“Mr. Preacher man I don't want no trouble I just came to praise and worship with my brothers
Praying to the Lord and hoping he forgive us
I want God to save us don't want the streets to kill us
I’m like Mr. Preacher man please don't be alarmed
We just come to pray we don't mean no harm
I see how you looking of course we ain't perfect we figured if we come to see Jesus it would be worth it
We live up the block and I know you seen us
Running from the cops all this senseless killing
We want it to stop
We want you to know Sir
If you don’t let us in we have no place to go Sir” ~ Mr. Preacher man, Canton Jones

What is it that you go to church for? Do you go for praise and worship, or do you go to see what people are wearing? Do you go to make sure that nobody from the LGBTQ+ community walk in the service? What do you go to church for? If you can’t praise because of who’s in church, I question are you really a praiser? Are you really a worshipper if your worship relies on who is sitting on your row? We have gotten so comfortable with treating church like a social club we wonder why people join and leave within a month. If lovingkindness draws, it is going to take lovingkindness for them to stay.

I’m a YouTube junkie, and recently my favorite videos to watch have become videos that show broken equipment getting repaired. Like they will take a broken x box, take it apart, clean it, replace what may or may not be broken, and then put it back together. Now imagine if the x-box or what ever is getting fixed was like, “I’m fine. I don’t need to be fixed. I’m fine just the way I am.” All the while it can’t even turn on by itself. If it turns on, the screen is blank. The way it used to work; it does not working the same way. So, it would rather die than get repaired. That doesn’t make sense, does it? That’s like what we do when there’s altar call, knowing we need to be fixed, but to proud to admit that we need to get fixed. It’s written, “First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.”

So why do we blame God when the crash comes? The old saints would say, “He’s a keeper if you want to be kept.” You got to want to be kept. It’s written, “To day you hear his voice, harden not your heart.” The Easy-to-Read Version says it like this, “If you hear God’s voice today, don’t be stubborn.” Isaiah says, “So you should look for the Lord before it is too late. You should call to him now, while he is near.” That’s why I don’t get why we’re so quick to chastise the people that may walk in the church that look and act different that we do. They’re just sick people going to the hospital. Sometimes you don’t realize how sick you are until you get a checkup. Back in 2013, I didn’t know I had congestive heart failure until I went to the ER.

Do we condone? No, but we’re not God. Someday they’ll meet the maker, but we’re not the maker. Yes, we do have to call sin a sin, but if you see me chillin and laughing with someone that may not be saved, don’t come after me. It’s funny, you work with the type of people you don’t allow to come in your church to hear the good Word. “But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them?” Remember where you were before you gave your life to God? Think about that next time you see somebody walk into church that may not look and act like you. If it wasn’t for the grace God, you’d probably still be where they are.

I posted this screenshot recently and I think it goes with what I’ve been talking about through this post. Mark 2:15-17 MSG, “Later Jesus and his disciples were at home having supper with a collection of disreputable guests. Unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them had become followers. The religion scholars and Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company and lit into his disciples: “What kind of example is this, acting cozy with the riffraff?” Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting the sin sick, not the spiritually-fit.”

John 3:17 ERV, “God sent his Son into the world. He did not send him to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him.”

Fred Hammond is one of my favorite artist period. One of my favorite songs by him is called, Don’t Pass Me By. “I know I'm broken, but you can heal me, Jesus, Jesus I'm calling you
Might not be worth much, but I'm still willing
Jesus, Jesus, I'm calling you”

Continue to pray for me. I thank all of you for your support over the past years that I’ve typing these up. I would love to read your comments if you have any. I’d like to thank those who share the blogs. On that note, if you got this far and you liked what you read, will you please share or retweet this? As I’ve said before, I want to get as much views as I can, but if I just reach one person, I feel like I did my job. How am I doing mentally…. well, that’s for another blog post.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson
Facebook.com/bigdusty
Twitter.com/D_Rich864
Instagram.com/D_Rich864
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HE HEARS YOU TOO

It's gonna get to the point where you're gonna have to pray for yourself. You're gonna have to have a relationship with Jesus for yourself and stop trying to live off of someone else's. The topic at a recent bible study was, "Walking With God," and the first thought that came to mind with that topic is that you can't walk someone else path. You can't have someone walk your path.

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6 KJV

" Jesus said to him, 'I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.'" John 14:6 AMP

So we all got to go to Jesus for ourselves. Now at first we need to prayers of our parents and pastors to get the train going. But sooner our later you're gonna have to open your mouth. Like let's say you get an interview for a job. If someone else does the interview for you, they're going to get the job and you're still going to be jobless. The first couple of jobs I ever had, my dad helped me get them, but the bosses still wanted to know who I was. Daniel still had to shake hands with the bosses, even though the meeting was initiated through my dad.

Don't get me wrong there's power in residue. There's power in being in the midst of praisers and worshipers, but if the residue is powerful, imagine if you actually participated in the praise and worship. We got a lot of people trying to live off residue. The prayers of the righteous availeth much. So I understand asking those who really know God to pray for you. I get it, but let me say, don't use that as an excuse to not pray at all. He hears you too. That's one thing I had to learn for myself. One time my sister took me to somewhere to fill out some paper work. I asked her to pray for me because I was nervous and I know she's more spiritually mature than I am. But she told me, paraphrasing, "God hears you. It's time for you to pray for yourself." I did, and everything actually went fine. I was actually like the world was going to blow up if I actually prayed for myself. I do realize, a song says, "It's really no goodness of my own, but it's by the grace of God."

Romans 10:8-9 AMP "But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word [the message, the basis] of faith which we preach—because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

In the King James is says, "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

So you're going to have to do some talking. The power of life and death is in the power of the tongue, right? Your tongue works for you. It's your choice of how your use it. It is written out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So it's not only a tongue issue, it's a heart issue.

I'm not a parent, but I know some parents. I've known my parents for at least 29 years, almost 30 (May 22). I know I've disappointed them. I've done things they don't like, but when I'm ready to talk they are willing to listen. I don't have to call my brother or my sister to talk to my mom or dad for me, even though sometimes I want to, but they are willing to listen. God is willing to listen. You got to be willing to talk.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson

WHAT CLOTHES YOU WEARING?

Cue He’ll Welcome Me by John P. Kee. Old School…one of the kings of the gospel music industry. And I move on—

So I was watching TBN Praise The Lord, also trying to work on a story that I’m working on. This point of the story the character is starting to feel guilty of all the stuff that’s happening in current situation. So then I started thinking about, this is how random my mind is, started thinking why is it so hard to get people into praise into Praise and Worship. Is it the clothes I’m wearing or not wearing? Is it the fact that I’m not hitting the right notes or I’m not singing the song correctly? I think it’ all comes down to people come in Sunday after Sunday expecting a show. Expecting for us as Praise and Worship leaders to kill ourselves for their enjoyment. A favorite line we as Praise and Worship leaders use is, “I’m not here to pump or prime you…” which is a line that hardly ever works by the way. Pump or primed? Why should we kill ourselves to get you to do what you were created to do anyway? Now if I could dance like a B. Slade or the late Michael Jackson or Sammy Davis, Jr. maybe I could garner a better reaction. But it irks me to no end when a praise and worship leader goes up on the stage and the congregation sits down and crosses arms and legs as if we’re supposed to impress them? Coming to church to be experienced not to experience the God in the church. Stay home with your attitude. Spirits transfer, people. Rather you believe or not. You acting or high and mighty is not only hindering the spirit, but it’s hindering the aints that walk in, also.

So then I come to Ephesians 6:11, “Put on all the armour that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil's evil tricks.” Some of us worry about what we’re going to wear day by day, but what about clothes that important? The armor of God. The Devil is going to steal, kill, and destroy. That’s what he does and that’s what he’s going to do. The problem is we don’t have the right clothes on to stand against his tactics. Which is why we can’t break habits. It’s sad when you come to a church service unarmed. Ephesians 6:12, “For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.” So what the person you usually sit beside talked bad about you or gave you a dirty look. Put on the right clothes.

Recently, I had about a couple of months worth of being the praise and worship leader at church. It was ok. But due to the reaction I got from the people in attendance, I thought I sucked every Sunday. I go up on the pulpit, and you could hear a pin drop. And the eyes looked like they were burning a hole through my soul. That’s how it felt. Trust me, I learned that you don’t do Praise and Worship for the reaction, but a good pat on the back some time is not a bad thing, right? I admit, more than a couple of Sundays, I was off my game, if you will. I was uncomfortable. Why? One, I didn’t do my part. My clothing attire was not correct, and by that I mean spiritual armor. Two, the atmosphere was not right. Sprit of heaviness in the atmosphere makes it tough for the flow of the service. Go to verse 13, ”So put on God's armour now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy's attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.” Just sayin…

So as of this blog I now have no job. I got fired 1/28/2013. I didn’t have an emotional reaction to it. As a matter of fact my manager took it harder than I did. But that’s beside the point. So now comes job hunting again. Been down this road before. Expecting bigger and better things. Hopefully better money this time around. Definitely asking for prayers in that regard. Basically all I’m saying for this blog, is put on the right clothes. Stop putting all the pressure on the Praise and Worship leader or the Pastor for you to get your praise on. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with Praise. We do our part, God will do His.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson aka Big Dusty
@Big_Dusty on Twitter and Instagram
Facebook.com/bigdusty

JOY AND FAITH, WHERE IT IS?

Cue A Testimony by Rodnie Bryant...one of my Dad’s favorite songs. I can see him nodding his head now.
The saints in 2012 are some spoiled individuals. I say that because we ask God for stuff and when he does it we are so ungrateful. I’ve been in services where one testified about receiving the Holy Ghost, and the reaction was basically no reaction. One would expect a church to erupt in praise in celebration, yet the church had a la di da attitude. I don’t know this for sure, so don’t quote me on this, but I’m willing to bet that’s why your blessing hasn’t come yet. You’re so la di da with your expectation and your celebration of other’s miracles. I bet if we start to praise God like we truly expect a miracle, they would come. Tell me I’m wrong. I know there’s some famous catchphrase coming for 2013 but how about right now we truly get the spirit of expectations and stop all this hating and doubting.
I wrote a blog over 3 years ago entitled No Joy, No Strength, No Faith No Strength.  Over the years I feel the church has lost it’s joy and faith. I believe the Bible says that without Faith it’s impossible to please God. So, maybe if we start pleasing God with our faith, then we’ll see our prayers answered. By the way, whether you know it or not, whether you believe or not, God is answering prayers right now. I know for a fact He is. Why? Cause I’m still here. I haven’t lost my mind. Somebody is praying for me. And I’ve seen folks with cancer get healed. God is working miracles. You just got to believe. One thing I can’t stand is a dead church service. I’m telling you, if folks would come in the church with expectancy, and joy...we would have some good church every Sunday. The problem is we put all the pressure on the Praise and Worship leader, the MC of the service, or the speaker of the hour. Dang y’all know how to put some pressure on folks. Praise and Worship leaders aren’t supposed to pump and prime you. Other than my blood pressure, that’s probably what’s making me tired all the time. Moving on.
Faith without works is dead. Walk in it. Believe it. Work the faith. Other people can’t work your faith for you. We can work it with you but not for you. Declare it. Praise Him for it. It always could be worse so stop living like it is worse. You’re not dead. Inhale and exhale. Let everything that hath breath Praise ye the Lord.
Let me tell you something about me. I love hearing people be proud of me. I love when people cheer me on. Imagine if we made God proud of us. I know we’re waiting to hear Well Done thy good and faithful servant, but imagine if God talked about us and said, “Well Done,” before we went to Heaven. Wow. I don’t know about you, but that’s awesome to me.
Hope you got something out of this. Hope you share it with your folks. Don’t be a scared to leave a comment on the blog. I don’t bite. Anymore….long time ago. Let it go.
Stay Saved,
Daniel Richerson aka Big Dusty
@Big_Dusty on Twitter and Instagram
Facebook.com/bigdusty