formulas mean nothing until you apply them on the test or in the lab. Knowing how to write does not mean a novel will magically appear with your name on it. Knowing the right things to say may not prevent foul daggers of hate to escape your tongue. Knowing the right things to eat does not enable you to shed the excess weight. Knowing that love can conquer all does not empower you to weather the storms of a rocky relationship. Knowledge is important, but it alone does not provide the power needed to live a life according to your purpose.

Knowledge is not power. It is only potential power. Knowledge is converted into power only when, and if, it is organized into definite plans of action, and directed to a definite end. And it is multiplied exponentially when that definite end begins with love. Knowledge can only aid you when you use it. It can only allow you to overcome your obstacles when you use it to overwhelm your problems with plans that create decisive actions. God wants us to have knowledge (Hosea 4:6-7). He desires that we seek it with all of our hearts (Proverbs 18:15). He wants us to know Him and fear Him out respect that He is the One and true Only God (Hosea 6:6). God also desires that we apply this knowledge to help us become all that He has intended for us to be. He wants us to create definite plans of action of love to reach the destination He has planned for our lives. God gave us the knowledge of His wonderful grace, but left it up to us to empower ourselves to work out our own salvation with actions that please Him (Philippians 2:12).

I want to have a powerful life. I want to love with power and help empower others to love on purpose and with purpose. I want the power that God has placed within me to shine through everything that I do. I want the power of my words to be a reflection of knowledge I have of God. I want to live out His way with fear and trembling before Him because I have knowledge that He is the source of everything. He is love. I know love. I know how to love because he showed me how to love (John 3:16). There is no greater application of knowledge being power than when God sent an example for our lives to model. That is why I know love. I have knowledge that it can do all things and trust all things. It hopes, forgives, it is kind and unselfish. I want to seize the opportunity to turn this knowledge into power. And live each day with the definite end of putting love into action. It is the potential power of the love I know.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You once again for Your power. Thank You for knowledge of Your Son Jesus Christ that You sent to empower us with His love. Thank You for helping us grow in You and providing a way to get to You. Lord, we need Your help as we travel this journey of life. We need You to continue to bless us with the knowledge of Your awesome power. To You alone belongs the glory and praise. In Your precious and Holy Name I pray. Amen.

Derrick S. Slack

www.DSLACK.com

Win for Losing

2012-10-24T14:33:00.001-07:00

Everyone desires to win. Not many things in life feel as good. Winning boosts the ego. It repairs self-esteem. Winners get the highest compensation and the utmost praise. Tickertape parades are reserved for winners only. Winners surround themselves with other winners. There is no losers' circle. No child fanaticizes about being down by one point in the fourth quarter with seconds left on the clock, only to miss and lose the championship. We dream of winning big. Winners cross the finish line first. They run faster, jump higher. They don't settle for less. Winners give more. They are more than enough. They expect miracles. Winners defeat giants, slay dragons, win the princess and live out their days in castles. Everyone wants to win; therefore no one wants to lose.

I recently joined a basketball league at one of the local churches to get some exercise, fellowship with Christian brothers, and let off some steam and stress. Last year our team went undefeated. We took home two trophies, and had the title of champions. This year my team isn't so good. We are really not that good. Of course I thoroughly enjoy the games, showing off my outdated skills and fellowshipping with men. But there is a competitive spirit within me that desires nothing more than to win. And win big. However, usually it is the team that we are playing that has more points at the end of the game – sometimes ten or even twenty points more. It is disheartening, not because we didn't win the game, but because a few of my teammates will give up late in the game and feel defeated. No longer are they hustling to get that loose ball. They will stop playing defense. They will complain more to the referee. They will look to get fouled instead of looking for the open man. In essence they make us lose. We would be five points down late in the game and suddenly it would balloon to fifteen. They throw their hands in the air and walk off the court in frustration. I try to never lose (Philippians 3:12-14).

God is calling on us to never give up (James 1:2-4). He wants us to push through to the end and not stop until He gets the glory out of our lives (Hebrews 10:32-36). God is asking us to trust Him and allow the greatness locked within us to manifest itself in all that we do. He often will send an oppositional force to test our resolve and ability to call upon Him to get us to the winner's circle (Hebrews 12:7-13). Life is not a game. But how you do anything is an indication and a reflection on how you will do everything. If you stop and allow the enemy to defeat you in little things, the greater forces will decimate you. If you cannot push past the obstacles in pursuit of small goals, chances are that you will fall short of your larger ones. God is asking us to fight the temptation to quit. He is saying that we should not depend on the scoreboard to determine how we feel. No matter how many points the enemy puts up, we should be consistent in our faith and walk with our heads held high so that we can grow (Romans 15:4-6).

The other night we were playing one of the best teams. The first time we played them they beat us by thirty-eight points. But this particular night we kept it very close. We played defense very well. We passed the balls and communicated better. We rebounded. We scored – often. We kept our spirits high and encouraged one another. We were determined to come out on top and agreed at the beginning of the game to leave it all on the court. With only a few seconds left in the game we had the ball and down by only two points. I had the ball, time was running out. I passed it to my teammate who was wide open for a three pointer. He shot it. Time expired. Our team erupted in cheers and high fives. The other team looked puzzled. They looked up at the scoreboard to confirm what they already knew: they had two more points than we did. The team captain shouted over, "Hey, what ya'll so happy for? Ya'll lost!" We fought through to the end. We never gave up and did our best. We gained a new respect and brought it down to the wire. Our time had arrived (Ecclesiastics 9:11). I smiled. No, we didn't lose. We just didn't win.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for all things in my life. Thank You for allowing me to share the gifts that you have given me. Please use me Lord to spread Your Word throughout this world. May something I You have given me to say be used as a torch in a darkened tunnel. Allow Your light to shine within me so that You get the glory out of my life. Help me to win Your favor so that I could help heal Your flock. In Your precious and Holy Name I pray. Amen.

Derrick S. Slack

www.DSLACK.com

Carry On Baggage

2012-10-23T13:45:00.001-07:00

If you have lived at all and have had many experiences, as I have had – both good and bad, you begin to become what you have done. You begin living your life based on what has already happened. You develop certain assumptions and expect certain characteristics out of situations that seem familiar. You begin to see the world through old eyes. New experiences feel like old ones and become old experiences in a new way. After all, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). It would seem that relationships suffer because of this fact. We bring into them so much history – perceived and real – that we often make the person in the present to be responsible for the experiences in the past. We have unstated or understated expectations that often have nothing to do with the current situation at hand. The past experience controls the present. The past often dictates our moves. It can command our motivations and tells us how things should be because of what they've been. It can give us a sense of how things are, even if it is not necessarily based in current reality. We often hold on to the past no matter how painful or irrelevant it may be.

This is not exclusive to bad experiences. Often when we have experienced something good with another person, we want every person, especially new people, to replicate the bliss that that person brought us. We begin to filter their actions with that of another. We want them to act the way the other acted. We want them to say similar things that the other said. We want to feel the same way with our new person as we did with the person of our past. We want to take into our current relationship the best of another and project those feelings with an expectation that we will feel just as happy, cherished, appreciated, and loved. This, in many ways, is unfair. It strains a relationship by placing restrictions on one's personality. It is saying that who you are with is not good enough, and the other is better. It is communicating that your current relationship cannot have the natural, unique progression that has the potential to exceed the wonderful expectations you had with another.

This is equally as damaging a thing when our experiences have not been so favorable in our lives. We tend to match up new experiences even stronger, and more unforgivingly, when we are reminded of a past that brings about negative thoughts. For example, our parent's choices in mates that caused them abuse and harm, affect us in a way that has us on constant guard to protect ourselves from that person being reincarnated in our new relationship. We tend to overanalyze and overreact to the current situation because of our experiences with another – or worse with experiences that others have had or spoken to us about. There is nothing more unfortunate then to live your life based on what you did not personally experience, but out of fear of what another has told you about theirs. This limits our ability to live out the purpose that God has intended for our lives. This places us in perpetual fear of repeating mistakes. This causes us to be overly cautious about our future. This leads to insecurity and misguidedness. It leads us to following our heart, the moment, the feeling, instead of leading our hearts with love. Living in the past enslaves us with an unnatural desire to control everything and everyone in our lives.

No, you should not forget the past. But you should forgive your past. We grow from the past by being available to it when it was our present. Every yesterday was once a today and in that moment is the very opportunity to learn and grow. It is in those moments we become a new creature. It is when we should call upon God to use our experiences to make us new people (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is when God is able to unpack the suitcases of our soul so that we can board the flight into our future without excess baggage. Therefore, our relationships will be better. We will no longer desire to attract what we want into our lives – which is based on the past. But we will attract who we are. And if God is our pilot taking us to our destiny, we will need no baggage, because we will get all that we need when we arrive. And we will experience life anew – even if it's happen before. Because we have told our baggage to carry on.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wonderful wisdom that You provide us through Your Word. Thank You for all of Your blessings that You have placed in my life. Thank You for the revelation and application of Your Word. Continue to strip my life of the hold my past has on me. Continue to shape me into who You want me to be. Help me to be who You have purposed me to be and allow me to be the instrument to help others get closer to You. I give my life to You, oh Lord, in Your Holy and precious Name I pray. Amen.

Derrick S. Slack

www.DSLACK.com

Growth of the Mustard Seed

2012-10-22T13:14:00.001-07:00

Today is going to a great day! It has to be. All the bad ones are gone. All the dark depressive days that strangled the life out of me are no longer. Gone are those days that convinced me that I was nothing, could never be anything either. Gone are those days that suffocated my air of confidence, and depleted the oxygen of opportunity. No longer will I be forced into frustration. I will not be stalled into stagnation. I will not be knocked down or knocked out. I will not allow fear to consume me. Today, I will take charge of my time and will fill each and every moment with joy. Happiness will be my wakeup call because I have left sadness sleeping. There is no need to be silent because peace makes sounds in the chest that has a beat that you can dance to. Today I welcome the rain because it helps my flowers blossom. The storms are here to test the strength of my roots. Today nothing shall offend me. I need no one to defend me because I will fear no evil (Psalms 23:4). So come on Satan take your best shot. I know it's your job to break me down like Job. So the holes you placed in my soles are nothing because my soul is whole (Job 2:7). Satan, you cannot kill me, so your torture will only make me stronger. I choose to live out this day with a smile.

The Bible teaches that a little faith, as small as a mustard seed, has the power to make mountains fall and that nothing will be impossible (Matthew 17:20). If we as believers in Christ were truly to empower ourselves with this knowledge, the "bad" days in our lives would really have already ended. Often, we cry the same tears over the same things and call out for God's intervention over the same types of issues. It is a testament to His awesome grace that you have awakened this morning. It is a fact that He still has His hands on you because He has given you today. He has provided you with an opportunity to enact your faith that can no longer be accomplished in any yesterday, and may not be extended into tomorrow. We, as believers, often will not take full advantage to grow our faith. We often will be satisfied with as little faith as possible. We have faith that we will not fall when we bend our knees to sit in a chair. We have faith that the bridge will not crumble into the creek as we drive across it. We have faith that the elevator will lift us to our desired destination without crashing to the ground. And we have faith, as we walk across the ceiling on the floor above it, that it will not cave in below our feet. We are experts, even unconsciously, of having little faith.

Although Jesus spoke about this little faith in terms of it can do great things, I believe He intended for us to grow the mustard seed into great faith to do even greater things (Hebrews 11:39). Therefore, we needn't worry when the wind carries our dream home away during a tornado. Growing the mustard seed will have you weathering all the storms that come your way. We would suppress the depression that quickly rises as we witness our spouse shut the door of love during a divorce. Growing the mustard seed faith will have us turning to God in praise – not doubt – that He will still get the glory from our marriage. With the growth of our faith we wouldn't turn to alcohol, drugs, or overeating to comfort us during life's most tumultuous moments, such as getting fired, losing a limb or a child, going bankrupt, being a victim of violence, or falsely accused. That is why today we should shake off what we consider bad and activate our faith to make it a great day. But when the winds of anguish blow into our lives, when the levies of contentment break to flood our eyes with tears, and when the all-consuming fire of frustration make us white-hot with anger, we have a choice: growth or grief.

I have faith as small as a mustard seed. Today, I choose to plant it in the fertile soil of life's pain, and grow it. And it will be a great day – everyday a great day.

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for this day. Thank you for your Word that helps to empower my faith in You. Thank You for all that You do to turn my grief into growth, and my pain into promise. Thank You for sending Your Son as an example of trusting You with all of my heart. Lord, I know the trials that are in my life are meant to bring me closer to You, to purify my faith and rid my life of all doubt and worry. Please continue to work on me and through me. In Your Holy Name I pray. Amen.

Derrick S. Slack

www.DSLACK.com

The Original Me

2012-10-19T20:49:00.000-07:00

I believe that God designed us to be awesome. He has instilled within each of us a spirit that is striving toward fulfillment and enlightenment. We were created to have a bright future full of hope, positive opportunity, and good (Jeremiah 29:11). We were destined to be great and to exhibit this greatness in all that we do. We are meant to serve God through the wonderful things that we put forth in our lives (Isaiah 14:26-27). We are meant to live according to our highest potential and to seize every moment to show love. Our lives are meant to find ways to reflect the image by which we were made: God. Our spirit is continually trying to activate the beauty that is within us. If you've ever asked a child what aspirations they have in life, they will most always pick something that they consider great. We were born with an instinct to pursue excellence and greatness. All of us desire to be important, feel worthy and needed, leave a positive legacy, and win. Our spirits naturally disdain the negative and impair impatience. We were made with affirming attitudes and positive personalities. Each one of us is unique, different in a way that is special. We were born with laughter in our hearts and joy in our smiles. Our presence has the potential to be peaceful. We are more powerful then we may ever know.

God is intending for us to unveil our truest selves – our original selves that reflect the best of what He created our spirits to be. He desires nothing more than for us to revert back to that original being that His designed us to be. But somewhere along the continuum of life, we somehow have taken the path that has led us astray from the origins of our true spiritual selves. Our flesh, in many ways, has taken control of our destiny and thrown us off course of the where we should be as wonderful, beautiful spiritual beings. It would seem that we have spun out of control and moved so far away from who God meant us to be. Our original nature is one of power; our flesh has made us impotent. Our original spirit is one of delight and joy, our flesh, however, has made us mean, unhappy and depressed. We were made for kindness, love and patience, not with a vile and jealous spirit that seeks to destroy. We are, in our flesh, traveling the road of ungratefulness, instead of taking the path that leads to peace.

We must set out to reclaim the purpose that God has uniquely placed within us all. We must strengthen our spirits to defeat our flesh. We must catch up to the "Original Me" that was created for unconditional love and respect. We must rediscover the spirit that seeks to improve itself and the world around it. We must activate our God-given spirit that empowers us to do great things. Our Creator is the only one with the blueprint of our original design and His Word is the source that tells us how we can rebuild our spirits to become who we were purposed to be.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You so much for designing us to be great. Thank You for showing us the beauty that You have created within our spirits that is the true reflection of You. Help us to rediscover who we were meant to be and how we can have conquest over our flesh and anything that attacks us. Please continue to show us how we can turn our trials into to trails that lead us to You. Lord, we know that we can do all things through You and know that without You nothing shall be possible. Please allow me to find the Original Me that began life with promise. Help me to know that I am Your child and only You can save me. I need You Lord more than ever right now and ask for Your guidance, wisdom, power to secure my future. I ask this in Your Holy and precious Name. Amen.

Derrick S. Slack

www.DSLACK.com

More Than Human

2012-10-18T13:18:00.001-07:00

I am only human. I am a flawed, imperfect being that is prone to make mistakes. I do not have it completely together and I often need help to solve my problems. I am selfish and rude. I can be unkind and impatient, stubborn and thoughtless, thus unloving. I am not a bad person, just not a very good one (Romans 7:18-20). I understand the things that I need to do to make life easier and better and I fail to do them. I often do the opposite of what I feel if what I feel is the right thing to do (Romans 7:21-24). I take others for granted and do not let them know how much I appreciate them. I ask for my faults to be looked upon through a telescope, all while looking at the faults of others through a microscope. Hypocrite. Loser. Mean. Ugly. I am the worst of what people think of me. I am only human.

If being human means the antithesis of what it means to be spirit, then it is no wonder that these characteristics that I have displayed at times rise to the top of my character. All humans make mistakes and fall short of the power within them to do great things. When God breathed the breath of life into His first human being, He essentially provided Him life (Genesis 2:7). Life is not the dust of the earth by which God formed man. It is not the flesh that houses that breath of life within. It is not the sin. Life is not that which caused man to fall (Genesis 3). It is the very substance that God gave to us: our spirit. Our flesh is flawed. It is ugly and defiles, consumes, and destroys all that it encounters (Matthew 15:13-20). Being human means that you will not be able to be perfect – ever. Even when we do something that seems good, our flesh is constantly striving to undo anything that we deem worthy. We are dying. Humanity is continually embracing death.

So how can, in our human state, we reverse this course and undo the curse that has been placed on our lives? How can we welcome light and life into our being and live with kindness, respect, love, and appreciation? How can we be more worthwhile and strive to be better than our mistakes? We are only human, but thank God that He has made us more than that. Thank God that we are more than the dust of the ground of which He formed us. The breath that he placed within man is the very being that is motivated to move toward light and life. This being is the spirit inside us of that is forgiving and honest. It is loyal and gracious. It is not selfish or ugly. It is what makes us beautiful. It is what God touches each time we call on Him. It is how we love. Our spirit is what makes our imperfections perfect, because through them is how we learn and grow. We may never know how wonderful our spirit can be, until we have experienced how awful our humanity is. And although we are flawed, destructive, human, we should be thankful to God that we are more than that.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for placing Your spirit within us. Thank You that we have a power within us to defeat our humanistic ways. Thank You for all that You have done to help us overcome the mistakes we have made and the lives we have ruined. Thank You for Your redemptive quality that helps us change and be more like You. Help us, oh Lord, to continuously turn to You when our flesh has failed us and we are holding on to death. Thank You for forgiving us when we sin and supplying Your Word so that we can get back to you. In Your mighty and precious Name I pray. Amen.

Derrick S. Slack

www.DSLACK.com

Love, Just Because...

