Who am I?

People! What can you really say about them?  Just when you think you have found someone you can trust, love, people you really consider family; I have learned who you really think I person is they can deceive you.  The saying “people become who they hang around is true”; some people call it finding their self but only they can make that call.  I have only lived 20 years, and that is something that I have found to be so true; “You attract who you are.”  Negativity is like a leech, sucking and thriving off of other people.  In a negative situation you think that insanity would kick in if it constantly brought the same results.  It’s said when you can’t trust the few that you thought you would always be able to. 

Some say I’m crazy; but being a negative constant is a reflect of the person that truly is within.   It’s a shame in my opinion.

Here we live in a New Testament Community well we are called to that standard.  People are human; we make mistakes which is understandable.  But at some point and time “US” as humans are supposed to be held accountable to that standard of living.  Which requires us to check our egos, deny ourselves and truly realized what we called to do and what we are doing with our lives. But everyone has their own opinions, but which will you choose.

One thing that helps me stay focused and positive are having core values to live by.  Recently I discovered mine,  something I pattern my life by and help encourage myself by at the same time.   Faith, Family, Integrity, Trust and Passion, I challenge you to find Core Vaules apply them to your life and live by them. 

Spend some time

Exams, Papers!!  That’s enough to make anyone go crazy right.  Well this week was final week and it took a toll on my body.  Theology and Foundations for Western Civilization are probably two of the hardest classes I have ever had to take.  But I finished strong and with excellence and receiving an A in Western Civ and  1 point shy of an A in Theology.  But throw the busyness and the craziness I was able to connect and spend valuable time with people that have a lot to give and offer.  Saturday me and one of my brothers (Clarence) spent the day with an elder couple.  That time we spent meant the world to them literally, lol they said it about a hundred times.   Sometimes you don’t have to go out or be in a big crowd or do something spectacular to make a impact on people.  Just be yourself and allow your presence to be enough, which is what we did.  We had a dinner, had great conversations, watched t.v, and then for some strange reason at 9 o’clock at night they had the urge to walk around the neighborhood; Haha personally I thought it was crazy but we all enjoyed ourselves.  That is something that I learned. Serving doesn’t have to always have to be physical giving.  It can be spending time with people as well. 

Closer

This week was one of the busiest weeks in a while.  Rochester Winterfest gave me the opportunity to just become closer to those that are always around you.  I honestly don’t know why I was chosen to be in the room with the kids from the youth group, and it doesn’t matter.  I made the best of it, Brenan and Jeremiah.  To key students in the youth group, I had the chance to spend the weekend with them this weekend.  Truly getting to know them for who they are as a person, which is something that I haven’t been doing as much because I would allow everything else to get in the way for helping people right here.  You don’t have to be a super hero or spend lots of money on them to impact them.  Time is key find out what they like, what they listen to, what they don’t like.  Whether or not they snore, or talk in their sleep.  It’s the little things that leave an impact on a persons life.  But I felt like I accomplished something and I appreciate the little bit of time I did get to spend with them.  Within a short amount of time you are able to influence people.  Even though it was a busy time, I was still able to accomplish that, and I encourage you to encourage, influence and engage with others that are close to you, yeah sometimes those are the people we overlook the most.  God Bless and much Love

My Recap

                                     Throughout this school year I tend to just sit back, and recap the year; but I have found being a leadership student to be stressful at times.  Sometimes a bit overwhelm but overall pretty good.  But sometimes the first impression is the only impression that matters when you come down to it.  Things rise and fall on leadership and when something is broken it falls on leadership.  But when you first meet someone the first thing they realize is your face, your personality and your first conversation.  Therefore you have to be careful on how you come off to people.  Sometimes people mistake your kindness for evil and that’s a leader the only thing that you can protect is your integrity.  But throughout life you will face a lot of things and honestly that’s just how it goes.  But how you respond truly determines your character.  Leadership students are to be the example in integrity excellence, and honor and lead in relationships faith and culture.  To be honest it isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do.  But as a leader is anything truly easy?  Especially when it comes to those that you love and or close to you, doing the right thing is all that matters and if you do that then everything else will fall into place.  Becoming the bad person for the right reason! The betterment for yourself, for others and God’s kingdom; I realized that I have a lot of points this week, but it’s just a recap of everything I have learned this year and things that can maybe help you out along the way.  

Set a Fire

This week was awesome, seriously it was Winterfest weekend.  Leadership is influence and you have heard me say that on numerous occasions.  As many of you know last year I had an internship as youth pastor at Owings Mills Church of God and one of the things that I tried to instill in them was teamwork, unity, ultimately togetherness.  Now I haven’t seen these kids since the end of April in 2012.  But who would have thought it, that they would have honestly held on to my teachings, and God’s word the way they did.  Grant it, it was a bumpy journey and is far from being completed but just the fact that they have grown so much over a short span means a lot to me and a lot to them.  The first night I was bum rushed by the kids, while I was working the Mission Booth, and it brought me happiness.  It was one of the greatest moments if not the greatest moment of Winterfest this year.  Wait, altar call Saturday night did it for me.  When I saw them wanting to pray with each other and pray for each other they reminded me of a little family.  Because from the first time I met them, they said that that is what they wanted to become, and at the beginning that didn’t trust one another neither did they really like each other, and when you see them turn into what I saw this weekend it shows that as a leader, you never give up on someone no matter how long it takes.  That as you constantly pour into people eventually they will catch on, people just catch on at different times.  If you’re a leader, you can’t allow yourself to become a “Starving Baker”.  A person who is so worried about pouring into others, that they forget to pour into their self and nothing gets accomplished.  So as you go throughout your day I challenge you to stay strong in Christ and never give up on people.  Continue to pour and one day the fruit will show. 

God Bless 

Being that GUY

What a week it’s been here at the Mission Baltimore School of Ministry.  We just finished up on our fast, and ended it with the Concert of Prayer, and it was amazing.  Throughout the fast, I have been hearing from God a lot actually.  And to my surprise, he challenged me, to step up in my own personal life.  Become the man that I need to be and truly stand for what’s right.  In leadership, “Leadership is influence nothing more nothing less”.  When you see something is wrong, what determines who you are is how you respond to it.  I have been convicted for a while, because of not standing for what’s right.  But with change and fixing something that is broken, there is always discomfort.  With me, it’s what will other’s say, how will they react, will they be mad?  But I had a conversation with someone that I trust, and they told me, “What’s being a true friend, being someone who does what’s needed to better your friend in the long run, or letting things fly under the radar and bring discomfort in the long run.”  And that honestly stuck with me,  am I being a person that stands for what is right, or am I just becoming a people pleaser.  Sometimes it takes one person to stand up to make a change.  It’s hard being the bad guy for the right reason.  So I have some personal time to talk with God and get clarity on the decisions that I have to make.  But one thing I know for sure is that it has to be a decision that is made out of love, not hate or spite.  Because true love has no boundaries and that goes to family, friends and everybody and general.  So as you go about you day my challenge to you is set back reflect and to ask yourself are you a person of integrity who stands for what’s right?  Or are you somebody who lets things fly under the radar.  My hope and prayer is that you choose to be that person who is the bad guy for the right reason. 

God Bless

Lending a Hand

This week was the first week back, and was a time for us to be able to get back in full gear.  Catch up and reunite with most of my classmates (besides the ones that I have seen over break).  But it felt good to see and hear from everybody.  This week we were given the task of fasting.  I will say that it’s not the easiest thing to go thru, but having gone through it before it is easier than the first time and with going thru the fast before, it enables me to help others.  Fasting is a time where you get closer to God, not a time to focus on what you lack or what your giving up for that time, and helping some of the Discipleship students along the progress is key to them getting thru the fast.  Learning that fasting is not about self but is about God and learning ways to help others find the joy and the positives in fasting.  Helping them stay focused I found out was the challenge.  When you have people who have never been on a fast, and they just end up with it, it can be a bit challenge but when you have the opportunity to help others succeed and grow closer to Christ, why not?  Helping people is something that I have realized that I love doing, it’s a gift, and is something that I am proud of.  I have learned to help people even when you don’t think they deserve because Christ loved us.  As you continue to go throughout your days, I pray that you allow yourself to help other and be THAT difference in others’ lives.