My Prom night memories...

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So it’s prom season. Looking on FaceBook, high school kids are posting their prom pictures. Hair and Nail Salons are booked solid. Guys are at the barber shop making sure they look tight for the night. Guys are making sure they have their breath mints. Girls are making sure their phones are charged up so they can get pictures that can last a life time!

Let’s take a trip back about 7 years. My prom night. Let’s get this out the way. My mind wasn’t right in high school. I hated school with a passion. I didn’t try in school. I got by. So anything school related was just to get out the house and say I went. Now most people for prom, they buy new suits that haven’t been wore before. Me? I wore a suit that I’ve worn to church dozens of times, and church shoes that were probably worn out. Most people have special cars they go in for prom…limos and such. Me? My dad drove me in a ’98 Toyota Camry. I’m not kidding. You may think, it doesn’t get worse. Well let’s go back before the Camry to the “prom pictures.” You know those pictures you take before you go to prom to show off what you are wearing to the dance. I couldn’t tell you where my prom pictures are now. The picture of the night? I took a picture with my dog at the time, Ginger, with her on a leash. I told y’all my mind set back in school was terrible.

So I got to the place after my dad dropped me off in the ’98 Toyota Camry. I saw all my classmates in their clean suits and clean dresses. I don’t remember exactly, but I can bet that my suit had dog hair all over it. Not only that, but I was dateless. Go figure. Also I was literally by myself…the whole night. The core group I usually hung with? Nowhere to be found. Possibly because one of them dropped out, two of them where not seniors…neither here nor there. I spent most of the night at prom walking around hoping someone would talk to me. Initiating the conversation? Me in high school? HA! No. I do remember looking at the dance floor thinking it was more of an orgy. I was never much of a dancer anyway. I left that stuff to my sister. She’s the dancer. To answer your question, I didn’t have that slow dance at prom. I think I remember I was asked to dance, but don’t quote me on that. Needless to say, I separated myself in high school, and believe me, 7 years later, I regret it. I truly do.

Now you talk to other people from the class of 2005 from Eastside High School, and they’ll probably tell you stories that they’ll never forget. Why? Cause they made the most of it. They knew that this was a moment in time that they would never get back. I figured that if I went that would be good enough. Not knowing that 7 years later, I’d be in my mom’s apartment near to tears thinking about a night that was supposed to be memorable, but I chose to make it a disaster.

Oooh! I forgot to talk about the after prom. Yes, I went to the after prom. Why? To said that I went, and that’s the truth. I went to the after prom which was at Frankie’s Fun Park. Again, I really have no memories of what happened at the after prom. Why? Cause I didn’t make the most of it. I let my hatred of school motivate me not to have a good time. Again not thinking that 7 years later, I regret it. Ask some of my classmates? They probably have fun memories. Great memories. Me? I was just there.

People say that they can say that they have no regrets. I’m not at that point yet. I will be, but that point is not now. In my last podcast, I made a declaration that I’m going to stop trying to please people. So I’m on my way to having no regrets. I’m not there yet….definitely not there yet.

Hope y’all enjoyed this read of my memories, or lack thereof. Do you remember your prom night? Was it magical? Did you have fun? My advice for this blog is basically, make the most of life. You never know what memories could’ve been if you don’t make them. If you don’t make the most of life, you’ll regret it and it will affect you. Believe me. I know for myself. I’m friends on FaceBook with my fellow classmates of 2005 people and I have no connection with them at all. Why? Cause I made it that way. It’s that simple. In 3 years, it will be 10 years since I graduated from High School. I plan to make the most of that night. So I won’t have any more regrets.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson aka Big Dusty

THE WORD SAYS IT, DON'T QUESTION IT

Cue Stevie Wonder “Superstition!” I’m ready to go. First of all like always, Follow me on Twitter @Big_Dusty and Facebook me at Facebook.com/bigdusty. Now if you do decide to follow me or friend me, communicate. Just sayin…Also, get at me on my podcast at bigdusty.podomatic.com or search for me on iTunes: bigdusty. One more thing, if you’re a fan of professional wrestling or know anybody that’s a fan, check out my wrestling blog at bigdwrestling.blogspot.com.  If only I could make a living doing this. Blogging, Podcasting…

So this Sunday, first of all, what a day Sunday was. I don’t know about y’all, but we had some old school crazy church at Prayer and Faith Ministries. It was awesome. I love those services where God preaches. You know when the preacher doesn’t even have a chance to open his notes? God is like, don’t worry, I got it this Sunday personally. I remember that happening at times when I was a kid when my Dad was pasturing. It was something to remember. My dad had sense enough to say, “I’m not going try to out preach God.” It kills me when preachers try to out preach God. Ever been in those services where God is just having his way, then the preacher comes up and puts everyone to sleep? I mean literally, the first two rows all get whiplash because of trying to stay awake. Learn your place is all I’m saying. When God takes over, you let go. Simple. Follow order. Like when some church members have a service at the church and the pastor doesn’t find out about it until the day of the service? Oh yeah, I’ve seen it happen first hand. Follow order. Why are some churches in the shape it’s in? No order. 1 Corinthians 14: 40 says, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” It was said Sunday, “The Word says it. Don’t question it.” That’s why I say I’m well when someone asks me how I’m doing even though I’m coughing. Why? The Bible says I’m healed. “The Word says it. Don’t question it.”

Also this past Sunday, my little sister gave her first sermon. Short and to the point and tore it up. My sister and I grew up in the church. Most of our time was here in South Carolina. So my sister being on the pulpit in front of folks that saw us grew up was a huge moment. I got through it fine, but it’s what happened after that that had me crying. My sister went back to her seat, and Supt. McCluney got up for final remarks and the benediction. My sister and I have known Supt. McCluney from childhood. So when he said that he was Godly proud of my sister and me? I lost it. I don’t know why I was bought in the conversation. It was my sister’s moment. Yet, Supt. said that he was proud of me? I was wrecked. Because of guilt? I don’t know. Believe me, I know I’ve come a long way. No job to job. No license to license. And a lot more. Yet, I know I still have a long way to go. Maybe not that long but still a ways none the less. God has been good to me. If it wasn’t for his grace and mercy, I don’t know where would I be. Sounds cliché but I can say that with confidence and honesty. The stuff I’ve done, and yet still can sit here in this chair and type this blog? Wow. I guess it’s the fact that I’ve so down on myself most of life that when someone says I’m doing good, it wrecks me. When someone says, “Daniel, I’m proud of you.” I’m wrecked. Look at me, I’m doing something right. I’m not going to lie, I get lonely. I get to points in my life where if my phone don’t ring or buzz because of notifications, I get lonely. I get the feeling of, “Ok, who’s thinking about me? Am I’m on anybody’s mind?” I look at my statuses and posts and get no response. I get no likes. Yet someone else post something, instant 20 likes and comments. Jealous much? Yes, I’m not going to lie to you. Truth is truth. But those few moments when I get, “Hey, Daniel, you’re doing good.” It does my heart good. I know they say don’t look for pats on the back, and really I’m not. I’m just looking to see that I still exist if you know what I mean.

Well, that’s the blog. Be sure to give your comments, keep it in touch, and share this around with other folks you think that might like it.

Stay Saved,

Big Dusty aka Daniel Richerson

FEEL FORGOTTEN?

Follow me on Twitter: @Big_Dusty and get at me on facebook: Facebook.com/bigdusty. Also I got to plug my latest podcast that I have up. Check it out at bigdusty.podomatic.com. Got all that? Good!

“I am not forgotten…He knows my name” I think we all get to the point where we feel like we’re forgotten. I know I do. Those times where I promote my stuff whether it’s my blogs, my videos, my podcasts, or whatever and get nothing? Yeah, I feel forgotten. When I think about all the good friends I had back in middle and high school and now I barely have any communication with them whatsoever, yeah I feel forgotten. Little things like that get to me. But God…

Just earlier today I was talking to my sister about when you grow in God or just naturally, you tend to lose the friends you thought you have. Then I said half serious half jokingly, “Well I lost my friends a long time ago.” Sometime it feels like that. I will be straight up honest. It wasn’t always like that though. Times in my life I had friends, actual friends that were not on the internet, that cared about my well being. Not that I’m disowning the friends I’ve met on the net, but I’m just saying. Times when I had no money for lunch, I never went hungry. Friends. Times when I wanted to tell a girl I liked her, friends would tell me to just do it. They wanted to see me succeed. Friendship. At one time I actually had a book going around school with a manager and everything. People liked and gave feedback on the stuff I wrote. Interesting concept.

Now that that season of my life is over, I miss it. I’m going to be honest. I miss conversations. I miss laughing at conversations. I miss that face to face contact with folks that actually were interested in what I had to talk about and vice versa. Plus with me being the clown that I am, it’s much easier to feed off someone in person rather than through webcam or computer mics. Getting my license I figured that getting around to meet up with folks would be easier. Yet things are basically the same when I comes to that stuff. Who’s at fault? I am. I admit it. My mindset is not at the place of confidence to think that people would actually want to meet me for lunch or meet up with me and hang out.

It’s really all about mindset. When we feel forgotten we need to realize that God is omnipresent, meaning God is everywhere. Therefore we’re never alone. God doesn’t forget about us. It feels that way though because we’ve forgotten about him. Maybe, it’s just God showing tough love so you can get yourself right. Just like any parent would do for their child. I know when my mom showed tough love on me, it killed me. Yet now, I got a job and my license. Still got a long way to go, but I’m heading in the right direction. Mom didn’t forget about me, she just loved me enough to listen to God and let me go through what I went through because it would make me better, and it did.

Sometimes though people are thinking about you, they just don’t say anything to you. I know I think about folks all the time, I just don’t say anything to them. Most of the time I pray for them. Just keeping it real. Should I try to connect with all the folks I think about? I say if the timing is right, go for it. So when you start to feel lonely, when you start to feel forgotten, remember that the one true and living God has not forgotten you. Remember that there is somebody out there thinking about you and possibly praying for you as well. I pray for all the folks I’m connected with whether in person or online.

Thanks for reading. Share your comments. Share the blog around.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson aka Big Dusty

LET GOD BE GOD

Let’s go head and get it out the way in the beginning. Follow me on Twitter @Big_Dusty. Get at me on Facebook.com/BigDusty. Alright?

I want to grow. I want to grow mentally as well as spiritually. To be honest with you though, lately I feel that I’ve been on hold. I’m not being stupid and putting the blame on God, but I feel like somehow or another I’ve put myself on hold. I see God moving in my family and amongst my friends, yet when the camera zooms in on me, it’s like I’m walking slowly backwards while everyone else is moving past me going 100 mph. If you look at my face, I’m smiling thinking I’m moving forward blind to the fact that everything around me is going on in the name of the Lord, and I’m going backwards and sinking at the same time. Song writer says, “I was sinking deep in sin far from the peaceful shore. Very deeply stained within sinking to rise no more. But the master of the sea heard my despairing cry, and from the waters he lifted me. Now safe am I.” That’s from one of my favorite hymns, Love Lifted Me. Search for it on youtube. My suggestion is a BeBe Winans and Donnie McClurkin version that was done like back in ’93. Anyway, let’s get to the part where it says, “…the master of the sea heard my despairing cry..” What is despairing? Looking it up in the dictionary, it simply means to be without hope or hopeless. So the writer here was at the point of no hope. He had nowhere to go, so he cried out to God. I would go on to say that he was crying out to anything or anybody that was willing to help. When you’re hopeless, you’re desperate for just about anything. If you’ve ever been desperate for anything, you know that you sometimes get to the point where you’ll take help from just about anything or anyone. Why? Because You’re past the point of what Kurt Carr said, “I almost let go.” You did let go, and once you do let go, you lose focus. Once you’re lose focus, you get to the point of desperation. That’s where the danger comes in.

“…the master of the sea heard my despairing cry, and from the waters he lifted me…” What that says to me is when you cry out to God, he will not only save you but he will lift you out of the sin you’re indulged in. That means it doesn’t matter what you’re struggling with, the master of the sea, God, can lift you out of sin no matter how deep. So that tells me also that there’s no sin too deep that God can’t lift you out of. Now here comes the question. Why do we put a limit on what God can do? I said, we because I will admit that I do it. I put a limit on God. All my life growing up I heard the old saints say, “There’s no limit to what God can do.” Yet, here and now, I’m struggling in a rut of habitual sin. Why? It’s not God’s fault. His hand is there to lift me up, but I’m not reaching up. We’re not reaching up. I remember the old saints used to sing, “God’s got a blessing for you. If you want it, reach up and grab it. God’s got a blessing for you.” Seems too simple, right? You’re telling me that all I have to do is reach up to God, and I will blessed? Psshhh, please, right? It can’t be that simple, can it? Why do we put limits on God? Why do we make elementary math hard like calculus? We’ve gotten so educated and technology savvy, that when something as simple as just reaching up to God for help, we can’t comprehend it. When a baby wants to be picked up, what does it do? It reaches up or out to you. Crying out to you until you pick it up. Interesting concept. Crying out to someone bigger than you that can pick you up and make your world seem better. Interesting…

“…the master of the sea heard my despairing cry, and from the waters he lifted me. Now safe am I.” Safety. Protection. Not only safety and protection from the sin, but protection from yourself, right? So here’s what I got to do better with. Here’s what we all got to do better with. We got to let God be God. Again, it seems too simple, but obviously what we’re doing now ain’t working. I know what I ‘m doing now ain’t working for me. I used to lead a song talking about God is…well I got to let him be….God. The video of me leading a song that says, “For the rest of my life, I’m going to praise You.” I listened to that last night, and I had goose bumps. We are not living what we’re singing about. Let’s keep it real. We got to do better. We got to let God  be God. Bottom line. Once we do that, the stress we put on ourselves will be lifted before we know it. I’ll end this with another old song that says, “Take your burdens to the Lord and leave it there.” Simple.

Stay Saved,

 Daniel Richerson aka Big Dusty