WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?

As I'm typing this I just turned 31. Some told me that I wasn't supposed to make 30. Some said I'm not going to make it past the next couple of years. I'm single. I really don't know what to do in that department, but that's not what this blog is about. I work at as a cook as a fast food restaurant. My coworkers consist of mostly teenagers. I hear them talking about what do they want to do after high school because some of them are about to graduate. They talk about other things as well...moving on.

So I feel like I'm ready to move on from where I'm working now. I find myself getting more angry at little things. I'm getting bored. I'm feeling like I need more. I'm feeling like I need to do more. I'm feeling like there is more for me to do. One of my problem is, is that I don't know what that is. I don't know what I want to do. Some people know what they want to do at 12. I'm 31 one, and I find that question, "What do you want to do?" is one of the hardest questions I've ever been asked.

When I went to college after high school, I picked a major that I thought was something, but I soon realized that I didn't pick the right major for me. Besides picking a different major, I just left because I didn't know what I wanted to do. I was 19 or 20 at the time. So we're talking 11 years or so of trying to figure this out. Something something something, and now I'm working at a fast food restaurant. I've heard it said that when you turn 30, that's when the "light" turns on. I think for me it was 31.

Recently I was having a conversation with a guy and he plainly asked me, "What do you want to do?" Per usual, I didn't have a solid answer. I mentioned that I like to write. It is well known I liked to write blogs such as this. Thanks for reading by the way. I've always wanted to write a book. Like a novel. I've always written short stories since I can remember. I feel that as soon as I started using Microsoft Word for the first time, that's when I really started typing short stories that I would never finish. I remember in Middle School, I would continuously print out new chapters of a story and it would end up going around the school. At the time I was voted something like best author or something like that. I do remember it had something to do with writing.

I've often had dreams of singing on a big stage. I've lead songs at church and I remember dreaming that I would sing with the artists that originally sang the songs I led at church. I see singers sing on Instagram all the time. When it comes to singing on camera or singing out outside of church, I choke. Nothing comes out. I think singing and music at work. It's usually what's gets me through a shift by the night, but I try my best not let a single note come out my mouth because of fear. Even when I lead songs now, I tend to sing under the key I'm supposed to sing on because of, you guessed it, fear.

"What do you want to do?" Good question. I hope to figure it out one day. It's not as if I don't have dreams. I just don't know how to pursue what I think and dream about. And when I do hear about ways to go through a door, I become fearful. Have you heard that old saying, "fear of the unknown" ? #Storyofmylife Even my coworkers, the young coworkers, that I work with, some of them can see that I'm not satisfied with the job. It's as if they know I don't want to be there for the long term. It's a shame that all those years I heard, "You got to do what you have to do, until you can do what you want to to do?" that it took me too long to get that.

So again the question is, "What do you want to do?" Sounds cliche, but I definitely want to be the best Daniel that I can be. The best  Daniel that I'm supposed to be. I'm just trying to figure that out.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson

WE NEED MORE CONVERSATION

"Eat the meat, spit out the bones" We've all heard it. We've all used it. May I throw this thought out that maybe the fact that our churches are not being filled, and maybe the fact that "the world today" is not coming in, is because all we're doing in the Kingdom is throwing out recycled bones? I've experience gagging on small little bones while eating meat. Nobody likes to gag. Maybe people are just sick of gagging. If you see somebody hungry on the street, would you give them a bag of chicken bones? or would you give them the meat from that was on the bones? Don't get me wrong, I love and respect the older generation. But when I see condemning trying to get passed off as helping and teaching, I see a problem. When I hear, back in my day, back in my day, back in my day, the young mark in me wants to say, "Well, what made your generation so perfect?" Just because it wasn't talked about, does not mean it never happened.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."

Now, I am a part of that young generation that gets talk about, and some of stuff that's said is warranted. I'm not going to name everything, but one thing I do want to address is the way that the young generation don't care. This young generation doesn't want to listen. Can I throw another thing out that may cost me getting this blogged shared, re tweeted, and liked? Maybe, part of the blame needs to go to the older generation for teaching the younger people how to act? Maybe the younger generation decided, right or wrong, they're going to be the same person they are at church. Maybe the younger generation doesn't care because they see how much the older generation doesn't care. Maybe the younger generation doesn't listen, because the older generation doesn't listen? Maybe, just maybe, the younger generation learned it from somewhere not just the media?

Before the torches and pitchforks take me out, let me say that the same talk that we say the police and the community need to have, the generations need to have a talk. The generations need to have some dialogue so there can be some understanding. The older generation is looked at like some of the police is looked at today. Overbearing and not willing to listen. We respect your position, we just want to be free to be imperfect like you're free to be imperfect. We do listen, but we want a chance to respond. We want our position to be heard. Some of us just want dialogue.

I think some of the older generation have become so sanctified, set apart, that they became separated. The Bible says, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." Now that separate is an adjective meaning forming or viewed as a unit apart or by itself. Meaning people should be able to tell if you're saved when they see you. My Pastor once preached a sermon titled, "Preach the Word When Necessary use words" which means you got to walk the walk. A lot of people like to talk and talk until they get called out on they're nonsense. Don't let your walk become nonsense. Stayed prayed up, stay studied up. It's not a sin to say, "I don't understand." The Bible says, "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." Both generations, ask questions. We've become a society that likes to talk about each other but not to each other. Let's do better.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson

MAKE SOME NOISE

But thou art holy that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Psalms 22: 3

Some of us having made noise in a long time. The song writer said there is a sound that is pleasing to his ear. A sound of praises lifting into the atmosphere. Every time you lift your voice. You need to know. Jesus loves to hear the sound of praise.

God inhabits the praises of his people.. For some of us then, we’re not giving God a home to live in. Old song says because He lives in me I can face tomorrow, Because He lives in me All my fears are gone. Because I know who holds tomorrow. And I know Who holds my hand. So if He lives in you there should be some praise somewhere. There should be some noise somewhere.

There’s a song that says, "You are just a praise from a breakthough. Just a praise away from a blessing. If you’d just reach down inside from the depths of your soul and bring forth a right now praise that’s already you." The old saints would say, when I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that he’s done for me, my soul cries out….Thank God for…When’s the last time you thought of the goodness of Jesus and something began to bubble in your spirit that you had no choice but to open your mouth.

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul shall make her boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O maginify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psalms 34: 1-4, 8

I sought the Lord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. There’s a definition of sought in the Hebrew that says, “ask, request, seek, beg, demand, desire.” I imagined David just didn’t just seek the Lord like we seek people playing hide and seek. I imagine David was hollering. You know when you’re desperate the quiet stuff goes away. If you’re trapped, you’re not quietly doing nothing. You’re screaming for help. David didn’t just seek any body. He didn’t seek just a god. He sought THE God. He sought the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. He sought the Lord and the Lord heard him. When the last time your praise was so crazy you wanted to make sure the Lord heard you? When the last time you didn’t praise God cute. Pastor always says you can’t praise God cute. When are we going to start listening.

O clap your hands all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. Psalm 47 :1

We got the first part of clapping of the hands down pact. Just about every service you go to, somebody said, “Give the Lord a praise.” It’s usually the sound of clapping of the hands. When the last time you lifted up your voice? When’s the last time you opened your mouth to praise God, and not to gossip and talk about people. When the last time your spoke life and not death. A lot of us have been making noise, but the noise you’re making has no benefits. The bible say, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord…”

Psalm 98:4 “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth; make a loud noise, and rejoice and sing praise.”

Some of you want to sing but don’t want to sing praise.

And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones should immediately cry out. Luke 19:40

Stop letting these Pharisees stop you from making a joyful noise to God. Don’t let anybody stop your praise.

Song writer said, “You don’t know my story. All the things that I’ve been through You can’t feel my pain. What I had to go through to get here. You’ll never understand my praise. So don’t try to figure it out. Because my worship my worship is for real.” Then it goes on and says, “I’ve been through too much not to worship him.” Old song says, “When the praises go up, blessings come down.” I think your praise should identify how bad you want it. Your praise, I feel, should match your desperation. 

How desperate are you? 

Stay Saved, 

Daniel Richerson

TRUE UNITY IS NEEDED

Unity can be defined the state of being one; oneness. When I think of unity or the state of being one, my mind goes to Colossians 3:15, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called to one body and be ye thankful." or Amos 3:3, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" Can't be unity within a bunch of bickering and backbiting amongst each other. That's one of the reasons America is so jacked up. We call ourselves, "United" and yet we're the furthest from it. We in the church like to talk about how messed up America is when the church is not at a perfect state right now itself.

The church is supposed to be an example of unity, but it's the furthest from it. Prove it you say? What's the most segregated day of the week? Sundays. Unity? I know we as people have different thoughts and ways we do things, but why do we let that stop us from unifying? The head and the feet are different but they both serve a purpose on the body, right?

I'm going to use the Church of God In Christ for an example. The break down goes something like this: local church, then district, then jurisdictional, then national. It takes more than one church to make a district. So if the district superintendent wants to have a meeting of the churches and one church shows up it's not really a district meeting is it? Or if the jurisdiction calls for a convention and one district shows up, then it's not really a jurisdictional meeting. It takes more than one finger to make hand. It takes more than one house to make a neighborhood. It takes more than one car to have a collection of cars. It takes more than one team to make up the whole NFL.

Think of a family. If a family only comes together only during the holidays, where is the unity in that? Being blood related makes no unity. You have to spend time together. Get to know each other to create unity. Of course a family reunion is going to be awkward if you only have it once a year. The C.O.G.I.C. has multiple conventions for all the churches in the organization to come and worship together. That creates unity. "Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1)

How can you say you're unified with God when you don't pray. When you don't try to get close to God how is that being unified? Think of getting unified like a relationship, and what's one of the main keys to relationships? Communication. Usually when there's no communication, the relationship falls apart. Where there's unity, there's power. We as believers have to be more unified. I'm not talking denominations, I'm taking believers as a whole. Red and yellow. Black and white. We are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson