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

Who got your back? (originally written 6/13/10)

So this past Thursday, I reunited with an old friend that I’ve known since the 3rd grade. This friend bought up another friend of both of ours that back in the day was my manager. To make a long story short about the manager thing, I wrote stories back then and he appointed himself to be my manager. That’s how I’m going to label him in this blog. My old manager.

Back in the day, I guess starting in like the 7th or 8th grade, my manager knew that I liked this girl. He knew that I wrote notes to girls but never gave them out. The main thing I remember my manager saying to me was, “Man, just give it to her!” Of course that didn’t happen. I remember he wrote a note for me to give to a girl, and I still didn’t do it. Sad ain’t it? I didn’t even write the note from me, and I still couldn’t give it away. Anyway, I thought about that because thinking about myself now, I really haven’t changed when it comes to that stuff. I don’t write notes anymore, but when I have the opportunity to open my mouth and say something to the opposite sex, I don’t. Can you imagine where I would be if I would’ve opened my mouth?

What am I saying? Some of the things we don’t have are due to the fact we didn’t open our mouths when we had the chance. We hear it all the time. When praises go up, blessings come down. When praises go up, healing comes down. And so forth and so on. There’s also something we hear all the time that says, “And his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” What I see there is in order for praise to be in your mouth, something has to be spoken. Don’t get me wrong, I know clapping your hands is a form of praise, but some of us live and die by the clapping of our hands and not ever opening your mouth. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.

My old manager would tell me when I didn’t have the guts to give a girl a note, “Man, just give it to her.” In other words, put some action on your faith boy. Faith without works is dead. What my manager was teaching me was that in order for the note to do the purpose it was written to do, I had let go of all fear, gain confidence and put action on it and give the note away. Some of us lost all faith because of fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of what other people think. Also because of fear, we lose confidence. Deuteronomy 31:6b says in the CEV (Contemporary English Version), “The LORD your God will always be at your side, and he will never abandon you.” Now my manager was a big dude, and I imagine if anything would’ve happened to me while giving away the note, I’m sure he’d have my back. It doesn’t come any bigger than God. With God on your side, there’s no need to lose confidence. In Deuteronomy 31:8, again in the CEV, Moses told Joshua, “The LORD will lead you into the land. He will always be with you and help you, so don’t ever be afraid of your enemies.”

Last Sunday from when I’m currently typing this, I led a song at church called God Is. It’s based from Psalm 73:21-26. One part of the song says, “God is the joy and the strength of my life. He moves all pain, misery, and strife. He promised to keep me. Never to leave me. Never ever fall short of his word!” Nuff said.

Philippians 4:13, “Christ gives me the strength to face anything.” Of course, I didn’t know better back then. I knew the verse, but I didn’t know that we were supposed to apply that. Plus I wasn’t saved then, but either way.

Basically what I’m saying through this blog is that the things we go through in our lives are not for our health. It’s to not only draw us closer to God, but I feel that also it’s to teach us something. Yes I understand the past is behind us. When God steps in your life, your past goes away. The Bible says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” With all that said, your past is your testimony, and like I said, you didn’t go through your past for nothing. You can help people that are going through the same thing you went through.

Anyway thanks for reading. Comment, share with your friends!

Stay saved.

~Daniel Richerson