LAST BLOG OF 2021, I THINK...

Song writer said, "I don't need material things, all I need is the love You bring. This holiday, I came to say that Jesus is the only way." I've heard this lyrics all my life, but this year it really hit home. Understatement of the decade, this pandemic has been a life altering experience. Many if not most of us, has dealt with loss. If you're a reader of the blogs, you know I love using song lyrics if they fit in to the the subject I'm talking about. The song writer said, "I lost some joy. I lost some time. Now it feels like I will lose my mind. Journeyed long and lost my way, and now it feels like I've lost is all I say. Searching here and over there for what I've lost. Where is it? I don't know."

Like the lyrics said, I've lost joy and time, friends, and family, but I had to keep on keeping on. I'll be the first to say is easier said than done. When every other news story is another rapper dead, covid cases going up, another social media post showing were the funeral services is going to be, it's hard to keep going. All your life you've heard "Everyday with Jesus is sweeter than the day before," and you're wondering sweet where? How do you keep going when everything is crumbling down? You take it one day at a time. Realize you still got a journey that nobody can walk for you. Learn from the pot holes on the road that flatten your tires before and drive around them. It's written, "Like a dog that returns to its vomit, a fool does the same foolish things again and again." 

With that being said, some triggers you won't be able to avoid. As much as social media says they care about you, and it does sound encouraging, but that one co-worker and that one boss...know what I mean? It's written again, "The Lord will fight for you, and have only to be silent." It's also written, "When you are angry, don't let that anger make you sin, and stay angry all day. Don't give the devil a way to defeat you." Easier said than done sometimes because some people know how to push the right button. It gets to that point where you got to say what you need to say and apologize later. Just remember to apologize. It may not be the day of. It may take some time, but just make sure that you apologize at some point. You don't want the anger to settle in your spirit. When that happens you end up lashing out at innocent victims that didn't do anything to you. 

To the people are reading this that have lost love ones, and are still mourning, don't let people tell you how to mourn. I pray God gives you the strength to keep going. Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." My heart and my prayers are to those families that had empty seats at the table this holiday season. In the Bible, David said, "You have turned my sorrow into joyful dancing. No longer am I sad and wearing sackcloth." My prayer is that God turns your mourning into dancing and your sorrow into joy.

I mentioned before about how every other post on social media is another funeral. Just looked at one of my socials, and sure enough--life is too short. My sister would say it like this, "Live Intentionally Value Everyday." 

I don't have the answers personally. Sometimes I can't find the words to say. "I don't need material things. All I need is the love You bring. This holiday I came to say, that Jesus is the only way." The older I get the more these words hit home with me. Don't get me wrong, I don't shy away from material things, but they don't always bring the peace and joy that I need. Old saints would say, "Jesus never fails. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but I know Jesus never fails."

I'm finished. I hope something was said that encouraged you. I hope something was said that inspired. I hope. If you did, can you please share this with anyone you feel that may need to read this. Until 2022--

Stay Saved and Keep Going,

Daniel Richerson

Scriptures used: Proverbs 26:11, Exodus 14:14, Ephesians 4:26-27, Matthew 11:28-29, Psalm 30:11

Songs used: Jesus Is The Reason by Kirk Franklin, I Will Find A Way by Fred Hammond, Jesus Never Fails by Arthur A Luther

For my sister: LIVE - https://guppy-green.squarespace.com/

LEARNING TO LOVE AND FORGIVE MYSELF PRT 2/HOW AM I REALLY DOING?

I've never been a good public speaker. I get nervous and end up trying to get a laugh. I don't do that out of disrespect, it's to keep from crying. I don't like to participate in arguments and debates which is why Sunday School started to miss me pre pandemic. So I type these blogs because it's my way of making my voice heard. I tried the podcast thing which was pretty easy because it was just me and the program audacity, and no one else in the room. So I felt free to speak my thoughts. When I would post the podcast, that's when the hypothetical leg would start shaking. This generation is told, why try to fit in when you were born to stand out...honestly I don't remember hearing that growing up. So my mindset was I got to fit in because I'm tired of my feelings being hurt. I'm tired of caring what people think. I'm tired of being tired. Even at 33 years old, I still have that anxiety.

That's when it becomes hard to like or love myself. I know I should be much further in life. I know that I'm a "grown man" and with that comes responsibilities. So I get in my own head, trying to impress the authority and when it goes wrong, I can't take it. So I end up apologizing for messing up. I end up apologizing for not being who other people want me to be. The pressure from others and the pressure I put on myself becomes overbearing so I end up contemplating---why am I still here? So when I do good, or when I get told that I'm doing a good job or I get told that I'm doing something right, I get emotional because I have trouble seeing the worth.

Some months ago I took a trip, and on the way back, I started having trouble breathing. Not just because of the facemask, but it definitely didn't help. I could barely get through the airport. Messages went out, prayers went up, and I made it home. Went to the doctor and I felt a little better, but not 100%. I was told that without good health I'm not as effective to the body of Christ. I spend the next few months lying about how I'm doing. I would say I'm ok to avoid conversation about how I'm really feeling and doing. That came back to bite me. It's written, depending on what version of the Bible you read, "The truth shall make you free" or "The truth shall set your free." If the truth brings freedom, then that means there's no freedom in lying.

Now being a child of the Church Of God In Christ, we're not really taught to admit that we're not ok. We're not really taught to admit how we're really feeling. We're taught to say, I'm blessed and highly favored. We're taught not to admit defeat, but the question comes is admitting that how you feel really admitting defeat?

So turns out I wasn't ok. I wasn't ok physically and mentally. I wasn't ok. Feeling obligated to do things that I didn't want to do. Agreeing to do things because it was the "right thing to do." I haven't realized that I can't help everybody. I have to realize that I can't keep putting my health at risk in order to help others. I have to realize that being selfish is not always a bad thing. Saying no is not selfish. Now it's easy for me to be helpful, but when it starts to feel like I'm being used like a puppet then that's when it becomes an issue. I was told that, "Once they use you up, they're just going to move on to the next person." I don't consider myself a bible scholar but I haven't read anywhere in the Bible that says, saying no is a bad thing. I read no where in the Word of God where it says, you have to be a yes man.

The question then comes, why is it so hard to say no? Why is it so hard to not allow people to use you up and throw you away? To some people it's nothing for them to say no. I've heard it's a thing that has to be learned. You have to learn to say no. I want to be able to say no without having to make an excuse for it. I want to be able to say no and not feel guilty about it. Stop feeling guilty taking my mental health seriously as well as my physical health seriously. So if I happen to say no sometimes, people just have to get over it. Easier typed than done if I'm keeping it 100. Because in my mind that "Golden Rule" comes to my mind. The Golden Rule if you don't know goes like this, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." In my mind, it goes to so and so helped me when I needed it, so I owe so and so a debt and every time ask I got to say yes. Even God doesn't say yes to everything, so why do I feel I need to?

So needless to say I still have a ways to go. This was not easy to type, but I felt that it needed to come out. Honestly this is not where I really wanted to go, but this where it ended up going. As I quoted in previous post, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson

LEARNING HOW TO LOVE AND FORGIVE...ME

One major lesson I've learned through 2020 is that I had to learn how to love myself. My mom put it like this, "You got to learn how to love Daniel." I don't publicize this a lot, but depression is something that I've dealt with since childhood. I think I can speak for a lot of people that this year especially, it feels like those of us that have those mental health issues, we hit a wall this year. It's something the church has finally become more vocal about it. I got trust issues too so I definitely don't open up to every body. When I say I got trust issues, the response is usually, "Well you shouldn't feel that way." Why do we feel that we can dictate how or what people feel from time to time? Every house is different. Even in the church. That line might cost me.

I found this definition of love, "to feel deep affection for" or "like or enjoy very much." So when one tells me, "You got to learn how to love Daniel," it tells me that I have to find deep affection for Daniel. I got to learn how to like and enjoy Daniel. I spend a lot of time alone by myself. When people talk about their circles, I barely got a dot. When I let people in, and when I feel that the circle is growing, it always seems like they disappear out of thin air and I'm by myself again. That's part of the reason why when you see me out in public, I usually keep a straight face so that I don't let people in only to have my heart broken again. Again, this line might cost me, but even amongst church folks. When I'm home, most likely I'm listening to music, or watching funny Youtube Videos just to help keep my head together.

I wrote a post some months ago taken from a New Edition song entitled, "Do You Really Love Me, Don't You Really Care." That was something I've asked myself regarding people around me all the time. Like when people ask me how am I doing, do they really want to know or are they asking to get something out of me. I want to publicly thank those that don't let me stay down when I get down. I want to publicly thank those that have the spiritual eyes and ears to know that I'm not ok sometimes. No matter how much I try to hide it.

I've had panic attacks at random times. The worse one came from when I was working at this manufacturing plant. I was at my station working and I couldn't stop crying. I could barely walk. I was dizzy. I ended up getting sent home because my partner that was working with me at the station saw that something wasn't right so she told the floor leader and she ended up sending me home. Here's the problem. My job was an hour away from where I live. So imagine in that state of mind driving home trying to stay focused. It was nothing but the grace of God that got me home safely.

I don't want to use that "s" word, but yes that has come to mind. In the state of depression that word is bound to come up from time to time, and believe me it has. I always went back to that old song, "Something down inside of me telling me to go 'head." But even with that something, I still needed to learn how to love myself and not be selfish to the fact that how would it affect others if I'd actually went through with it.

The problem then comes with the fact that I'm supposed to be a man of faith. I type all these blogs feeling dead inside sometimes and I get comments about how people enjoyed the posts and how the posts were inspiring. I remember at my 11th high school reunion, don't ask, I was approached by an old classmate and she told me that she enjoyed the posts. Even with those small glimmers of hope, I'd still feel empty like what is this all for in the end? 

Learning how to love yourself also means learning how to forgive yourself. If you've asked God for forgiveness, and you know that He has forgiven you, that should be enough for you to also say that you forgive yourself. I quote Kirk Franklin a lot, and I'm going to quote him again. On a interview on TBN, Kirk said, "David was a whore monger. David was a adulterer. David was a horrible husband. He was a horrible father, but somewhere in the text it says that David was a man after God's own heart." So what am I saying? God sees the worth despite of the mess. Somehow or another I had to learn how to see my worth despite of my mess. 

I talked about mental health, and it is an important subject in today's times more than ever, but we have to take the proper precautions to protect it. That means we can't watch everything. That means we got to cut off some dead branches so we can grow properly. That means that as much as I miss some of the people that used to be in my life, I got to let some if not all of them go. Song writer said, "I'm not going back, moving ahead. I'm here to declare to you my past is over in You all things all made new. Surrendered my life to Christ, and I'm moving forward." It is written, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Now with all that being said that doesn't stop life from happening. It is written, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above  that you are able; but will with temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." In other words, God will never put more on you than you can bear. Jesus said, "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

All this to say that I'm on the pathway of learning how to love/like Daniel. I still got a ways to go, but with God's help and with the help of the right people, I'm going to make it. Paul told the Philippians, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Stay Saved, 

Daniel Richerson

If you search for Kirk Franklin Steve Harvey TBN testimony from 2011, you'll find the video of Kirk dropping a lot of jewels. 

GOD MADE ME WHO I AM

I've gone through like five different intros to this post. I know where I want the body of the post to go, but how to get the ball rolling has my mind going back and forth. But here it is:

Remember the movie 8 Mile, and the final battle rap scene. The character, B-Rabbit, started the final battle by going down all his flaws so his opponent couldn't say anything about him. Something happened me recently to help me embrace who I am. I won't go into it, but I will say this, if you grow up being made fun of because of how you smell and how you walk or as they say now, bullied, you learn to get over it, but a piece of that never leaves you. You try to contain it as much as you can, but there's still a piece of that victim still in you. At least in my case. I can't speak for everybody else. So yes even at 28 years old, I still deal with low self-esteem regarding my flaws, looks, etc. But again something happened and it helped me really realize that not everybody is going to accept me. Not everybody is going to like the face that my head is bigger than average. Not everybody is going to like that I'm overweight. Not everybody going to like that my feet are not straight when I walk. But I realized after this incident, that God made me who I am, and in spite of my imperfections, God still loves me.

I know there's a lot of stuff out now for women to embrace their flaws, but not really much for straight men who also deal with image issues. I guess it's a pride thing men have that make them act like they're not insecure. Well it's not an act for me. I am insecure, or should I say still a little insecure.

Growing up there were those that took pleasure at laughing at my flaws, but at the same time there were those that looked passed my flaws, and got to know this mixed boy with image issues. So when ever there was times in my live to have my head down, there was at the same time reason to keep my head up. It was as if God was saying, "I got you, Daniel."

Like just some time ago, I was thinking nobody cares. Then my pastor asked me something I never really got asked before. He asked me how I'm doing mentally and spiritually. Never got asked that by anybody. Again, God was letting me know, "I have not forgot about you."

I've heard all my life, "What the devil, meant for bad God turned it around for my good." This incident was meant for me to go to another state of depression, but it turned out to teach me how to forgive and sleep peacefully. It taught me how to accept the flaws I got and go on living.

My dad preached a message one time that was talking about how Jesus was asleep in the midst of the storm before Jesus said, "Peace be still." Dad kept repeating, "Grab a pillow and go to sleep." That's just what I did. I forgave and got the one of the best nights of sleep I've got in weeks.

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." Isaiah 54:17

Stay Saved, 

Daniel Richerson

SHOW JESUS...

Doing this via a blog may seem like a real punk move, and I know I have to do this in person. Yet I go on. I would like to apologize to everyone who may be reading this that I may have offended or bad mouthed in anyway shape or form. I also want to forgive anyone who may have done it to me. The bible says that if we don't forgive others, God won't forgive us. i don't know about any of you, but I want to be forgiven. Will this change anything doing it this way? Time will tell. With that being said...

I think one of the problems is that  we try to force people to accept salvation. Don't get me wrong. I know that we are in the end times. I do know that Jesus is soon to come. I do know that we are in the last and evil days. I also know that if Jesus came back too soon, some of the people that we would think would be caught up will be left behind. Matthew 7:21-23 says, "
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." I heard it said recently that we can't sham God. We can't fool God. God sees all and knows all. Galatians 6:7, "Be not deceived; god is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

You can't make someone get saved. You can't make someone accept Jesus. What we do is give the message and let them make the decision. Right? Think about when you accepted the Lord as your personal savior. Was it because someone forced you to? or did you hear a message that convicted tugged at your heart that you decided to follow Jesus. This is a debate in church believe it or not. People say you didn't decide to follow Jesus, you were chosen. Here's my take. Again I may be wrong on this, but I may have been chosen to play on a football team, but that doesn't automatically mean I'm going to play. It doesn't automatically force me to play. Like I was chosen to be one of the soundman at church. I didn't sign up for it. I didn't hold my hand up and say, "Pastor choose me I want to do it!" No. Pastor basically said, "Daniel, I want you to run the sound." and I said, "Ok." That's basically it. So yes God chose you and yes the bible does say that we are "a chosen generation." But does that necessarily make you saved? Does that necessarily get you in to the gates? You still have to believe in your heart and declare with your mouth that Jesus in the son of God and that he rose from the dead, right? You still have to choose or decide to do that right? I'm just saying...again I may be wrong...it's happened before, and it's bound to happen again.

All I'm saying is that we have to go out in he highways and byways as the Bible says, and allow me to say, that can mean Internet highways also? I know it means literal highways and byways, but if folks are always on the net, why not get to them where they're at? We got to show Jesus in and out the 4 walls of the church. There's some people that will never show up to your church or any church, don't they got to know Jesus too? I've heard it said that the church is a hospital, but some people don't know that their sick. So since they don't know we have to be prayed up and studied up so when the opportunity presents itself we'll be ready to speak the word. and you never know it may be the Word that leads them to Christ. Right or wrong?

If you don't know the Lord, the bible says, "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." The song says, "Come to Jesus, while you have time. Come to Jesus, make up your mind. He will make your mind brand new. Oh He will take care of you. Come to Jesus while you have time."


Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson

Lust

Lust is defined as intense sexual desire or appetite, or it can mean a passionate or overmastering desire or craving. If there's one thing hurting the Christian men today is lust. Why is that? Why do you think that is? Is it the fact that because we're saved and filled with the holy ghost that we're immune to lust? Or we're immune to messing up?

Look at David from the Bible. The Bible says that David was a man after God's own heart. With all that said, if you read in 2 Samuel Chapter 11, David had sex with Bathsheba who was married to Uriah. Bathsheba got pregnant. David tried to hide this by telling Uriah to go home and sleep with Bathsheba. Uriah didn't do it, so David being the King put Uriah in position to get killed. Note again, this is the same David that was a man after God's own heart. So then you get to Chapter 12, still in 2 Samuel, and God was angry with David. So He sent a prophet, Nathan, to tell David a story. Starting at verse 1 and going to verse 4, in the CEV, it says, "A rich man and a poor man lived in the same town. The rich man owned a lot of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had only one little lamb that he had bought and raised. The lamb became a pet for him and his children. He even let it eat from his plate and drink from his cup and sleep on his lap. The lamb was like one of his own children. One day someone came to visit the rich man, but the rich man didn't want to kill any of his own sheep or cattle serve it to the visitor. So he stole the poor man's little lamb and served it instead." Now, David was furious at the rich man. Then Nathan nailed him. Starting at verse 6, "Then Nathan told David: You are that rich man! Now listen to what the LORD God of Israel says to you: 'I chose you to be the king of Israel. I kept you safe from Saul and even gave you his house and his wives. I let you rule Israel and Judah, and if that had not been enough, I would have given you much more. Why did you disobey me and do such a horrible thing? You murdered Uriah the Hittite by having the Ammonites kill him, so you could take his wife. Because you wouldn't obey me and took Uriah's wife for yourself your family will never live in peace. Someone from your own family will cause you alot of trouble, and I will take your wives and give them to another man before your very eyes. He will go to bed with them while everyone looks on. What you did was in secret, but I will do this in the open for everyone in Israel to see.'" What's done in the dark, comes to the light. Lust caused David to lose a child. The child he made with Bathsheba. Lust don't care how big you are or how small you are. You let lust take control, it will. No questions asked.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20, Paul said, "Some of you say, 'We can do anything we want to.' But I tell you that not everything is good for us. So I refuse to let anything have power over me. You also say, 'Food is meant for our bodies, and our bodies are meant for food.' But I tell you that God will destroy them both. We are not supposed to do indecent things with our bodies. We are to use them for the Lord who is in charge of our bodies. God will raise us from death by the same power that he used when he raised our Lord to life. Don't you know that your bodies are part of the body of Christ? Is it right for me to join part of the body of Christ to a prostitute? No it isn't! Don't you know that a man who does that becomes part of her body? The Scriptures say, 'The two of them will be like one person.' But anyone who is joined to the Lord is one in spirit with him. Don't be immoral in matters of sex. That is a sin against your own body in a way that no other sin is. You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own. God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God."

Wow. That said a lot right there. Just the simple fact that our bodies are a temple should make something click to say, "Hold up. I can't degrade this temple for a few minutes." But some of us men are like the first verse of the song "Love Lifted Me," which says, "I was sinking deep in sin very far from the peaceful shore. Very deeply stained within sinking to rise no more..." I think sometimes the simplicity of the Word throws us off. Meaning that we look at the simplistic view of it, that we don't care to apply it. That's where trouble happens. Now I know this is not just a male thing. I'm sure it happens in the female community as well. I'm using male because so many male Gospel artists have fell into the trap of lust. Some of us regular men have fell in the same trap. The only difference is the Gospel artists got caught.

For those who have fell in the trap, and are in the trap of lust, Galatians 5:16-26 says, "If you are guided by the Spirit, you won't obey your selfish desires. The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should. But if you obey the Spirit, the Law of Moses has no control over you. People's desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds. They worship idols practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before and I am telling you again: No one who does these things will share in the blessings of God's kingdom. God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind,good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed selfish feelings and desires. God's Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit. But don't be conceited or make others jealous by claiming to be better than they are."

I'm not trying to throw stones here. I'm just saying that none of us are perfect. For all have sinned, right? The problem is we put people on such a platform that when or if they fall, we don't forgive them. Nobody is perfect. In order to follow the Spirit, you have to have the Spirit. In order to have the Spirit, you have to be saved. What must I do to be saved? Believe. Acts 16:31 says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if you 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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” I heard recently that all confession means is agreeing. You agree that you were sinning. You agree with God that Jesus died on the cross and so forth. To those who have the Spirit. Follow it. You have to make the decision, "You know what Satan. The Lord rebuke you in the name of Jesus. I'm following Jesus today. I've decided to make Jesus my choice." Now if you do mess up, go to God for the forgiveness. God will forgive you.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson

Nothing serious, just me

What's up? The past few blogs have been more serious note, but I just thought that I come to you on the regular tone. As some of you know, I'm moving to Collinsville, IL. For those who don't know, SURPRISE! Actually that's the reason I got a haircut in the first place. I'm looking for this move to be a fresh start for me. I don't want to go to a new place with old baggage. That'll preach huh? Anyway I started packing already and I'm almost done actually. BTW the move is gonna happen the beginning of next year. So you can say that 2010 is gonna be a new year and a new start for me. Now I don't know if this move is gonna be a good change or a bad change, but it's a change I'm looking forward to. I spent most of my life here in SC, and I've really become lazy. I think a move to a new place could really be the umph I need to get off my fluffy butt and do something. Plus I'm going to be with my moms, and she isn't gonna let me be lazy, or she'll send me back here. In all honesty, I don't want that to happen