2012-10-17T13:32:00.001-07:00

A love with purpose must be loved on purpose. There simply is no other way, method, or technique. This is a universal law and truth of life and the relationships that govern it. Love is not a thing we feel – it is something that we do. Our actions determine love and at the levels in which love exists. Love must be something that we make a priority in our lives for it to reach its full potential. And the potential of love can be transformative, translating into transcendental beauty that builds habits of gentle kindness and persistent patience. Love will bring out the best in a person, but is often embedded in the very worse of situations, because life will test your ability to exhibit true love. The unwanted and unloved one that continues to display love has passed the test of true love. Those that can push past the pain, heartache, and destruction caused by a flawed individual and still continue to display love have passed the test of true love. These people are living out their love in the manner in which God shows His love for us (Romans 5:3-8). They are reflecting the image by which we were created.

True love is a thing we can readily find in the Word of God. God still patiently loves us even as we sin in His sight. God still displays love as He maps out the path designed for us to follow that leads to redemption and eternal life (Romans 8:317-39). His love is found in the kindness He gave a broken world with the sacrifice of His only Son (John 3:16). True love does not depend on circumstance; it loves in spite of it. True love is slow to anger because it is patience in practice (Proverbs 19:11). It does not vacate in times of pressure or trouble, it perseveres until it has conquered all (Galatians 6:9). True love does not make excuses, and it does not require reasons. It does because it cares. It is patient and kind, helpful, gentle, and forgiving.

I am learning to love. I am learning how to no longer be a selfish lover – one that expects something in return for my love. Often, my actions seem to express love, but the motivation is perhaps so that I could get something out of the deal, causing superficial gestures that do not translate into true love. I have failed the tests love has presented me. Love does not grade on a curve, for it marks one's life only Pass or Fail. I have not often enough given myself freely without the burden of expectation arbitrarily placed on others. I have not been as kind, or patient, or helpful, or caring, gentle, or forgiving with those I have committed to love. I have loved too verbally instead of loving as a verb. Too often I have expected love to be a transaction, instead of displaying the action required of me to love. Perhaps I need to love God enough to trust Him to activate that love He has placed within me, and love myself – unconditionally love myself.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us the way that You do. Thank You for being our Creator and the infinite source of true love that You freely give, even when we do not deserve it. Thank You for the revelation You provide in Your Holy Word of the definition of true love and the power that accompanies its application. Please continue to work on me and help me understand the purposes that You have for my life and how I can bless others with the love You have given me. Help me to be the instrument of love to activate patience, forgiveness, helpfulness, initiative, gentleness, and kindness. In Your Holy and Precious Name I pray. Amen.

Derrick S. Slack

www.DSLACK.com

The Gain of Pain

2012-10-16T07:17:00.001-07:00

Today is as good a day as any to once again embark upon this journey into myself. There have been many well-intended starts to this journey that have all concluded incomplete. For I now realize that the path to self-enlightenment is a lifelong road. And this journey must not cease! I am a blessed man. God has given me a unique perspective to live by and He has equipped me with wonderful gifts and talents. I am able to quickly grasp ideas and use them to teach others or illuminate their darkened path, even if only for a moment. God has provided me with the gift to teach, share ideas, and inspire others with a great ability to speak, write, learn, and grow. However, there are parts of me that certainly need the inspiration, teachings, and application of the very words God has given me for others to hear. That is why I am here today. Hopefully my journey here will lead to some real change in my life, and of course, consistent with what God has given me, I hope that others will use this testimony for their own unique journey.

Today, I choose to love – intentionally. I am making a commitment to lead my heart and not merely follow it. Following my heart has led me into some sinful, lonely, and ungodly situations that were satisfying for the moment, but left me or others with regret and pain. Although God does not promise that life will be pain free, He does promise that He is able to use any suffering for a higher purpose toward our personal growth (Romans 8:26-30). So it would seem that a life full of pain should be a life filled with growth and change. For it is (Biblically) true: No Pain, No Gain! But the hard part is changing the pain. When pain is caused by repeated destructive patterns, it is often an indication that growth has yet to take place and therefore we are missing the lesson and blessing that God intended for this pain in the first place. And I am tired of patterns that reoccur in my life. I am sick of the same pep talks and false starts I have given myself and begun, of course with the intent of dramatic change, but ended with the same ol' same.

I now know the missing link in my quest for a better me: God. God, to me, was always the co-pilot in my flight to higher existence, my co-captain on my ship in deep waters, my co-worker as I employed my endeavors, instead of the one in charge of my every move. Instead of me allowing God to be God I relied upon myself as the greatest source of guidance, power, security and wisdom. I understand now that I cannot beat God at being God (Proverbs 3:5-8).

Dear Heavenly Father, please allow me the strength to carry out Your purposes You have for my life. Please mold me into a man that submits to Your perfect will and does not lean on my own understanding. Please equip me with the tools to use my pain and my life as a living sacrifice for Your Kingdom. Lord, I need You more than ever right now. I need You to comfort me with your loving hand and hold me in your loving arms. Lord, I need you to forgive me of all of my sins and help me live a life according to Your Word. Empower my life to be a testimony to Your greatness and the power that You alone possess. Please aid me through any and all situations that I face. Lord, please keep the Devil away from me, for only You have the power to defeat him and remove him from my mind, heart, spirit, and body. Lord, I need You and I love You so much and I thank you for all that you have done within my life. Help me also to be a blessing to others as You continue to bless me. In Your Holy and precious Name I pray. Amen.

Derrick S. Slack

www.DSLACK.com

Even Nothing is Possible!

2011-03-11T14:23:00.001-08:00

How inconceivable it must have been for others to hear two small town boys dream of building heavier than air machines that would glide through the sky like feathers attached to a beautiful blue jay. I can just hear the laughter of those gravity law-abiding citizens condemning and mentally prosecuting those felonious physics outlaws. How dare they attempt to defy the laws of nature? Nevertheless, they persevered, ignoring the conventional wisdom that states, "If it's never been done before, it shouldn't happen now." Fortunately, they were the "right" brothers for the job.

When a man stood before a nation and declared his right to humanity, proclaiming "Freedom!" through his dream of a better world, others mocked him and told him that his efforts for equality will never reach fruition. They told him that his ideals of fairness, justice and basic human rights will forever escape him as well as others that were the same skin color as he. They tried to kill his dream with assassination attempts on his character, telling him "things will never change, so don't waste your time." His passionate dream paved the way for barriers to be broken, and the burden of interracial relationships to lose their stigma. This literally has given birth to a President that embodies the truth of that dream and forward wisdom.

Many have told us that this is not our time. That we are not destined for the greatness as we dream it. That we cannot soar among the stars. That the sky is the limit, because that is as far as they can see. Many have told us to cease believing in the impossible, because it is not possible to have what does not yet exist. They have told us to wait to wander around the wonder of what we can achieve. They tell us to play it safe; to take the easy route, because the vehicle we have to travel down the road to success is not equipped with snow tires. They tell us our desires are undesirable — we are undeserving because no one understands our unconventional convictions. They say our over-the-top thinking will leave us sinking in the sea of sorrow. They tell us we risk too much — we dream too big to grasp what we envision. They tell us that what we want will be too difficult; that it will take too long a time to accomplish. They speak that there will be drama. They say we do not deserve it, because it is not in our nature — as if we were only made for the status quo. They will tell us of the many generations that could not generate the genius we feel within our minds. They will state that, "If it's such a great idea, why isn't being done already?" They will try to convince us that we will not be able to afford the dreams we have created, that it will be too expensive to achieve. They will want us to believe that we are too old or not old enough, or the rules will not allow us to do what our hearts desire. However, if we listen to them and say, "I'm scared," or "I can't," then they will be right.

But I refuse to any longer sit on the side lines and watch my dreams float away like a message in a bottle destined for nowhere on the waves of the ocean. I am going to unbridle my spirit and throw caution to the wind to pollinate my dreams like a fluffy dandelion being blown onto a yard. I want to spread and multiply my desires like a wildfire decimating a forest so that it grows anew. I will eliminate all the excuses that try to cling to my consciousness to control my confidence. I am ready to optimistically look into my future and see hope, love and prosperity, not fear, lack, and regret. I will build a fortress on the frontiers of freedom and uncharted territory to pioneer peace. I will to walk boldly where others have said I am not allowed to go. Rise further up mountains than any have ever dared to dream. I will lift my eyes to the sky, holding my head high with confident determination. I will be guided by principles of faith, placing procrastination and fear into a fiery pit. My soul will conquer all doubt and leave it in the deepest depth of the sea. I will not be ruled by the limiting expectations of others. I was born with wings so I was destined to fly. I will manifest my destiny by refusing to simply exist — I will live fully and without regret.

Who could have imagined that one small step on a tiny rock in the sky could have awakened our belief in the unimaginable? Or a filament in a small tube could literally provide light brighter than the sun. Or a key and a kite would give us so much power. Or a flexible membrane inside of a steering wheel could save countless lives. Or an apple falling on the head could help us understand our place in the universe. I admire the fortitude it must have taken to create and produce the most unimaginable things ever created in the world. They spoke their dreams into existence like God spoke the world out of nothing. They thought and acted as God does: without limitation. They followed through on their dreams and created wonderful things out of nothing. They used the power of God to do so, because with God even nothing is possible.

Though these people were ridiculed for their ideas, they pressed onward, ignoring the stop signs that intersected with their dreams. And we have that power. We have enough vision and capability as any other to enact the forces in our minds and hearts that is telling us to push on. We have a force shouting in our soul to dream bigger, go farther, live better, and do more. It is telling us to act upon our ideas in a way that has us risking everything. We must find the opportunity in all adversity. We must not live with the regret of watching our dreams waste away. We will not fail, but even if we do not make it to our desired end, we will be a million miles from standing still. And in doing so, we will prevail. We will achieve the success necessary to sustain our lives. But they will try to shoot us down. They will try to tell us we cannot, or should not. They will tell us that our dreams are nothing. That we are nothing. But we know that with God, even nothing is possible.

Why Did I Get Married: A Confession

2010-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

When I was a single man, life seemed great. I could do what I wanted, go where I wanted, date whomever I wanted, etc. I could get up at a moment’s notice and travel to the ends of the earth in pursuit of my personal happiness. I could take my savings and spend it on dreams that have taken me literally to the highest mountain tops. I could stay out all night long and not have to remember the day before or expect anyone to ask. I was responsible for me and could afford to be irresponsible. I was a jerk, a liar, a cheat, a heart breaker, a creep, a player, a sinner. But I was an all around smooth guy that could talk his way into some of the most wonderful situations and out of some very dangerous ones. I could spoil myself with a vast variety of experiences; different flavors of women that somehow still could not quench my insatiable thirsts. I could explore my options uninhibited by guilt. Other people were unimportant. I was a child then.

I was not emotionally, spiritually, or relationally mature enough to truly handle adult relationships. I was too interested in power, pleasure and my own happiness to have the lasting enjoyment a monogamous relationship can bring. I did not care about hurt feelings, loving feelings, just the immature arousal of physical lust. Ironically, I thought I was happy, even when those I should have cared about were not. I had somehow come to the conclusion – or delusion – that people knew the expectations of the “relationship” and that they were just willing participants in my twisted games of the heart. Instead of me being Moses leading the people I care about to a better Promised Land, I was constantly breaking treaties, exiling them and leaving a trail of tears.

I was not willing to accept that other people existed; that they were special. That they possessed a unique quality that should be exalted not exploited. I was blind and could not see them internally, deaf to their cries and concerns, and did not desire to touch their hearts, if their bodies were intangible. I was “smelling” myself, as the old folks say. I was an arrogant, pompous, ostentatious coward, too afraid to expose the inner most regions of my being. It seemed that opening up would reveal the well orchestrated hoax that was cloaked with a beautiful smile, profound vocabulary, an unrivaled intelligence, and an unrestrained capability to create adventure. I feared that others would know that I did not possess all the answers, that I was filled with self-doubts and insecurities. That I was secretly in pain from utter loneliness and despair. That I was more unraveled than I led on to be. That I was desperate to not be alone or experience abandonment and rejection. Consequently, I engaged in multiple, simultaneous and inappropriate relationships. Addicted to the feeling that sexual experience would provide. People were reduced to body parts and the stimulation, affection, and comfort came not from human contact, but was sexualized. I felt a sadistic sense of safety.

But no one knew these things of me. At least I did not allow them close enough to me for them to intervene, or hang around long enough for them to express their concerns. No one was allowed to penetrate my soul’s inner chamber. My friends would get frustrated at my inconsistency, my withdrawal, my seemingly erratic behavior. They would be angry at my progressive distance, lack of consistent communication, and inability to open up as they would with me on occasion. They did not understand my absence from the relationship, the unavailability that has perhaps forever left gaps between us. They did not – could not – know the extent of my pain. The child inside of me still searching for the loving touch of his father. The angry kid deep inside still caught in generational addictions and curses that manifest in the most deplorable ways. They did not know how unworthy and inadequate I perceived myself. The masks I have worn that resembled laughter, adventure, experience, and poetry. I was unreachable because I did not believe I deserved to be reached. Consequently, I soaked myself in sin that concurrently cured my afflictions, while at the same time reinforced them. My lonely pain was temporarily eradicated with the enticing touch of a stranger. Yet at the same time it confirmed the delusion that I was a bad person. One-night-stands were the norm. I delved deeper into pornography, adult bookstores, losing my cable because of pay-per-view charges got too high. I was in a relationship with sex and was too afraid to seek honest friendship and heart-felt human romance.

I have always traced my incontinence and nefarious behavior to my first love. We met in high school and quickly became an item. I fell hard for her. I genuinely liked her and showed her love throughout our time together. I saw her as beautiful, intelligent, sexy. As with most first loves, my infatuation led me to believe that she was perfect. I believed she was incapable of hurting me and I poured myself into her. I exposed myself through beautiful poetry and prose that proclaimed my love for her. I was in awe when in her presence. She provided a warm space where I could be free to reveal who I truly was. I felt an acceptance that I had not experienced up until that point. It was like she was my air, thinking that a moment without her would cause me to suffocate and die. I wanted to die when I found out my angel had fallen flat to the earth. Reality revealed its ugly head when I discovered she did not love me the same. That she had several relationships while we were together. That she had lied about her virginity and was still in a sexual relationship with her ex, a schoolmate of ours, and perhaps even more (I admit, my emotional memory may have intensified her behavior over the years). When I confirmed some of what was going on, it was like she ripped my heart from my chest and placed it in a shredding machine. Or trampled my soul as though I were caught in the path of a herd of elephants.

I hated myself for loving her. I despised the fact that I wanted her back; even after all I had found out about her activities. I felt like an idiot for loving her; for trusting and believing in her love. I blamed myself for her behavior. I felt that since I was unworthy, inadequate in some form, or not deserving of love, that I did not deserve to be treated well. It was truly embarrassing. I justified her behavior with a self-loathing attitude that said I was at fault in some way. “If only I had done more…” “If only I had not…” “Why didn’t I give….” These were the thoughts swirling in my mind as I dug deeper and deeper into my self-doubt and depression. I felt lost and alone and wanted to duplicate the wonderful feelings that I longed for with her – only without the risk of getting crushed like a speeding tractor trailer being smashed into a concrete wall. I was determined to reinvent myself; construct a wall around my heart and soul and guard it with deadly force. I secretly vowed to never allow anyone else to get close enough that they could hurt me in that way. It began with me attempting to lose the part of me that cared. I purposely sought the companionship of those I knew I could only give a portion of myself.

I vehemently refined myself and rehearsed a charm that could mask my truest intentions, my deepest feelings and utmost desires. I learned how to manipulate situations that would fuel the fix of my sexual high. I fell in love with sex and the wonderful feel-good it provided, though temporarily. Relationships were valued on if and when I could have sex. Everything revolved around sex; it was the center of my life and the reason to live. I would find myself in crowds and observing women for the potential conquest not companionship. It was sick – I was sick. And I needed a way out.

It has taken quite some time for me to realize these repulsive qualities about myself and more importantly that the origin pre-dates my first love. First Love, I forgive you and I am sorry. I now realize that the cold loneliness, self-pity, self-loathing, angry, hurt portions of my personality were only enhanced by that experience, not necessarily caused by it. I have placed more time and energy into creating an exterior that is quite wonderful, full of life, doused in inspiration, well spoken, beautiful, and learned. However, I have allowed my interior to remain damaged and beaten, broken and confused. For too long I have been slowly dying on the inside, deteriorating away like a rotting corpse. To all the girls I have loved before, I am sorry. I have in many ways taken your beauty and attempted to use it to try and make me whole. I have tried to find my laughter in your sweet smile. I have tried to replace the hurt and damage within myself with the wonderfulness you have freely given to me. You have allowed me to trample over you like a wild horse, while patiently you have stood there rope in hand trying to tame me. I sincerely and deeply apologize to the men you have loved after me; for you comparing my thoughtlessness and insensitivity to their good intentions. For not giving them a chance to get close because I had pushed you away. For wanting to do to them what I had done to you. A couple of you had even broken through the wall I built and for a moment we loved each other the right way. But, I was missing an important ingredient in my development that you just could not provide. That I could not provide for myself. This, I realize had to only come from a Higher Source.

On November 2, 2007, I rededicated my life to God, fully accepting Him into my heart and desiring to be a new creation, leaving behind my past. I immediately felt the awesome power of God that resonated throughout my body, mind and spirit that provided me a personal strength I had never felt in my life. I knew that I was more than what I believed myself to be, more than my actions, more than how others perceived me, more than my mistakes. I turned my obsessive personality into a passion for Christ. I was dedicated to fasting, prayer, studying His Word that began to give better meaning to my life. I wanted nothing more than to discover my purpose, to utilize my natural and acquired abilities to lead people to an amazing place where God is head of their lives. God allowed me to open myself up again. Completely. God gave me permission to set my fears aside and discover what love had in store for me. I was ready to love again. Ready to potentially be that fool for love and fall deeply for someone that loved me just the same. God made me ready to love again. Ready to accept me wholly and give of myself to someone, accepting them for the perfect imperfection God uniquely placed within their heart. I was ready to discover what it felt like to want to give your life to someone, entrusting them with your all. I wanted to know the feeling of falling head first and the prayer that God's outstretched hands are there to cushion the impact. I prayed only that I had the strength to overcome my pain and that He forgave me for all that I had done.

And it happened. All of a sudden it happened. I was in the midst of being obedient to God’s calling on my heart by serving His children with the Youth Ministry at the church I was attending. We had organized an all night lock-in for the youth to run freely, listen to inspirational teaching and get closer to their peers as they took on the awesome challenge of building a better relationship with God. I was one of the four adults there. Two of them were married. The other was a gorgeous representation of sunshine. She had a smile that lit up my darkened soul. She carried a beauty with her like an expensive purse full of riches. When she spoke a cool breeze traveled up my back and made my spine tingle. In her presence, the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up like a frightened puppy in the midst of his master. We introduced ourselves to each other and did not cease the conversations until the dawn of the next morning forced us to part ways. I said a prayer that very night, “Lord, thank you for all of Your infinite wisdom and wonderful ways. Thank you for all that You continue to bless me with. Lord, if it is Your will, show me the path to matrimony. Reveal to me my wife. Show me with whom I am to spend the remainder of my life….” She called.

I stopped believing in coincidences a long time ago, realizing that God often speaks to us and answers our prayers through signs and situations. He revealed several signs and placed us in situations that allowed us both to know and accept that we were meant to be together. Beyond the fact that we shared similar life goals, similar interests and talents, we both displayed a passion for God and trusted that He would guide and lead us to our place of purpose. A year and half later, we held hands in front of two hundred of our friends and family and proclaimed for the world to hear that we would not let anyone or anything put asunder what God had sanctioned and put together. We swore in the presence of God that we would continuously bind and rebind our connection with the strongest glue of His Word. That we would make sure that the institution of marriage would be tougher than any situation or circumstance that would arise. That we would pray the hard times away. Read our love into a rock that could shatter any spirit that comes to attack our union.

The minister said something very poignant at our ceremony, “Not all marriages are in trouble, but every last one of them is in danger.” Meaning that all marriages are constantly being attacked by forces that attempt to break it up. It is constantly being bombarded by external powers that take the form of ex-lovers, co-workers, strangers at the Mall, in-laws, unmarried friends, talk show advice, magazine columns, research statistics, and un-Godly people. More at work than ever in a marriage is the amplified internal struggle that once again shows its hideousness resemblance to past mistakes that you believed you had gotten over– or at least forever repressed. It takes the form of unresolved insecurities. It brings to light a flawed and faulty upbringing. It conveys messages that confirm your deepest fears. It frustrates you to no end because you begin to overestimate the power you have to change the other person, while underestimating the power you have to change yourself.

You develop the tendency to hold on and dig in to protect yourself from losing yourself. From being stripped of what you believe to be your ideal self-image that you are too afraid to give up being with someone that demands compromise. No one says that marriage is easy. As a matter of fact, nearly all that have entered into this institution insist that it is difficult. Some do not make it, balking at that pressure that it seems to conjure up. Some treat it like a commodity, an article that can be traded for advice from a relative. That can be bought or sold at the solicitation of a stranger. That can be thrown away because the interest is lost. But love is supposed to be stronger than that. It is suppose to support you in these times of trouble. It is supposed to conquer all. Be all. Love is faithful and forgiving. When you truly love someone you are patient. You take your time and give the benefit of the doubt – not doubt the benefits. I love being married – in spite of how hard it is. I truly enjoy the ability to open myself and share the inner most regions with someone I love, even though she often has to pry it out of me. I did not enter into this institution lightly and will strive to be with her until the end of my days.

I have actually, finally matured to the point where I do not desire to return to the walled-up child that was too afraid to explore and express his feelings. I am ready to be strong in the face of adversity and accept responsibility for my portion of the difficultness that occurs in my marriage. I am willing to not give up when circumstances seem impossible to mend. I will give my problems to God and pray He empowers us to seek Godly counsel, remain steadfast in our prayer regimen and daily devotion. God has already provided us with the tools to repair any hole in our soul to make us whole again. He has already given us exactly what we need to get us to the next level. This is why I got married: because I believe in her and the beautiful spirit she has to make me want to fight for her love. Because God has sanctioned our union and blessed us in a tremendous way. Because I love her. With all my heart. Even though I know that love by itself is not enough to keep us married. It will take the hard work and conscious choices to work through the hard times – no matter how hard. It will require the two of us to beleive in this endeavor and desire to give our all.

But we cannot allow our doubts to be our traitors or let our ego rule over us. We cannot allow fear to forge a path to an exit. That which is fear is everything love is not. We must not let our thoughts wander carelessly into an unrealistic fantasy that perfection can be achieved. We must hold fast to our vision and never allow our passion to wane. And we truly must know that God is in control and all things are possible with Him. With God all things work to a greater good. And believing in this very fact, we realize that problems are a part of solutions. Pain is a part of healing. And sorrow is a part of joy.

Are You a Citizen of US or Them?

2010-01-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

We arrived at the Mauritanian border and things went surprisingly well and fast. This was in stark contract to what everyone was trying to prepare us for. I did not have a visa to enter into the country hoping to get one at the border, and Abdullah, our driver said I should have gotten it in Casablanca for 200MAD because they will jack up the price to 1000MAD ($100 USD) plus a little pocket money for the Boss. I didn't even have that much money on me and this worried me a bit. But I left my worries in a prayer and enjoyed the adventure. I fumbled through my mind of things I could use , like clothes, a flashlight,etc as currency if need be. When it was our turn to go into the station my desert dwelling brothers were very excited to see a Black American in their country, stating we only go to places like Ghana and Nigeria but never to the desert, never to Mauritania (well there is a reason for that: 1) it's the desert, the Sahara Desert at that; and 2) it's Mauritania...known for....its desert).

I was happy that they were happy and approved my visa right away and everyhting was cool. David and Veronica, my Swedish friends had a little more difficulty, but I said that they were with me and they stamped their passports right away. This is where the Swedes and I are were to part for they were continuing on eastward and I needed to go south to Nouakchott. Enter Mack. This Englishman living in France decided one day to fix up his old work truck and drive from France to Africa, sell it somewhere and then return home. He said it was just too cold in France and wanted to change the weather, so Africa was one place he hadn't discovered yet. Mack was next in line behind us at the border and we chatted it up a bit, he said he was headed east from Nouakchott and accepted to give me a ride that far.

How do I describe Mack without being too insensitive.....hmmm....well the best thing I can come up with is this: he appeared like he was raised in Kentucky, moved to Arkansas and founded his own anti-government militia,complete with truck, flannel shirt (perspective: we are in the desert!!!), trucker's cap, long beard, long mustache, etc. Stateside the two of us rolling cross country would raise more than a few eyebrows, unless of course I played tamborine for his bluegrass band. But that is the beauty of being out here in the world, you meet all sorts of people from many walks of life, many different stories, many faces and you break free of your personal prejudices about who you think people are based soely on how they look. (But if someone calls me Bob Marley one more time...)

Mack had made it this far completely by himself and was starving for someone to talk to. The day had reached the hottest point and I had't really been to sleep from Dakhla talking with the Swedes the whole way, so I was hot and tired. I fought through it and we spoke about everything that is life and it turns out mack was a wealth of knowledge and wisdom, telling me about the mistakes of the '60s when he was sharing needles and in an instant nearly distroyed his life. I told him about Black life in the U.S., my reasons for being in Africa,etc. One recurring question from everyone I met is do i know where I was from in Africa. They are suprised when I say No. "How

could you not know" they inquire, "can'tyou just re-trace your history?" Uh...No! So then I ask them, how do you think Black Americans got to America? Italian Americans, got up one day decided to go. Chinese Americans, said hey family, lets' go to America. German, Spanish, Japanese, etc. all made a choice to be there at some point in their lineage. So how did we get there. It was like the horrors of history had been erased, not one person could fathom that there were people taken from this land and brought to the West and could not keep their own history. It was amazing to them, they knew about slavery, but had some notion that it wasn't so bad.

I could have been in New York having this coversation ( as a matter of fact I've had this conversation in New york), because it is something that world as a whole has forgotten and underappreciates. The effects of the slave mind is still persistent today.... (sigh!!)

Continuing on. We talk into the night, and I get to see for the first time wild camels everywhere and experience the Sahara Desert in all in wonderous glory. We got stopped at several checkpoints. The first question is "Nationality?" Mack said French, "let me see your passports!" (in a demanding tone) Mack thumbs over, "well he's American". "Go!" And we get to leave with no problem. It's amazing that I have never quite felt American, never quite African, just a misplaced soul wandering the earth with no real home. But to everyone outside of America, I AM American. It seems the the only hangups about American identity are those we have created within America. There is no Red, Black, White, Brown or Yellow out here...just Blue...the color of our passports. And in that, at least, United We Stand....

1st Day: Wonderful Life

2009-12-30T12:16:00.001-08:00

It did not ring true until I told it to someone else today. There he was in my office, reeking of failure, sadness, a self-loathing that can only result from years of misguided-ness and mistake. "Look dude," he said with an unconfident determination, "all I want to do now is sit at home and raise my son." Without missing a beat I said, "Well you know he doesn't know anything but what you teach, and he certainly will be looking up to you to for lessons. Not teaching is a form of teaching in way" he nodded his head as if he understood.

"I know." he said after awhile in a lowered voice, realizing the mis-education he has already provided his three year old student. "Possession and dealing, man, I'm looking at 18 years. Dude, they tryna give me 18 years!" he said answering a question I was probably asking with my eyes.

"You know," I said with a teacher-like-preacher-like-fatherly-like tone, "mistakes happen, and most of them have consequences. We are probably no different. We have even made similar mistakes. But, it is not the mistake that is important, because we all make them. It is what you do after the mistake that matters most."

Lately, it has felt like I have been living in a haze, not knowing what to do or how to react. But there it was like a loud bell ringing in my ear, or an annoying alarm clock blaring off minutes after I had pressed the snooze button to return to my slumber. It was like the light of a brand new morning was coming and there was nothing I could do about. In other words, I was telling him the exact words that I needed to hear for myself and my own personal strife I was experiencing at that time.

It was medicine I was administering, yet not prescribing for my own afflictions and ailments. Those are the hardest pills to swallow. It was the answers to tests that I already knew were on the syllabus. Intelligence withheld is folly at best. And I was tired of being stupid, tired of the same old situations emerging in my life that I have helped defeat in another's. I was weary of fighting battles on foreign soil, while domestically, my security had been breeched and I was on the brink of civil war. It seems most difficult to wage war on an enemy that is the inner me.

Our business was finished and he prepared to leave. Just as he was approaching the door, he stopped and turned around and walked back over to where I was standing. "Thanks, man. Thanks for the little pep talk. I…I know it will make a difference." We shook hands and he left. I felt sort of like a hypocrite. Like a failure. I felt as if I was defrauding myself of the much needed education that I was freely giving to others. I made a choice at that moment, a promise to myself that I would strive to be the very best that I could be. I figured I was not living up to my potential; after all I had literally been on top of the highest mountains. I had already traversed the earth adding adventure to my repertoire of memories. I was already a commissioned cadre of positive consciousness. As a matter of fact I am powerful. Beyond measure. Beyond what I was not forgiving myself for. Beyond what unhealthy spirit I had allowed into my heart. Beyond the insecurities that manifested itself in self-deprecation and depression.

It was not arrogance, but an adjustment of attitude that allowed these conclusions. It was the greatness displayed 19,340 feet above the earth. The wonderfulness shown crossing the finish line at the end of a marathon. The beauty of dreaming so large that I would certainly have to augment my audacity to hope and change my perceptions of limitation. I made a promise to no longer be afraid to utilize this power to continually change my life, and inadvertently change others. And I was beginning right then and there. No longer did I want to be the vagabond paradoxically giving financial advice – the beggar lending millions. But instead, I wanted to claim my riches as a cache for my own spiritual and emotional wealth. True altruism begins at home. I want to live up to my potential in the sky like I did looking down from atop mountains.

I smiled. Returned to my desk. And even though it was still cloudy, somehow I knew the sun was just on the other side, not hiding, but waiting to make things better again. This is the first day of a wonderful life, briefly interrupted, but still….a wonderful life.

No better Day

2009-12-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

"Nothing is worth more than this day." -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

It is Monday…again. Today is not only the most important day of the week; it is the most important day of your life. How you begin this day, can determine how well, how fast, how stress-free, how wonderful your week will be. If Monday is weak than the rest of the work week will be the same. Attempt to do all that you can today to make sure it begins and ends in a positive way. This is also the most important day of your life because it is the only day you have. For all we know this could be our last day. How will you live this day, will it be a day to remember all the difficulties that other days have brought you? Will it be a day that you still hold on to outdated grudges and contempt? Will it be a day that you postpone telling those with whom you have contact how special they have been in your life? With all the things we have put off until later, tomorrow just seems too busy and too unpredictable as to its arrival, to not use this day as a chance to have a wonderful life.

Look back and reflect upon this year. Did you accomplish everything you set out to achieve? Did you find ways to eliminate the stress in your life? Was it a great year? Did you become closer to the ideal You that want to be? Were relationships ended for the betterment of you or to the detriment of you? How is this year going to be worse than the next and not the other way around?

This year has brought me so many reasons to smile, laugh, cry, dream, and climb the wonderful mountains that life has for me. I have married the Love of my life, a beautiful, strong, and passionate woman with whom I look forward to spending the rest of my life. We have celebrated the birth of our first child, Zyla Marie and have added this special, beautiful gift to our family. We especially now have a reason to want to make this world a better place, nicer, more tolerant, and safe. So strive with me to improve the world around us and live happily, because if this day is all we get, why waste it!

13 Stripes

2009-12-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

My reaction to it surprised me. I didn't understand it at first. There it was in the distance staring at me, like a friend's outstretched arms welcoming me home. My heart actually skipped a beat and I just couldn't stop smiling. 13 stripes, each one had to be about 20ft long, suspended in air like a cloud providing momentary comfort
from the noonday sun. Being here in Africa you cannot escape the harsh realities of global colonization and the constant effects it has had on the indigenous cultures of so many people. I thought back to my childhood history lessons and the term colony is something that brings celebration in America. We even get two days off in November to eat turkey and remember the destruction of the native peoples of our land. But that was over 231 year ago. The colonization of Africa is much more prevelant and immediate. It is like I have gone back in time to
see how cultures were being destroyed and "civilization" merges into one way.

I phoned the US Emabassy in Bamako, Mali early in the morning just to check in and to re-register my trip (on the State Department's site you can register your travels just in case something happens they know you are in the area and will help you get to safety). I was altering my route a bit and the road from Dakar to Bamako was a little shady with armed bandits car jacking people along the way (thank God it did not effect our bus). I wanted to make sure they knew my movements in Africa. The man on the phone said that I could come down to the embassy at my leisure and speak to the consulate about anything I wanted and I could even file my taxes there and of course re-register my trip. I hung up the phone feeling good. Off to the Embassy I go.

In countries that the U.S. has diplomatic relations there is usually an Embassy in that country to tend to the U.S. affairs, interests and citizens. The US Embassy in Bamako was a grand place (in true American fashion) and walking into the place gave me a strange feeling. I didn't think I would be this excited to be there. And technically, you are on US soil when you are there, so if your baby is born in that building it was born in the US and may be eligible to be a U.S. citizen, amamzing huh? Anyway, I conduct my business with the consulate and get all my documentation in order and leave. On the way out though, I pass by those 13 stripes again, a symbol of America's
past colonization of the land we now call home. In just a moment, I will once again leave my country and step back into a former colony ruled by France, with its aweful legacy evident in the country's impoverished condition.

In just over 233 years, America has risen to become a great place. The more I travel the more I am realizing that there is no other place on earth I'd rather be or be from (ignore for a moment every poem/commentary have ever heard me recite on the subject). Of course it is not perfect with its second-rate, unequal public urban education system, disproportionate incarceration rates and struggling social service system, it is still a great place. I am learning more and more what makes America tick, why so many people want to come here and better their lives and what about America I was missing so much being here.

I guess that is I why my heart skipped a beat when I saw it and a smile was on my face. Yes, those 13 stripes represent a terrible colonial tragedy that occured on American soil over the last 400 years and a past that cannot be forgotton, forever represented as our national identity. It is a banner that now bonds us together. But, as much as it shows us where we have been the 50 stars on it also show us where we are, and ultimately where we can go. I even thought about putting my hand up to my forehead and for the first time in my life solute it, proud to be a representative, a citizen. But I didn't (because we still have a very long way to go). But I did feel a little better about these French colonies I was in, and was more hopeful that one day these lands will emerge from their cultural destruction into the wonderful, diverse, yet somehow united people like where I was from that I have too long under-appreciated.....

Flower Power

2009-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." - Anais Nin

We can look at a colorful flower and smell its sweet scent and marvel at its magnificent display with no thought to what it took to get it where it is today. Most flowers begin their life a tiny seed. The seed alone does not have the ability to turn itself into a flower. The seed needs to find the right soil, endure rainy storms and needs ample light to stimulate its growth. When take an honest assessment of our own lives, we see how like the beautiful flower we are. We too need the proper soil and environment in which to plant ourselves. Likewise we must endure seasons of rainy tears that enrich us with its pain because it was needed to make us stronger. And finally our growth would not be complete without the light to shine, us being praised for our efforts, works and energy that we have given. Today find ways to open up to others, to have compassion toward your friends/family/colleagues/customers' stage of their personal germination process. Flowers, like us come in all shapes, sizes, flavors, colors, but together can make up a wonderful garden. And although we need the rain, let us strive to provide more sunshine so that we can continue to blossom.

Dates With Two Swedes....Watching the Sunrise

2009-12-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

I left Marrakech on a bus at 03:30 bound for Agidir in southern Morocco. This bus was no Greyhound (also sworn off those many years ago), but it was only a 4 hour ride and I fully prepared myself for the 20+ more hours on a bus once I reached Agidir. Agidir seemed to be a ghost town in the morning, nothing was open and when I inquired about the next bud to Dakhla, the lady told me 7pm and it will get me there 5pm the next day. weighing my options, I figured to take one of the "Grand Taxis" to Layonne and feel my way through to Dakhla from there. If you've ever wondered where do all the Mercedes Benz cars circa 1979-1990 have gone look no further than Morocco. The entire taxi system are old Benz', regular taxis in the cities and in the remote places like Agidir they are called Grand Taxis. The Grand Taxi was a bit cheaper than the bus and I would at least arrive 12 hours or so before the bus. the guy at the station "the Boss" explained to me that there are 7 places in the Grand Taxis, therefore 4 in the back and 2 in the front plus the driver. I quickly said no thanks cause I am just too tall to sit in the front seat with two other grown dudes, it too hot and plus where was dude going to sit, this was a stick shift. I preceded to get out and said I will just wait for the bus. He assured me that there would be no problem and to get back in pay the money and we could be on our way. I should have know something was up cause he was the only one the spoke English.

Everything was great, the roads were surprisingly smooth and the weather got increasingly warmer. 5 hours into our trip at a town called Tan Tan (should be renamed UGheta Tan Tan) the temperature must have been over 120 degrees, but things got much hotter. I driver opened my door and asked me to move over because he was picking up another person and with the 7 places in the car we had room. I staunchly refuse and hold my seat. He keeps insisting (mind you this isn't in English, but I understood what he wanted). He keeps putting up 6 fingers and yelling something at me and I keep repeating what I was told back at Agidir that the Boss assured me that I could retain the front with no problem. Driver gets upset tries to take off my seat belt and when I snap it back in place he reaches over turns off the car, takes the keys and walks away in frustration.

Several people come over to try to resolve the situation and I hold my place, keep my ground and calmly explain my position (no one spoke English and I don't understand French or Arabic). The situation is at a standstill and my Rosa Parks stubbornness is holding everyone up. Finally a guy comes from nowhere asking my if I spoke any Spanish, I say a little (man do I know more Spanish than I ever thought I did!!). We have a conversation about the situation and he explained the drivers position and I explain mine and what I was told by the Boss. he understood, say that he would've have told me anything at the beginning but on the road it's a different story. Anyway we come to an agreement that I would pay a few dollars more to keep the front seat so that we could continue to Layonne and everything would be fine. We leave and the Driver and I became friends, he helped negotiate a taxi from Layonne to Dakhla for me and I keep the front seat all to myself.

22 hours, 104 police Checkpoints from Agidir, I arrive in Dakhla, a quaint town in the country of Western Sahara. I planned to stay there for one night and continue on to Nouahibou in Mauritania, but the ride was so exhausting that I ended up staying a few nights. While there I ran into two Swedes, Veronica and David who were wandering the earth like myself. They bought me tea and we sat and laughed and chatted the night away and agreed to leave together for the border. A man approached us with a deal to leave at 4:30 in the morning to beat the traffic and most importantly the sun (all other transport left after 9:00). And the Mauritanian border was notorious for the traffic and slowness. We weighed our options and agreed to take the car to Nouahibou where they would continue east and I south to Nouakchott and then on to Dakar, Senegal.

Leaving in the night proved to be a great move. There was no traffic no heat (we travel through the Sahara Desert) and things were well. They shared their bag of date with me and the best thing about leaving at night was we got to see the beautiful sunrise over the desert...

Time, Flies: the Road to Bamako...

2009-12-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

We finally pull off...at 4:30 PM! We were "scheduled" to leave at noon. Apparently the transportation system here in Africa is as followed: "we don't move until we have a full bus". And that is exactly what was happening now. They held up the bus until one by one people trickled onto the bus and the seats were filled. While waiting on board the hot bus so long, I was being attacked by scores of flies that just thought I was dinner or something, I'd shoo them away and they would double and triple team me and come back for more. So I couldn't even relax while waiting to leave. Finally, we take off.

We are headed to the country of Mali with our final destination being its capital city of Bamako. I was particularly upbeat because I was getting to continue on with my journey after almost considering quitting because I fell ill. We head east...right back into the Sahara Desert. Oh, well, at least we left so late that by the time we are in to heart of it, it will be dark. The entire journey takes two days to reach Bamako. By early morning we reach the Mali border. Trouble. They saw my American Passport and hold it, trying to extort money out of me. I don't have it. They threaten to send me back to Senegal if I don't pay and I don't know what to do.

Enter Tony, Emmanuel and his girlfriend (don't remember her name). I did not know what to think of this trio at first because Tony kept approaching me throughout the night with a scenario that sounded word for word a scam I had read about numerous times in preparation for this trip. They didn't have enough money to reach Accra, until they got to their bank to withdraw funds...the banks in Senegal did not work to retrieve money, etc. He kept asking and pressuring me with this story for me to help them out with some money. I didn't know, but said a prayer asking what to do. At the border Emmanuel came over wanting to help, so did 4 other people. I felt a little overwhelmed and chose someone out to the crowd to speak with. The guy said give him 10,000CFA ($20) and he would negotiate on my behalf. OK, but I was all out of cash (of course until I could use my bank card at a machine to retrieve cash because the bank machines in Senegal did not work).

Emmanuel comes back over and offers to help, he will pay the man and he negotiated with the border patrol on my behalf and we were on our way. I felt conflicted. Here I am in need of help and the one person I turned away because I didn't know if I could trust him, turned out to be the angel I prayed for. In addition, I had the same problem his brother said he had needing to go to the bank to retrieve more money. I continued to pray and told myself I will wait until we reached Bamako before I gave any conclusive answers. Tony said I was a fool to be out so far with no money and internally I agreed, he said that if they weren't there what would I have done. I informed him that he was there because I had faith that God would see me through any and all situations.

Between Dakar and Bamako, there isn't much to look at. There are only so many donkeys, goats and emaciated cows one can marvel at, and the heat in the desert is hot. Frankly, I am board. I start making up songs, "hey little goat, one day you'll be a coat or somebody's din -ner, If that little sheep, make the slightest peep, the farmer man will skin her." Random stupid little thoughts start to fill the time: "Wow, how ironic, cows are vegetarian," Two donkeys mating, after, what does the male run to tell his boys he got some of? And of the ever present flies swirling around my head, buzzing by my ear: I wonder if American flies and African flies speak the same language? Why do they do that thing with their legs, what's up with that? What is the opposite of opposite? What is the definition of definition? Too much time on my hands. Too many flies.

We finally reach Bamako and everything I own and every piece of clothing has this bright red dust on it. Everywhere in Mali is this red dirt and clay-like substance. And it is hot, Africa hot! (Africa Hot: taking a shower, getting clean and dry only to step outside and 9 seconds later you are completely covered in sweat). I immediately go to the bank machine and withdraw enough money to last me until my next stop. Tony is hovering around me and even tries to get into the ATM booth with me. I assumed he wanted to see my code or how much I was getting out. I politely asked him to step out and he did, pacing back and forth trying to look in. This of course made me suspicious of him even more.

The first chance I had alone I stashed away most of my cash and only had enough in my pocket for the two days I'd be in Mali. Tony came at me hard this time asking for money and giving his pitch which kept changing slightly with each time. Anyway I told him I would see what I could do. He then said that they had absolutely no money to continue on. I repeated to him what he told me about being out in Africa with no money and he said it was hot and that he didn't know what he was saying when he told me such things. Hmmm. Still I prayed and just asked that their true intentions be revealed to me. What didn't make sense to me was that they were traveling together with no money and apparently according to Tony on their way to Venezuela once they got to Accra, Ghana.

This sounded bogus because it cost them 25,000 CFA ($50) each to get to Bamako. And it would cost another 31,000 CFA ($62) each to reach Ghana. That is a total of 56,000 CFA each person. So if they had all this money in the bank in Ghana, why wouldn't they just send one person all the way for 56,000 CFA total and not 3 people half way for 75,000 CFA. Of course Tony had no answer for this inquiry. Ultimately though, I left them in Bamako and continued on to Lome, Togo. I repaid Emmanuel's 10,000CFA and gave him an extra 10,000 CFA, to say thanks for helping me at the border. I decided to give as much as they gave to me, because rather they were lying or not I am sure they could use it and I felt better about doing something.

This situation has given me a little more insight into how God works. Often He will use people, circumstances, and experiences to teach you that He can use all things for good. God will take some unsavory characters and make use of them to help you on your way. Too often we tend to look at people at face value, making a judgment about weather they need to be in your life, but God will reveal that He is in fact in control and each and everyone you encounter is in your life for a reason and a season. I am fortunate to have met these people and wish them nothing but peace and well-being.

I get on the first bus leaving for Lome -- it's 07:58. Getting to Lome will take us just over two days on the bus. Slowly, one by one people trickle in on the bus. We are “scheduled” to depart Bamako at 08:45. Three hours come and go. Five hours. Seven hours. So I sit here on a hot bus in Bamako and wait to go to Togo, wasting time, fighting flies......

Let Monday=Friday

2009-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

"Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it. Let me not look for allies in life's battlefield but to my own strength. Let me not cave in." - Rabindraanath Tagore

Your weak end is approaching. Because it is time that you end the perceived weaknesses that you hold on to, live through, that cause you to stop moving forward to find your strength. Yes, it is Friday, a day we usually long for, celebrate and smile at its much anticipated arrival. But it simply being Friday should not be the sole motivation to pep up our step and greet each other warmly. If in a couple of days we are back from the weekend for our "weak" to begin again, then we perhaps should re-evaluate our intentions on being here, our attitude, our goals. Can we find ways to be stronger each day? Can we discover the lovely possibilities that are locked inside our pain? Can we be grateful for the wonderful gifts of life and purpose? Let us end our weak this week and make the happy Friday that we feel last throughout the moments of our weak(ness), and I promise that happiness will last for weeks, and we will be stronger, better. Happy Friday, and I pray that come Monday, Friday will emerge once again in our lives.

Christmas 22

2009-12-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

I wrote my very first book when I was 8 years old in the third grade. I was in Mrs. Tucker's class at IPS School 70 and the assignment was to write a few poems and short stories and then craft, bind and illustrate a book. I can vividly remember most of my classmates not wanting to do this, even dreading this assignment, but not me, I was excited...very excited! I got an "A+" on my project and the book was showcased as one of the best in the class. If it weren't for the fact that we had to write our stories in class, Mrs. Tucker would not have believed that I was in fact the author of them. She even had to defend my work to the other teachers who thought I got help from my parents or from my teacher. I wrote a poem and two short stories, one of which was called, "At Night, a Knight!" It was about how creatures of the night come from under the bed and in the closet to attack the unsuspecting towns people and how the little boy with his "pillow as his sword, covers as his shield, and bed as his horse," turns into a brave knight that defeats the night crawlers. I often marvel at the gift I have been given: to translate life into words and mental pictures that can curl up the corners of one's lips, accelerate the heart, moisten the cheeks with tears that flow like rivers forging a path to an ocean of joy. Even though I can look back at that book and chronicle it as my very first, I do not remember it primarily because of the content, rather I remember the obscure words I prophetically penned on the Dedication page.

The Dedication Page read: "I dedicate this book to my mommy and daddy, my big sister and my little brother in my mommy's stomach." My mother laughed when she read this, because at age 34, she had no intention whatsoever to have any more children. And she was definitely nowhere near pregnant at the time. She asked, "Do you think your mommy is that fat that you believe she is pregnant?" "No, mommy!" I replied, "I just know that you will be and I will have a little brother." She smiled and carried on and told me that if she ever has another boy, I could be the one to name him.

By the end of my Fifth Grade year, my mother told my sister and me that she was pregnant and that my father (already a grandfather at this time) would be a father at the tender age of 50 for the seventh time. "Is it a brother?" I asked excited that my prediction was coming true. "We don't know yet," she said. "It's a brother!" I said, confident that I needed to think of a name, eager to have my mother fulfill her promise to me.

A few months later, on Sunday, December 20, 1987, my little brother was born. I had the honor of giving him the name Derrin Shane and received a special Christmas gift that year. Each year I have had an even better honor: to watch this gift re-gift himself over and over to those he encounters as he uses his special gifts, talents, warm smile, beautiful inner strength, and curious mind to uplift the world. Over the years I have seen him grow. I have taught him how to play basketball, never allowing him to win to gain his confidence, rather beating him just enough so that he will want to come back for more the next time. Now, to give me confidence, he has to allow me to win, because my skills (if they were ever there) have declined severely with age and increased waist size. I have been able to share many wonderful experiences with him that have taught him character, showed him love, corrected his behavior, and have made him laugh. Now, watching how wonderful a father he has become, I turn to him for advice on how to be a better one. Now, he is the one chastising me for my erratic behavior, or less than excellent character, telling me that I am better than what I display. His words and actions toward me are all too familiar, for they are often regurgitations of words, thoughts, ideas, actions that I once told to him to help him through the challenges life tends to bring forth. And my words to him were more than likely ideas, thoughts, etc. told to me from our father.

This year will mark the twenty second time I have had the pleasure of celebrating Christmas with my little brother, a gift I get to open each time he calls, I get to play with each time we work out together or play basketball, I get to share with all my family and friends, I get to continuously unwrap at the end of each hug. Now I get to dedicate more than just a book to him, I have an opportunity to dedicate my time, energy, and well-being, for as I constantly seek ways to improve myself; it unconsciously gives him permission to do the same. He is a wonderful book that I get to witness being written, with most of the chapters God personally organizes. I marvel at his level of growth and determination to accomplish his goals and the way he defeats the things that approach in the darkness of night that come to destroy his peace of mind. His “pillow is his sword, covers are his shield, bed is his horse….” Know this little bro, as long as I am alive, you will never have to fight alone.

Inspire

2009-12-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

"Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others." -Plato

As you begin this day, think about all the wonderful, positive things you can do that can inspire someone to live a more productive, optimistic and excuse-free life. When something is not going quite as you expect, or a dark, rainy cloud of negativity seems to follow you throughout the day, take a moment to assess whether you are being a part of the solution to remove the clouds and offer sunshine to all those you encounter. Just as we have taken special precautions by washing hands, huge jars of hand sanitizer, surgical masks, etc. to protect us from germs that bring infectious diseases, we should be just as proactive in shielding our spirits from negative people, places, and things. Today, make an effort to remove your mask and infect us with your contagious smile. I promise, you will be inspired, will inspire other, and make this a wonderful, beautiful day.

Sunshine and Rain

2009-12-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

"He who has a why can endure almost any how." -Friedrich Nietzsche

You are an important person. You are a unique creation that is needed here to bring joy, love, laughter, perspective, life, relief to us through your gifts. Everything that has happened and will happen is the perfection you need to bring you to the point that will make you a better you. Today, plant positive seeds of purpose within the soil of your heart and soul. Keep in mind that seeds will only grow to flower with a delicate balance between the sun and the rain. Likewise you will only grow through joy and pain; through times of sorrow and periods of happiness. Never forget that you have a purpose, as well as others have a purpose too. Practice this day displaying compassion to others, regardless if their today is sunny/warm, or a windy/rain.

Today: YOU Asked For It!

2009-12-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw

Think about where you are in life: your career, your family, your friends, your hobbies, etc. Take an inventory of all the "things" you do that occupy your time. Think of all the stuff that life/society/family/responsibilities/work has thrown your way that you feel drains the life out of you because you are obligated to them rather than want to do them. Think of all the energy you have wasted complaining about the very things that you once would have given ANYTHING to have. Remember when work brought you joy, if only to anticipate the reward at the end of the pay period, you eagerly fulfilled your obligations with a smile. Time seemed much quicker then than it does today. Doesn't time seemed to go too slow these days, Friday used to come sooner. Remember when you were childless or spouseless and you wanted, more than anything, to have a family. Remember the feeling you had looking into your child's eyes for the first time, or holding your spouses hand vowing to not let hard times get the best of you. Remember when the hard times got too hard, but you lifted your head to the sky, bended your knees and begged for an intervention. And now the child is grown, and your marriage has also. The car may make noise today, but remember when you prayed for "any ol' transportation" just so that you can get to work and take the family out every now and then. Today you have once again received a blessing in that you are able to be here, you should again be excited as you use to be. Laugh, smile, tell a joke, play about while here because being here is the answer to a prayer that you have spoken several times. Be grateful for all that you have and when things are not going as you completely expect, take a moment to check your attitude, your energy, your intentions. Make the best of this day and time will once again move, and maybe unfortunately, a little faster.

Beautiful Mistakes

2009-12-15T19:32:00.000-08:00

"Life is the art of drawing without an eraser." John W. Gardner

Wouldn’t it be great if we had a do-over in life; that we could just copy and paste better saved versions of ourselves into the present. It would be wonderful to simply hit the delete key in our memories to get rid of unwanted baggage that we have packed for this short journey called life. Since we are all made for a purpose, it is safe to assume that everything that happens in our life it a necessary component to move us closer to that purpose. Having a firm acknowledgment of this concept will help us to become a little less occupied with what we deem as mistakes. Take a moment to reflect upon a time when you thought you made the biggest mistake, instead in retrospect you learned that without the blunder it would not have lead you to where you are today. Most of us do not discover the true purposes for our lives until we have made these mistakes and discover the beauty that was trapped inside our pain. Keep in mind also that our stories are not as unique as we may think. When we speak to someone, or interact with a stranger, remember to show compassion and respect, because they too have a purpose. The painful poverty, heartache from the loss of a loved one, debilitating illness, etc. may be the catalyst they need to move them closer to the reason they are here on this earth. So do not consume yourself with thoughts of repeating or deleting things of the past. Just have a higher level of acceptance and your mistakes will become opportunities for growth.

Positive: Solution

2009-12-14T09:24:00.000-08:00

"You won't find a solution by saying that there is no problem." -William Rotsler

In going through this day attempt to discover ways in which you can look at reality for all of its possibilities, rather than its challenges. However, when confronted with a difficult situation/person/task think positively about it and the outcome will be one which gives you strength not take away the awesome power you possess. Try today to not put off addressing these difficult things until a later date, find ways that will turn the difficult trial into a determined trail that leads you to your path of purpose. Adversity builds character, but only if you allow yourself to learn from your shortcomings, perceived failures, and complacent attitudes. Remember how you begin this week determines how weak your challenges will be. Let us weaken our adversities, build character, think positively, and make this day the best one of our lives. I look forward to seeing your smiles.