Writing isn’t for Wimps!

Whew! You read this right, “Writing isn’t for wimps.” See, it takes time to write anything from a blog post to most definitely a book so it isn’t for the faint at heart. Writing takes determination because you have to be determined to get your name out. Writing takes hard work because who will be able to sell your book better than you? Oh, a publicist can but if you’re like me, you’re not a millionaire; hell you’re not even a thousandaire so the publicist is you which means, writing is hard work. Writing takes patience because not everyone will like your book simply because you think they will so you have to be patient in getting a publishing company to pick it up. Writing takes courage because you will have strangers picking it up or downloading what you’ve put your hard work into and there are some avid readers who will comb through every word and scene with a fine tooth comb. Writing, also, takes thick skin because again, not everyone will like your book but for the few who don’t, hundreds will.

But let me leave you with this piece of advice, don’t allow anyone to detour your dreams. It doesn’t matter how old you are, how pretty you look, how you dress and even who your folks are that can determine who you are. God made you exactly who YOU are, so go for whatever it is you’re passionate about. Writing for me is a passion and its one gift that God saw fit for me to be blessed with so I use it every day to ensure that it glorifies Him. Yea, it’s hard being an author but it’s even harder becoming a published author with a book no one reads. Writing isn’t for wimps because after the book has been written, edited and made available for purchase; the real work begins. You are your best advocate. Make damn sure everyone knows!

Daily Devotional – 12/26/13 “Start now!”

It’s a few days before the New Year and you’re probably already making “resolutions” for 2014, right? I am going to start a new diet and stick to it. I am going to get on a budget and stick to it. I am going to church every Sunday and I’m going to pay my tithes right. I am going to let go of all the bull crap this year because it is a new year and new me! I am not going to let folks use me this year, I am not going to let my baby daddy walk all over me and I’m going to start treating folks better. But my question is, “Why wait until the New Year?” All of these things can be done, right now, can’t they? Why are you making those lies to God when, after all, He knows your heart? I find it sad that God has to, sometimes, lay us on our back before we look up to him and He has to knock us to our knees before we reach out to him. It isn’t enough that He’s given you another day, another chance and another opportunity to kick the dirt on the ground instead of still taken life for granted? For some, yesterday was another day to get high, drunk and act a fool but when will you get tired of that? When will you get tired of spending all of your money on material things that are probably still in the floor from yesterday? When will you get tired of trying to keep up with folks, who (if the truth shall be told), is one paycheck away from bankruptcy too? When will grown folk start acting like grown folk so that children can act like children? Don’t you realize, by now, that the devil is busier than ever in the lives of our children? More kids are dying every day and most don’t even have a church home to be eulogized in because the parents don’t. When will we start taking our children to God’s house instead of dropping them off at Grandma’s house? When will we start acting we might not see tomorrow because, get this, we might not. When will we decide to do better than yesterday, to let go of the past, to release all of the anger and to do exactly what you said you’d do. All I’m saying is stop waiting to get yourself together. Stop waiting until the New Year to make resolutions that you know won’t last. Start now getting it right!

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Philippians 3:12-16”

Daily Devotional – 12/24/13 “Birth your blessing”

On this day many years ago, I can only imagine Mary, 9 months pregnant with God’s only Son. Mary, whose feet were probably swollen, stomach was big, back was hurting yet she had somewhere to be. Mary a regular girl, chosen by God to do something irregular and who went on to birth her blessing. Yea, she labored through the pain to push out a Prophet. She accepted the mess folks talked about her to birth a Messiah. She endured just so that she could birth Emmanuel. Oh, I can only imagine the joy she felt when she looked upon His face, the emotions running through her as she shared with others, the blessing she had just birthed in a stable for animals without even a place to lie. Yet, here we are today, living in a world with limitless possibilities and were too scared to even carry a blessing yet alone birth it. Yea, God gives us a gift and we’re so afraid of failure that we won’t even use it. We’d walk around pregnant with an expectant blessing yet we won’t birth it. WTF? Where’s the faith?

See, it doesn’t matter about the location of our birth or even the surroundings of our living that determines our gift because we, too, are destined for greatness for in Jeremiah 1:5 God tells me “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” Oh, you thought your past arrest record would hinder you but it won’t. You thought your past addiction would stop you from prospering but it can’t. You thought that old disease was going to take you out and you even thought all of the hell you’ve been through would break you down but it shall not. No, because it doesn’t matter about your location, whether you’re up or down and it doesn’t really matter about your circumstances because God doesn’t call the qualified but he qualifies those he calls. Don’t you know by now that He can take you; a drug addict, alcoholic, whoremonger, adulterer, liar, backbiter and sinner; pick you up, put you through the fire to erase everything you’ve done in the past and bring you out shining like pure gold? Psalm 71:20 says, “You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth.”

God isn’t worried about where you used to be as long as you birth that which He has put on the inside of you. I know your journey may have some bumps called haters to go over, some potholes called enemies to go around, some ice called lies to slide on and some dead-ends called mistakes that make you want to turn around but go on because it’s your journey! God is in the renewing business and once you’ve been renewed, you’ll be refreshed and with refreshing comes restoration and with restoring comes a new shine that’ll make you look brand new then all of the old things won’t matter because if you’re in Christ, you’re a new creature and all of the old things are passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17). It doesn’t matter that you were abused, because God can heal you. It doesn’t matter if you use to steal because God will forgive you. It doesn’t matter about what folks say because God already has you’re future planned and not even the devil can change that. So, stop allowing stuff to hinder the blessing that you’ve been holding. In other words, use your gift that’s growing on the inside of you! Birth your blessing and then raise it so that it makes room for you!

Daily Devotional – 12/23/13 “Restored”

Everyone is asking how my sister is doing and I must say she is doing well. From having brain surgery on Tuesday, to coming home on Thursday night and being able to talk in her right mind; I can surely say God is in the blessing business. See, I can’t say that she is healed because there is no cure for Trigeminal Neuralgia but I can say that she is being restored. Yea, restore means to bring back to an earlier and better condition or to return something to its proper place. So, she isn’t healed but she’s being restored. It’s like silver that has been tarnished and in order to return it back to its proper place you have to remove the tarnish. Well, for my sister; the pain she’s dealt with for over 6 months was tarnish. The days of no eating, the nights of no sleep, the missed work with no pay and the days of not being able to go outside were simply tarnish covering her. Oh, but then here comes her tarnish remover, God. No, He’s never left but He had to allow this tarnish process to happen in order for her purpose to be revealed. When she was wheeled into that operating room at 6:37AM on Tuesday, December 17, 2013 and was being prepped for surgery God was shaking out His cleaning cloth. When her hair was shaved, IVs were placed and incisions were made, it was simply God wiping off the tarnish. While the doctors and nurses worked, God was wiping off the tarnish. While some family slept, played games in the waiting area and I paced; God was wiping off the tarnish. While you prayed, God was wiping off the tarnish. Every hour the nurse called to update us, God was wiping off the tarnish. Yea, the surgery was longer than expected but that’s because God had to make sure her shine was bright enough for the world to see. Oh but then she was wheeled into recovery and then to ICU and when we walked in and she opened her eyes to see us and she knew who she was and where she was; her shine was glowing. The next morning when she was able to walk with the physical therapist, her shine was showing. When she mended folks, through her struggle, and didn’t even know it; her shine was showing. When she strengthens folks, through her testimony, her shine is showing. When she never gives up even on the days she wanted too, her shine was showing. So, when I say she’s being restored, she is simply being returned to her proper place. Yes, she’ll have a scar (tarnish) that cannot be removed but get this; her hair covers it! (#goneGod) So, if you’re facing anything that seems like it’s too hard for you to understand, just know; its God working. He hasn’t left you, He is allowing you to be tarnished so that He can restore you back to your proper place.

In addition … Thank you all for praying, for donating money, for thinking about her and even for reaching out. I don’t mind you asking me questions because if it helps someone else avoid the months of pain that my sister has had to endure through, I will answer any of them until she is able too.

Daily Devotional – 12/13/13 “Rejoicing now!”

I don’t know what the next hour holds so I will rejoice now. I don’t know what tomorrow holds so I will rejoice now. I don’t even know what my future holds yet I will rejoice now. See, rejoice is defined as to feel or show great joy or delight and that’s just what I’ll do. Why? Well because God has been just that good. {Yes He has!} I know you’ve heard that if God never does anything else for me, He’s already done enough and He has but I need Him to continue. So, in order to ensure that I continually receive God’s blessing, I’ll rejoice now because the last thing I want to show is that I am ungrateful. For the bible tells me in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” Even when it’s dark and I can’t see the light I’ll rejoice because I’ll know that eventually the darkness has to end. Even when I’m temporarily out of funds and my credit won’t get it; I’ll rejoice knowing that my situation is temporary. Even when I’m sick and it seems like I can’t get well, I’ll rejoicing knowing that my healing is on the way. Even when my day is bad, I’ll rejoicing in knowing that when I sit down and count; my good days outweigh the bad. So, I’m rejoicing now. I won’t wait until Sunday because I may not see it. I won’t wait until my change come because I may not receive it. I won’t wait until my prayer is answered because I’m alive right now! So, I’ll rejoice now! “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5).” So, in the midst of everything, I’m rejoicing now!