ONE YEAR LATER

It's been a year, but it still doesn't seem real at times. Then a birthday passed and no gift card or text message. A Father's Day passed and I couldn't send a text message or call. Thanksgiving passed, with n conversation. Christmas passed, no conversation. A new year...yeah it's real, but I wish it wasn't. I started therapy, but I can't tell him about it. I was in the hospital for nearly a full week and didn't get a chance to hear from him...to say it sucks would be an understatement.

At his homegoing, I didn't say anything, because I couldn't find the words. Really I still can't find the words that I could've said during the service. Even trying to think of the words I would say is tearing my nerves up. I miss him. I wish I could tell him some things. I would give anything to hear him say, "Hey Mister," just one more time. 

I always wanted him to come down to SC and visit, but sadly that never happened. He did tune in to the live streams for church so technically he did see me in one of my elements. I just often wish that he could've seen it in person. I still dream about him as if he's still here. The dreams feel so realistic that in the dream I would forget that he's no longer...you know...

Sometimes I can still picture myself back in that funeral home seeing that sliding gimmick open and seeing Dad in the casket. That's probably a visual I'm never going to forget. I remember being overcome with emotions when it came down to sit down. I was wearing sunglasses. I wasn't tryin to be "Joe Cool" per say, I was just you know trying to had the emotions, but I think my entire body gave it away. When my sister asked me if I had something to say, I couldn't. I was asked why I didn't sing....I couldn't. I give a smart answer like only I would, but in reality, the moment probably would've wrecked me. The paranoia would've got me to not having a funeral in a sanctuary and we had no musician or no backing tracks...even with said things, there's no telling if I could've gotten through it.

I thank those who have continued to check on me. I thank those who have continued to pray for me. I thank you for loving me. I thank you for caring. Now for Dad's benediction,

"And now Lord as we depart from this place. As we go to our homes or where ever else we might go I pray Lord that You get us there safely, and bring us back at the appointed hour. In Jesus name, Amen. Now hug someone and be friendly."

Peace. Love, and

Stay Saved

Daniel Richerson

STONE OR BREAD

 Matthew 7:9-10, 12 (NIV) Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake? So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Song writer said, "It could've been me outdoors with no food and no clothes or left alone without a friend or just another number with a tragic end." I believe I'm not the only one that can say it was me. I remember vividly not knowing what I was going to eat or if I was going to eat for a certain time. So it bothers me when I see people claim to be starving with there's food literally all around. I often hear, "Nobody wants to eat the same thing every day." A lot of us grew up eating Spaghetti for some days, and as I'm typing this with Thanksgiving coming, those same people saying, "Nobody wants to eat the same thing every day" are going to be all over those leftovers. I get it, when you have the means to eat something different everyday, you do it, but with inflation the way it is, not many people is going to pass up a meal. Even if it's the same thing everyday.

"O the world is hungry for the Living Bread, Lift the Savior up for them to see; Trust Him and do not doubt the words that He said, "I'll draw all men unto Me." ~ Lift Him Up, Johnson Oatman Jr

Me personally I cringe when I hear preachers do the "not some, but ALL" gimmick. Just--anyway, you get the point. How many people have we tried to force feed our stone opinions...or our stone doctrines, besides feeding the people living bread? I believe people are spiritually choking to death due to the stone throwing or should I say feeding. Verse 12 said, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." I believe some people call that the golden rule, right? A commentator said, "The Golden Rule, as Jesus formulated it, is the foundation of active goodness and mercy--the kind of love God shows to us every day." So everyday, God shows us love that we find hard to show to others. I hear the old song that says, "To be like Jesus, oh how I long to be like Him." We don't hear songs like that anymore. Maybe because we can't get ourselves to actually show people that don't look and act like we act the kind of love we ask God for. 

Now for a mental health update. First let me thank all of you for dealing with me when I break down emotionally. Thank you for being the circle that I've been longing for my whole life. As the saying goes, I'm not where I want to be but thank God I'm not where I used to be. I talk about anxiety, PTSD, and more because as I heard Kirk Franklin say, "A doctor can only heal what we reveal." Why keep that stuff hidden? Because of the people that throw stones and laugh at people like me and others who struggle publicly, but thank God I have a circle where I can confidently say, you deal with me in spite of. 

That's all I have in my heart for this one. As always, if you got something out of this you can share this on your social media platforms. You can leave comment sharing your thoughts on what I typed. Philippians 3:12 (NIV), "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrives at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Peace, Love, and

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson
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GRATEFULNESS BRINGS BENEFITS

So the other day my sister treated to see the faith based film War Room, which is a brilliant movie, and as we were leaving my sister said something that stuck with me. She said, "I'm just waiting on a thank you." As soon as she said that it hit me that maybe we haven't received our "you're welcome" from God cause he hasn't received a thank you. For example, you ever do something for people and never receive one thank you? You usually stop doing stuff for them because of their what? Ungratefulness.

Being grateful is not only polite, it has it's benefits. Old saying in the church say, when the praises go up, the blessing's come down. The problem with some of us is that we want the benefits but none of the work.  Kevin Hart put it like this, "Everybody wants to be famous, but nobody wants to be the work in." I want to be an author one day. I hope to one day learn to play other instruments besides the drums. But I can't expect to get on a piano one day and automatically know the scales and the keys to put a singer in without any prior work. It has been said that some are just naturally gifted when it comes to pianos, but can't expect that for everybody.

Now I believe, my opinion, that God won't stop blessing because you didn't say thank you. I believe that's where grace and mercy comes in. They're not a excuse to sin or not say thank you, but it gives you chance after chance to say thank you. Shawn Bigby put it like this, "Lord I want to say thank you / I need to say thank you/ I gotta say thank you for always being there." Saying thank you should not be a forced thing. My sister shouldn't have had to ask me for a thank you. God shouldn't have to beg you to praise him. It's amazing that in Psalm 150 it's written, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." Yet you seem to have to beg people to praise. A lot of us are so ungrateful it's no wonder we're going through what we're going through.

Ungratefulness can ruin relationships and future relationships. Cause you being ungrateful can travel like a plague and other people will hear about it and not do any favors for you. Imagine if God treated us like that. Imagine if because of our ungratefulness to God, He decided to cut us off. Imagine if because of our ungratefulness he never sent his son to die for our sins. Just imagine. How many of you are glad that God is not like man?

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson