ABLE TO SEE (a poem)

TO THOSE WHO STARE THROUGH ROOFS
YOU ARE BETTER OFF INSIDE
YOUR EYES OPEN WIDE
SEEING WHAT OTHERS CANNOT

THEY SEE WALLS
MATERIALS WITH LIGHTS BUILT IN
LIGHTS THAT WILL EVENTUALLY SHUT LIKE SUNDOWN
SO SADLY THEY ARE TRAPPED

AND OUTSIDE THEY SEE SKY
SUN, CLOUD, STARS AND MOON THEY SEE
ALL THINGS BUILT IN
BUT SADLY THEY ARE TRAPPED

BUT; YOU
YES, THOSE WHO STARE THROUGH ROOFS
YOU ARE BETTER OFF INSIDE
YOUR EYES ARE OPEN WIDE
SEEING WHAT OTHERS CANNOT

Spring Break wk1 (Reflection if My Mind's Eye)

Week one of Spring Break is practically over. Tonight i go to an art show with a friend. Last night we finished our work so far for the CRIBS, the ministry i serve on Thursday. Christians Radically Impacting Brothers and Sisters...we work w high school age students in the hood. that's where my church is...Reborn Community Church...
PRAY FOR US!

Also, this week I've been working 6-12/1pm mon-fri...that has been ok. i was late to work yesterday though...i know, myyyy baad. I've had the privilege to help with coaching my lil brother Lynell and his junior high bball team. We lost our last game that was to determine whether we would go to the play-offs, but that's ok. they may want me to coach the team next year though...that is, if they dont close down the school for testing scores...I know.
PRAY FOR THEM

I've been reading the Word lately and it has been so very good of course... the last 3 weeks or so I've read (in order) Job, Hebrews, Daniel, Revelation, and just finished Ecclesiastes this morning...
What more can I say...PRAY FOR ME!

And now, finally the first week in April we will jump start CRIBS again, after a semester of preparation, after a church move, a leadership change. And we need God. We need our walk to be on point or we will do damage working in our flesh. We talked about this yesterday. I've been blessed to sit in on some Grad School modular classes this week on spiritual disciplines and spiritual warfare w/ a great professor that i admire here. So as my church begins to draw near Resurrection Sunday and our youth ministry starting back up and getting ready to fast and pray more. It is going to get tough...This week alone has been tough...so if you would Saints!
Please Pray...I Love You all...
God be merciful and bless you!

Things are ok

Today i spent most of it at church painting and helping set up there. It is so vital that we are serving somewhere, as Christians if we are not taking part in ministry then we risk becoming idle in our faith. Not saying that we are not active in other capacities but it is so important that we support the ministry of reconciliation in one way or another. The gospel of Christ cannot be void of the message we preach, and this we must preach. It is a message right, the proclamation of testimony that Christ came and died for sinners. When we are producing the fruit of good works, our sacrificial daily sacrifice of how we live and what we do which is our act of worship in service to one another, including "everyone". This is what love looks like right.
It is much to often that we expect the church to serve us, we are to be the church serving each other..hahah....like "right D-roc, we know" well then we should do it. Those of us who want to be future leaders in the church have got to stop going to what we consider "good churches" because we like the ministry there and the pastor has good preaching. rather we should look for a place to serve that needs some real dependence of the Holy Spirit and the gospel of Christ to see some transformation.

Question: if you found yourself in a church that were preaching heresy, would you stay?

The average person, if they could recognize heresy when they hear it, would say NO, most likely.
Yet, what if it is beneficial to stay and be a light in that place, building relationships with those who are being deceived by half truths, which are actually lies. Now this is not my church, but I wonder if it were if I would stay. It would be such a wonderful work to speak the truth against it until the Lord without doubt said that it was time to move on. That either people were beginning to see and He would do the rest or that these people will fall and that I should no longer be counted among them... just a thought...

anyway, i just got back from a movie i could have waited to see. so I'm going to go to bed. Ive got homework to do tomorrow before i go to church..at 4pm...so let me be useful of my time

Pray that the Lord enable me to buckle down and be studious (of which i am not).. i need help here...Integrity to my studies and discipline in them... thank you...love you guys

D-roc

What's Today?

You have those moment where you look up and all of a sudden feel like everything is misplaced.?
Yea me too rt...

Writing never gets done when you want to, just like now. I had no intention on writing but i guess its just going to happen. A couple days ago on friday my best friends back home in Cali called me and informed me that their grandmother passed away. I could hear the feeling in their voice and it made me want to cry. It made me want to mourn with them, like seriously, go out and smoke one for em. Needless to say, no! i didn't go smoke. Praise God for good sense. Anyway, i'm thinking about them everyday and praying for the family. I'm rather close with the family, i call their mom, mom, and their grandma, grandma. Pray for peace if you will

A little over a week ago i think, maybe last week...something like that. I deleted my facebook. Amen! yep, people keep asking me why or if there was a reason. I say, "it was just time for it." I mean, i can make up twenty reasons to why i deleted it, so just know that it was for the best and to the glory of my Lord Jesus Christ. Yea, i could be that serious if your perspective isn't right...and i don't even wanna chance it. Anyway, its been good...we'll see how this continues.

It is very unfortunate for me the mornings of the last two weeks... An old habits that i've despised has somehow crept back in and i dont know how....i seriously feel like i have a lecture disorder...hahahaha....dont laugh
Every morning I have a class at 8am or 830am... and whenever, no matter what time of day it is, i began to get drowsy...i mean i can wake up, eat, drink coffee, laugh and so on...for at least an hour. But the moment a teacher begins to lecture...my face gets heavy, my heart beat slows, my body heat rises, and my body starts to shut down...and im talkin shut down...i even drank a redbull for an afternoon class even though i had enough sleep the night before and whadaya know...that's right. i nearly tapped out. had to tell the person next to me to keep me awake.

anyway. pray for me. the days are good, the nights are goodder. i never knew sleep could feel like this...no really, ask the ppl who know me. im still not use to sleeping 6-7 hours at a time...it mostly throws off my days, but i anticipate the health benefits in years to come...yall be blessed...ill come back soon, hopefully sooner that it took this last time. as a person i go through cycles. but that's ok, and normal

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13
Be encouraged in the Lord.
And know that no matter what the situation, time, challenge, matter of life...that in Christ you can handle it, because His grace is sufficient...(side note)we've(believers) got to stop using the scripture the wrong way.

peace!

Keeping Up

Man, I should really write as things happen! Once a few days go by, there are so many things that have happened that I tend to forget the sequence. God is always at work around us...

I'm so grateful to God that He allowed me to be home for the summer to go through the Experiencing God study. What I learned from His Word during those days have carried over here with me. It took a whole semester before i realized it but that's coolin. So what has been going on, I can't begin to tell. Over the winter break that just ended two short weeks ago i built a few more great relationships that God blessed me to have encountered. This semester my classes stand as

1. Christian Missions
2. Christianity & Western Culture II
3. Persuasion and Debate
4. Hermeneutics/ Bible Study Methods

Less classes, less credit hours, greater workload
I'm working 24hrs a week now opposed to the 30+ from last semester; Praise God

I really want to work on the discipline of school work this semester and want to honor those who have invested in my life to send me here that I might grow closer to/Love the Lord and others as the Word of God has commanded. To be equipped for the work of ministry as God leads me in life.

I just got done doing some reading for class tomorrow morning, I'm tired. I still need to print and read 18 pages before i go to sleep. so let me go. I'm trying to average at least 7 hrs this semester...last semester it was like 4.5 and i had migraines for like 8 or 9 weeks darnit...OK love yall....i will try to write more frequently... comment or something,let me know if you're even reading this. . . not that it will make a difference to my writing it

keep the love alive! Love like Jesus Christ

Because it's been long enough w/out a post.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all that jazz....
Right now, i'm sitting here at work, listening to pandora with my Earth, Wind and Fire station playing...singing along to 'me and mrs. jones' by Billy Paul and all these other old jams that most people are forgetting about. I just thought to myself, "man its been a while since i've posted a blog...(pause)...maybe people are wondering what's going on with me?"
but it probably doesn't matter that much, whether i post or not. so lets catch up a little bit than.

I stayed here in the C (chicago) for my winter break to work and make some money to pay for my school bill. Thank the Lord for the opportunity to work..amen
I've been working a schedule of for days on 8-12-12-12hr shifts and then 3 day off.
Yes, i worked Christmas and New Years, it was just fine, no i'm not sad that I did not go home, this is part of the maturing process of becoming a man I believe. Living without all the luxuries and privileges of even doing something like "going home for holidays or breaks" because I truly believe that it should not be such a big deal... Love your family, miss them and your friends and your home but continue on in the Lord, glorifying Him and doing what you must no matter the circumstance... so don't feel bad for me, feel bad for anyone who's back home missing me and wishing I was still there.

Now last semester was busy and difficult. Between working in between everything and not managing time best outside of work and classes with groups and friends and more. I definitely did not do as well as i should or could have...this I must learn from. I am looking forward to this semester though. My school, work and church activity is all better planned and put together and I an openly waiting and anticipating and looking at what God is doing. I am so very blessed to be included and able to join Him, this is such a privilege.

So yea, that's where I am right now... pray for me and my school. My new Chicago church home-
Reborn Community Church, in Garfield
if you wanna know, Garfield Park area is one of the worst in Chicago(literally, probably the one of the top 3) and in much need of the Gospel and the hand, power, grace, mercy, provision and blessing of God...so pray for us as we do ministry being a small church in a big city following the Lord as he leads...ok that's all...i'll be back soon. Love yall

shout out to my Mountain View Community Church family...I will use all the Lord has bless with with while with you and let him use me here. Thank you, I thank God for you all, I love you.

The Survey (Pt. 3)

So here is my final thought to this blog series on The Survey....questions like what? and why?
lets just get to it. try to keep up, I'll try to keep this orderly...this part of my analysis is based on things I've observed, inquired, studied, and seen or heard...and there will be a better analysis later...just bare with me please.

First I loved the reactions that I got from all the ladies when i asked this question...I'm quite sure i had the same few from all hundred plus with exception to those I could not see or hear, aka e-mail. Some were silent, puzzled, thrown off guard, and the more than often and occasional "Wow..ummmm" (haha).....I'm sorry, i know that's not funny, but I remember.

Also some were having trouble answering the question. so i asked another to help; "are you close with your father/dad?"; some said "yes", more said "kind of", but most said "not really"...just a side note

As it comes out for some of the ladies that had the answer "I don't know" they also said that they don't think that they've ever experienced love like that, or even seen an example of what love is from a man. This to me seemed to be the most tragic truth....because, if you've never had a man love you, show you what love is, what it means to be loved; If that has not been exemplified from your father to mother, grandpa to grandma...or even pastor to his wife. then how are girls, young women and women to know?...more crucial, how are boys, young men and men suppose to know...

I do believe that throughout time as we've grown to a most fatherless generation (one of physical, emotional, spiritual and mental absence; or rather overemphasized presence) that there has been an affect on life to the point that we have become ineffective in our instruction...Even as believers and followers of Christ.

Most of these ladies would say that their relationships with their fathers have shaped their view on what love is and what it means and looks like;some did not think so... with how they identify that a man loves them. either with ways that they have or have not been loved. Influenced by movies, books, friends, parent(s), self thought, or the ways that the world has defined these things....and always searching for this thing

although women say they know that men think, feel and are different than they are...they fail to recognized or identify what that looks like in many ways. Some accept a man's faults because "no body is perfect" but unfortunately they've been somehow blinded by their desire for love, longing and to not be alone and most of all ignorance (though not applied to all but a maybe)....

some men use what they have, charm, words, actions, money, respect, pride, leadership in their pursuit of a "particular one" because we actually DO love the chase. The catch is a lil different for some though. some do what is necessary to get you because it feeds the pride of a man toward another accomplishment. especially one that give the kind of return that comes with a woman...(don't let me lose you) I'm talking about comforts that are emotional, mental, physical and nurturing...some are looking for moms and not for wives....

why? because just as much a women cant identify authentic love, men don't know it either and therefore are not only deceived but deceive in their ways of pursuit... but that's get into dating! and i also have some view against that idea...haha...we can get to that in later days tho....back to the survey.....

Lets examine a few things..

• Genesis 1-3.......God's design for men and women, sex and marriage
• 1 Corinthians 7......husband and wife instructions
• 1 Corinthians 13.....Attribute/characteristics of LOVE
• Ephesians 5......husband and wife relationships
• Song of Song.....marriage, bridegroom, bride, intimacy

what do all these say about love.... what kind of love. We somehow have attached to word love when we think about pursuit to an Eros type of love...this is only to be between a man and his wife...we need to detach from this... but more so a phileo and agape love that was commanded in the book of Mark 12:29-31...the kind of love in the book of 1 John 4-5 that says one who does not know or have God, does not know or have love....
To truly have and know the grace of God, the sacrifice of Christ and gift of the Holy Spirit.
To live in community with one another loving each other, practicing walking out our faith, iron sharpening iron, discipleship, mentoring, instruction in righteousness.
Bottom line to cut this short is that I cannot tell you what that exactly looks like. I'm looking to find out myself. But it is not what i see here at MBI, (respect to the exceptions) (dont think you are one though), for the most part, alot of us have got it wrong and need to stop, take a step back and examine ourselves... in our pursuit, in our perspective, in our beliefs, and in our faith. Just because we are Christians does not mean that we do or have been doing it better... there is more to say...more will be said...but this is the first and tip of the ice burg
We need to ask God to teach us how to love. how to be prepared. and before you guys say you do. before you ladies think they do. Know Just What That Means and Looks Like!!!!Please
The emeny is looking to distract us in any way possible. especially through our own relationships that sidtrack us from being fully used by God and especially with the intent that we came to Moody w as single persons...and ou know it...i pray you all blessed, and your relationships. but also that God breaks anything in your life that may hinder or distract you from Him, including you relationships...be mad if you want to...
I truly do have thought toward our ideas of dating relationships. for two sides, courting, preparations for marriage. we will talk more. some of us have... we need to be better...we are called to act and look but most of all BE DIFFERENT!.....hope you enjoyed the first of my surveys. let me know if you'd like to see more and about what!
Living to Be Known...That Christ May be Known Through Us....Romans 16:17-20