MY TEST WILL BECOME MY TESIMONY

Cue Psalm 150 by Vashawn Mitchell. There was a time where I was asked to pick songs I would like to lead at church. Too bad this song wasn’t out at that time. I would definitely take a shot at it.


My life has some very dark times that I haven’t really blogged, vlogged, or podcasted about. I don’t talk about them, and I try not to think about them because I got enough current problems to be thinking about the past. So I was going back and forth with an old friend of mine from high school on Instagram, and I mentioned that at one time in my life I was homeless. It’s not something I promote and brag about. Anyway, I got to thinking about it. In high school, I never had a thought about the possibility of living in a Kia Sedona. In High School, things weren’t perfect but they weren’t bad either. After High School, tried to college thing, but with the major I chose, I ended up didn’t liking it so I left with what I should’ve done is choose a different major and take the basic classes seriously, which I didn’t. I took nothing seriously at that time. At that point I didn’t take anything seriously, until I had no other choice but to. Even after I left college, I didn’t take it seriously. Probably thought that it was no big deal. Mom was working in the Midwest. She came up with the idea of me going up there with her to get a job and stop being lazy. I even got my hair cut for the move thinking it was going to be a “new start” not realizing that a new start would require some work on my part. I figured it was all going to happen miraculously. 6 months later, mom sent me back to South Carolina. Back in SC, nothing changed. Same bad habits. Same attitude. Nothing changed. Until—

It was definitely one of those things where you think, “This will never happen to me!” until it does. It slowed down my life to the point where that really right now I’m still trying to get it moving again. Not to say that it was all bad. I did have times where I smiled. In the Midwest I met people I’ll never forget, no matter how hard I try (jokes). I did some YouTube videos that made people laugh. I wrote some blogs that people were touched by. I met some people through this “beast” known as the internet that I’m still friends with. I would love to meet them in person one day. Not like in a MTV Catfish type of way, but just to meet them face to face to see if they’d like the real me because they seem to like or tolerate the internet persona. Also another good thing. I finally got my license November 2011. So it’s not all bad, but far from perfect. I got a job working that lasted over a year which was a positive. Getting canned wasn’t part of the plan but that old mindset that’s haunted me all my life reared its ugly head.

My test will become my testimony. Even when I doubt that, which I do, but just by what I was told at certain times of my life that’s stuck with me by not only my parents, but preachers as well, my life as it is can’t be it. Have I failed and fell? More than I care to admit. But that’s part of the pressing the Bible talks about. The old song says, “Nobody told me the road would be easy, but I don’t believe He brought me this far to leave me.” So what I got to do is keep doing what I can, doing moving, and keep pressing forward. And after I’ve done all I can—

Sorry mom.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson

Facebook.com/bigdusty

Twitter.com/big_dusty

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What if you woke up and you're back in middle school again?

Cue Trust In The Lord by Fred Hammond off the Life In The Word album. Not my favorite album by Fred but it has some good songs on there tho.


Random Question. What if one day by chance you woke up and all of the sudden you’re in middle or high school again. And you know all you know now. It’s not like your mindset went back too, but you know what you know now and you wake up and you’re back in high school or middle school again. What if? Let me share the potential of what I’d do.

First, if I’d woke up and I was in middle school, because I think that’s where most of my trouble started, I’d fix to my best ability all the trouble. I’d open myself up more in school. Probably do humor from today and claim I came up with it. You know. I’d probably use all of Kevin Hart material and just roll with it. Also I’d sing more. Back then I was the shy kid that would cry when the mic came to my face. I’d show more confidence. What’s crazy is by this time I was already singing in the state choir at state conventions. But knowing me also if the wrong person say something to me, I’d be the one out bring their real future as an insult to them. So wrong I am. Also I’d clean my room to stop some of the bad habits I have now. Not saying I have bad habits now, but just in case…judging niggs…

Now’s here’s the question of questions. Would I’d still grow my hair out. I mean that’s how I got the name Dusty in the first place. 7th grade, two boys compared me to Dusty Rhodes and BAM! I think I’d still grow the hair, and take care of it better than I did. Possibly keep the braids in longer than a couple of days.

Also I’d focus on my school work more. By that I mean actually focus on my school work, because to be honest, me and school work had 0 to no relationship. So I’d actually do my homework. Which would probably give my mom in particular a heart attack. She would wonder what changed overnight, and I’d be smart and say, “I woke up thinking different.” Then give her that famous smile.

Now that I’d think about it, I would learn the value of soap. For some reason I made soap an enemy back then. Don’t judge me nigg…y’all had issues back then too.

Going back to the school work thing, I wouldn’t skip school. I don’t know why I even tried to skip school because my little big mouthed sister would hate on me from the get. And believe me that hasn’t changed. That little bra—I mean sweet little sister I got would still hate on me if she had an open door. Maybe I shouldn’t leave that door open…ah well screw it.

Of course it’s easy to say what I would do different between 1998-2005 in 2013. But here’s the point, I can’t change the past but I can dictate the future I’m going to have by the decisions I make now. I strongly believe the decisions I made back when had a lot to do with me being homeless, depressed, and all the above I’ve been through in life. It happened. Like it or not it happened. I can either learn from it or let it dictate my life now. You may not be able to go back in time and change the decisions you made back then, but you can definitely change the decisions you’re making now. Good or bad, you can make a change. It’s written that with God all things are possible. So change is definitely possible.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson

Twitter: @Big_Dusty

Facebook.com/big_dusty