Authenticity
When you see people like Serena Williams doing a video like 7/11 you know there is a greater picture behind it. Serena is only in the media when she wants to be. She is a finisher and I appreciate that about her. As an athlete (gym rat) she inspires me to finish!
#Goodmorning on this snowy day with delays don’t get more sleep spend more time with the Lord. Grab your Bible, journal, pens, highlighters and worship music and go listen and talk to the King! He longs to hear your heart and speak life back into it. Remember thanksgiving and confession (repentance) open the door to His voice speaking. If you’ve been living wack He’s always available to clean you off. God’s heart is for us to dwell with Him forever not that we would dwell with Him when things seem to be going good. There are too many saints in living opposed to Jesus’ plan and purpose for our lives. There are too many saints living without faith in the God of the impossible focused on their jobs, careers and bank accounts. There are too many unsaved people yearning for truth looking towards the newest self help, yogi, mosque, temple, fashion trend instead of looking the Savior of the universe dead in the face and saying, “ need You, Jesus. Forgive me”. Daily we need Him in this hustle and grind of life. I was a sinner that didn’t know Him. Now I’m a saint that sins and needs Him daily! Jesus is for everyone! Now go spend sometime with Him.
My heart is exposed by your love. Continually remind me of what you have forgiven. My sins have been and are many. The more I am aware of my sin the more I am aware of how much you love me. Remembering my sin doesn’t mean I walk in condemnation, guilt or shame. Remembering my sin reminds me that I am loved and forgiven by Jesus. Everyone of my sins are cast into His sea of forgetfulness never to be charged to my account again. I know what I was and who I am. The woman with the alabaster box reminded me to be greatful for my salvation and to love much. Let our sins continually remind us to love much. If this spoke to you read it as if you wrote these words. #pagesfrommymoleskine
Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.“You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet.“You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” -Luke 7 :44-50
I thought this story was amazing! Here is an experience Darielle had today.
My work day was becoming very “blah”. I was getting antsy, somewhat bored, didn’t want to go out in the snow but I needed a break. I finally convinced myself to go out because I was indeed hungry and it was about lunch time.
I needed to find an ATM. I went to the closest store near to my job and the ATM was broke. Ugh! It’s too cold. I want to go back inside. I decided to walk across the street to the 7/11. That’s where I spotted Jason. Jason was not like a guy I haven’t seen many times before: sitting outside, on the ground, holding some variation of a “homeless” sign.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t stop and talk to every person that I see on the street. Especially not in the winter, in the middle of my work day. But I decided to stop for him. (These are moments where I totally give credit to God. I don’t know what convinced me to stop aside from the Spirit of God that’s alive inside. I don’t why I stopped, but I did).
I asked him if there was anything I could get him from inside the 7/11 and all he asked for was an Apple Fritter… AN APPLE FRITTER! I didn’t even know what that was until today. & guess how much that apple fritter costed me; a grand total of $1.94… One single dollar and 94 cents! You’ve gotta really respect someone when you’re offering to give them something without constraint and all they ask you for is worth less than $2.
To make a long story short, I of course got the Apple Fritter, then I tried to use that 7/11 ATM. And guess what?… their ATM was out of order too! I was able to use my debit card and get the cash I needed as change but I thought that in itself was quite interesting. I knew then that my trip wasn’t for the sake of an ATM machine, it was so that I could take an opportunity to share my joy inside.
I told Jason that I stopped for him because God loves him and I wanted him to know that. So much so that He could convince this complete stranger who despises cold weather, has had a “blah” kind of work day and was really only looking for an ATM, to go in and out of a store twice (he originally wanted hot chocolate but the machine was broke) for something worth $1.94.
Jason isn’t too sure what he believes about Jesus and we weren’t really in the predicament, nor did we have the time, for detailed explanations. But Jason did let me pray for him. Pretty much the same thing that I said to him, I said to God. And I prayed that he would become so convinced of God’s love, and that every single day that he’s alive is an opportunity for his life to change. No situation is ever to big for God to change.
The moral of this story? I’m not too sure. I didn’t find a working ATM, and my toes are still a little bit cold, but would I do it again, absolutely. I’d walk farther, wait longer, and pray harder, just to share God’s love and $1.94.
Yet again, My we never be too proud…, or too busy, to stop what we’re doing and share Christ’s love, hope, and salvation, wherever we go.
I may be $1.94 poorer, but that’s the life of a #newagemillionaire.
Authenticity is a major factor in our world. There has been a stream of fake EVERYWHERE. From fake love to fake faces our world desires an image that isn’t real. We want more people to follow us. We want to know the key ingredient to blowing up.
I listen to a lot of podcast with major influencers as the guest and many people ask the EXACT same questions. Each time the person on the show seems a bit focused on how that person has achieved success. I completely understand the focus of the shows. As I have been reflecting on these interviews & pulling from them what I can I am realizing that there is no formula to success.
Everyone that has succeeded tried the formulas and learned along the way that they have to figure things out for them. There are somethings we can all do that leads to a greater return. But attempting to use someone else’s formula of success step by step and word for word isn’t authentic.
As you are hustling through life be authentic. Be who you are. Don’t look at the images on the screens and think that it’s reality. It’s an picture. It’s an image. Unless we document EVERY part of our lives step by step we don’t really know how we attained success. But what we do know is that we grind regardless of where we were at the time.
Success and hustle can’t be measured. We all measure success and hustle differently. Today focus on how you are going to remain authentic in your life. Show your flaws, show your achievements, be authentic. Authenticity is what people are yearning for not another “how to” formula for success. Remain authentic and consistent.
Recently, I’ve had a lot of doors open. I have been able to have conversations with some major influencers in our tech and social media world. People that I never thought I had a reach on. I realized through speaking notification each of them that my dreams and your dreams are possible. Yesterday, I interviewed Carlos Whittaker and the major take away that I got from him is CONSISTENCY.
We all struggle with consistency! Things attempt to take the place of what we know we should be doing. In our busy world EVERYTHING is important! Even the fact that I just placed a “!” made it feel like that was important. Our emotions run a mile a minute and we are moved by every tweet, news bulletin and notification that dings us. I have been battling this immensely huge boulder of consistency and distraction myself.
There are days that I WIN the consistency and distraction free game. But there are also days that I do not win. Our job is to build prayer and hustle into our lives! I’ve recently began to think about why I hustle so hard. It’s really ingrained in me. Anyone who knows me knows I hustle. In prayer, at Bible Study, at work, at dreams, at home life at EVERYTHING. I believe that I can exert myself in what I am doing. When I do things with love and grind in my heart my hustle is authentic.
How are you going to hustle differently? Will you even hustle? Will you be consistent? Ben Arment tweeted, “Hustle without purpose is hassle”. Everything we do should be done with purpose. Everyday that I wake up I make it my job to pray, read the Word and listen to the Lord. I am looking for purpose. I am looking for direction. I am looking for courage and motivation.
Define everyday as a day you hustle with purpose. When you hustle with purpose you will develop consistency because it will matter to you. 20 years ago today Eileen Collins became the first female astronaut to pilot a space shuttle mission. I would image that Eileen hustled to become the first of many! My dreams are big in my mind but the closer I get the more I realize how attainable they are. Don’t be distracted by the days you don’t win at consistency. Daily renew your mind to become consistent in what you were purposed to hustle towards. Your hustle is important!
If you are reading my blog most likely you are a Christian. I have been extremely unapologetic about the fact that I am a Christian. I wasn’t raised a Christian however; my whole life changed in 2003. I had several encounters with Jesus that showed me He was real. Since my final Damascus experience when I gave my entire life to Jesus I have been bold about my hope in the Lord.
My boldness has been challenged throughout the years and I have wanted to change my writing style to stay relevant. Here I am in 2015 to tell you that as a child of God we can’t bend in order to acquire success. Success is tricky. Many people see what other’s in the world are doing and they want the success they have. As Christian’s that can’t be our place.
We have to be bold; yet loving.
Courageous; yet humble.
Honest; yet listen.
Straight forward; yet wise.
As Christian’s we are called to make disciples and that can be hard in our society. It seems that every law is being formed against what we believe however; that shouldn’t stop us from living unashamed. Living unashamed doesn’t mean distancing yourself from the culture. Living unashamed means living out loud for all to see! I’ve decided not to change my content for more followers. Not to bend in my writing for more readers. Not to hide my beliefs in Christ for others to be comfortable. I have decided to be a brave and courageous Christian.
I have befriended people who aren’t Christian since I was born again. They know who I am and what I believe. I don’t hide behind the uniform of society. I am not a Christian so that I can fit in. I am a Christian because the flow of the culture leads to destruction and I want life not death.
If you are reading this blog post I believe the Lord wants us all to know that we should be living our lives from Start to Finish with the Him. The path to earthly success and spiritual maturity is seen throughout Scripture and it all begins and ends with the Lord.
Live bold. Love hard. Speak openly. Punch fear in the face. Be His out loud.
I don’t know about you but I love Jesus because He loves me. If He was willing to die for us how much more should we be willing to surrender our reputations for His glory. If you are a Christian writer write for Christ! If you are a plumber plumb for Christ! If you are a Christian student learn for Christ! Whatever your occupation is God is worth surrendering your reputation for the world to know you are a believer. Persecution is apart of the Christian walk. We can’t be afraid of what others will think and deny the Christ that loves us when we are faithless. Be encouraged to live unashamed!
As I sit here in my chair I am reflecting on my own dreams. I have always dreamed big and many of those dreams have come true. When I wrote my first book and published it myself my dream was a reality. I am a published author. When I directed my first music video my dream became a reality. When I launched my first media company my dream became a reality. When I released the first episode of my web series my dream was a reality.
During the process of all the working, planning, creating, failing, trying to figure it all out I had doubt. I still have doubt to this day that I wonder if I can actually become a full time Author and Director. It’s not my biggest dream but it is the biggest dream in my mind that I desire to be tangible. Today is a day of reflection for me. When I thought things were impossible God showed me that it was possible. How do you know when your dreams are possible?
I am not a superstar. I don’t have a huge following but I am a finisher. I remember when I sent out my first newsletter in 2006 encouraging people to live unto the Lord. It was a hard email to write but I knew I had to hit send. It was so well received that I continued sending those email for years. With all the ventures I have taken part in I have Started and Finished.
What are you starting and finishing this year, this quarter, this month, or even today? Are you just talking about the dream or are you living it? Are you showing up to work on your dream daily or are you still thinking about it? Is it sitting in your head scared to come out? Are you driven by money or by fulfilling your calling? Whatever the dream is it is possible. The question is do you pursue it like it’s possible or do you allow doubt to enter your heart and stop you from moving forward.
There seems to be this idea in the world that if we copy formulas that other people have used we will receive the same amount of success they have. I am here to tell you that it’s not true. Formulas aren’t what people follow. People follow value. If you are providing someone value they will embrace you. If you are not offering value they will skip over you. Society allows for many get rich quick schemes and viral instant celebrities. However; those rare moments shouldn’t be our priorities. We have to ask ourselves a few question before we start projects and while we are in the midst of them.
What does success look like to me?
What do numbers mean to me?
Am I adding value to people?
Am I lusting for attention?
Am I selling things I love or am I just trying to make money?
Am I measuring success against someone elses?
Am I being truly patient about my idea of success or do I want it now?
Recently, I heard Jefferson Bethke speak about the first 3 weeks of his video going viral as the worse time of his life. He went on to speak about how our human souls weren’t created for overnight success. We often have the idea that if we can just get an investor, become a viral senstation, or win the lottery everything in our lives will be better. However; that isn’t true. We were designed with purpose. There is something unique about you that only you can provide to the world. You won’t be able to manufactuer it. Are you using what you have or are you wishing you had what someone else has. Don’t allow your eyes wandering to remove your focus for what you are called to do. Your idea of success is unique to you. Stay in your lane you were purposed to ride in it.
Writing a book is not an easy task. Writing a 50,000 word book in two months is even harder. It would be incredibly challenging for me to write this book in my own strength. Yesterday, I had the most amazing time with Jesus writing Single and Anxious. From 8am-5pm I wrote (with food and admin breaks). I had a new album by Brittney Wright on repeat and I poured out my heart to the single community. 5000 words spilled out of me. The difference between writing my first book and the second is the intentional delighting in the Lord. When I wrote Nickey’s Flesh I had a lot going on. I worked full time, directed plays, attended seminary and served at my local church. This time around I have time due to healing from my foot surgery. It is the most amazing experience to write, cry, pray and repeat. I realized yesterday that God desires for us to experience this on a daily bases not just with projects. He desires to be our delight all the time.
Delight- be refreshed; take pleasure in
Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. (Psalm 37:3-5)
When we seek Abba, Father we are refreshed. We are Christians because Jesus wanted to delight in us as His children. Jesus delights in us. Did you know that He takes pleasure in you? He desires for us to be delighted in Him as well. As an entreprenuer, writer, director I am always challenged by the implication of my faith in my work. I know that I serve a niche audience but at the same time I serve at the pleasure of Jesus. I don’t serve at the pleasure of the global audience. The freedom of delighting in God is trusting in Him. As we delight in Him he gives us the desires of our hearts. We don’t have to push and try to make things happen. We can rest in His will and He will do it. Today delight in the Lord and trust that He will do that which He has placed in your heart.