Now I said that I don't want to go up to a new place with old baggage. So to all that is reading this, which I'm hoping is a lot of people, I forgive you, and I hope you forgive me. I wrote a blog on forgiveness and I used the verse where it says that if we don't forgive others, God won't forgive us. Let me talk about that a little bit. I didn't want this blog to be serious, but either way. Forgiveness. When God forgives you, he gives you a clean slate right? We say we strive to be like God. Back in the 90s there was a fad going around with people wearing bracelets with W.W.J.D., which meant What Would Jesus Do? He forgives and chooses not to remember, right? So why is it, when we say we forgive, we still hold it over that person's head? They asked for forgiveness. They admitted their fault, and have repented. Yet we hold it over them for the rest of their lives. I don't know, it just doesn't make sense to me.

For those that are wondering I'm still writing as far as stories go. I'm not posting it like I did with others because, well, wouldn't it be tight if I could get them published? Also with the move, it'll give me a chance to come back with the Podcasts!! I haven't done one since April, ain't that something? So I got a LOT to cover, and trust me, I will. Get ready!

I got a new video in the works, and I think it's going to be crazy awesome. I can't wait to finish recording the clips and get to editing it. Also the move will get me a chance to post more videos. Better than ever.

Haven't been able to watch sports lately, so I really have no true idea of what's going on, except what people post on Twitter/Facebook. I watch shows on V Cast mostly. I've become a big fan of The Office and The Cleveland Show. The Cleveland Show grew on me because the first few episodes were horrible in my opinion, but like I said it has grown on me.

So that's what I got going on at the moment. I wasn't even going to type this. I was getting ready to watch a DVD and be lazy until lunch time came along, but aren't you glad I didn't? Yes, I know. Alright, so y'all be good. Facebook it. Twitter it. btw, I'm going to delete my MySpace as soon as I can. I mean, what's the use anymore?

Stay Saved,

Big Dusty aka Daniel Richerson

Forgiveness

If you have ever watched anything connected with Tyler Perry, rather its his movies, T.V. Shows, or his plays, one of the messages you can definitely find is forgiveness. Webster defines "forgive" to mean to give up resentment against or the desire to punish; to stop being angry with. I know of people that hadn't forgiven people that's died and gone on. Now the Bible says in Matthew 6:14-15, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." By those two verses alone, you see it's important that you forgive others.

If Joseph's brothers, after all he went through, what excuse do we have? Joseph's brothers were jealous of him because "Israel loved Joseph more than all his children." (Genesis 37:3) Most of this brothers wanted Joseph killed. They even sold Joseph. After all that Joseph forgave them. Some of us can't even forgive someone for stepping on our toe. We must have a forgiving spirit. Specifically for your enemies. Proverbs 25:21-22 says, "If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his heard, and the Lord shall reward thee." In other words, you're killing with kindness, and by doing that, you can cause a change in your enemy's life.

That last part of Jeremiah 31:34 says, "...saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." Yet when some of us "forgive" somebody we hold it over their head. Some of us really got to learn to let stuff go. God forgives and forgets, why can't we? Some of us really got to learn the value of patience when we forgive. For the most part, people are not going to change overnight. Ecclesiastes 7:9 says, "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: For anger resteth in the bosom of fools" That is where wisdom comes in. Having wisdom gives you patience. We don't like being called fools, so stop being one. I know from personal experience that holding in anger causes sleepless nights. It causes you not to be comfortable in your own home, or in your own church. Stop letting what other people did to you keep you from moving on with your life.

We all know about the Taylor Swift/Kanye West situation. Despite what Kanye did, Taylor has to forgive and move on, or it will eat away at her career. She probably has already, I don't know, but I'm just saying. For me to move on with my life, I got to forgive all the people that's ever talked down on me. I got to forgive everybody that's broke my heart. I believe that if one does not learn to forgive, it can lead to the grave. There's no need going to the grave holding grudges. You have a life ahead of you, and forgiveness is an important step to living.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson