Don't make me raise my voice!

Have you ever spoken to a person who just won't let you be nice to them?

What I mean is some people seem to get a kick out of frustrating you. It seems that when you try to say something to them in a nice way, they just ignore or become rude just to provoke you. These people seem to bring the worst out of us, don't they. This is the type that you have to get a little tough with for them to get the point.

Why can't everyone just be easy to deal with? Why can't everyone just listen the first time you say something? Why can't everyone understand your point of view? Why do people insist on trying to make you do things their way? Why? Why? Why?

We'll... I don't know. What I know is that there will always be someone who disagrees with your decisions. There will always be someone who says you should do things this way or that way. There will always be someone who thinks you are wrong.

But what you have to do is think for yourself. You have to make decisions based on what is right, not based on what others say. If you see truly believe in what you are doing, if you are sure you are standing on what is right or true, and of course if what you are doing is not morally wrong or spiritually bad for you. Then you need to stand firm on what you believe. Don't bend or compromise for someone else just because they said so.

We must always be willing to grow and learn, but that doesn't mean compromise for others just because they think you should. You have to stand firm. Better to stand for something than to fall for anything.

I have many people who have come at me at one point or another and tried to impose their point of view on me, but if I know that what I believe in is not wrong (not just because in my opinion it's not wrong, but I know it's not morally wrong), and it's what I truly want, then you can forget about me compromising. All bets are off. I will simply say, "I am doing this". And if they continue to push, I may have to result to... "don't make me raise my voice". Which means, if you can't listen to the nice way, then I can adjust to a way that you better understand.

Inspirational Video #7- Sometimes you just need a laugh!

Here is the 7th and final video in my series of inspirational video blogs. After watching this, you may ask, "how is this inspirational". We'll, it isn't really inspirational, but sometimes you just need a good laugh to get yourself back on track. If you take life too seriously, you end up stressed out. Some doctors say, laughter is very therapeutic. So don't look for a deep message in it. Just watch it again and laugh.

Video #6- Michael Jordan "Failure" Nike Commercial

Inspirational Video #5- Change is Painful

This is a story that many of you may have heard before, but nevertheless, it is important to remember.

Change is not easy. It hurts, and it is difficult. The bigger the change you want to see... The more difficult it will be to achieve. Remember that, and go through the pain, so you may see the change.

Inspirational Video #4- How Great I am!

First of all, sorry to everyone who looked at the blog yesterday, and found no new video. I will make it up to you all, by doing one more day of inspirational videos. I will continue through Sunday.

Each one of us has to find that inner strength to keep going no matter how hard life gets. We also need to see how great we can be. What I mean is, we need to be able to recognize our potential. We can accomplish so much. We can overcome anything, but we have to believe in ourselves.

This week, I have dedicated every blog to encouraging you to believe in yourself more. You have to look at everything that comes your way as a stepping stone to help you reach higher. And one of the most important things is faith. Faith means to believe in what you haven't seen yet. So you need to have faith that you can accomplish great things. That you can get that position that you are starving for, that you can graduate with honors, that you can be that rocket scientist, that you can even be a sports star of actor (if you will use it for good and not for evil). You need to have faith (confidence) that your life will become what you WANT it to be, not just what PEOPLE SAID it can be.

If you struggle with having this kind of faith, then ask for help from God. All sorts of people in the world conquer without even believing in God. But those who receive strength from Him, never lose that strength. He gives them a continuos fountain of strength and confidence to drink from whenever they need. It's like Gatorade for an athlete. It keeps you going.

So from to day, stop thinking about what others have told you, and start looking at how great you can be.

Inspirational Video #3- How Winners are Made!

Everyone one of us has to take a hard look at life and decide if we will be a winner or a loser. The decision to be a loser if fairly easy. All you have to do is... well, do nothing. Just allow life to beat the crap out of you and sit back and do nothing about it.

But if you want to be a winner, then you have to learn to dust off your broken, wounded, bloody body and fight. You will get knocked down sometimes. Things will not always work out as you had planned. But you have to take the hits and keep swinging.

What I'm saying, is be ready for it not to be easy. Be ready for everyone to say "you will fail". Be ready for the odds to be against you. Be ready to lose friends. Be ready to be hated. Be ready to be the outcast. Be ready for whatever it takes to succeed. Even if you have to go it alone. Be ready! Because in the end, you can't count on anyone to make you a winner, but you. Of course there is One higher than you who has all the strength you need. Call on Him, when you are frustrated and exhausted, and he will give you strength to carry on.

Believe bigger, fight harder, push longer, sweat more, sleep less, and look to your goal with unflinching focus. That's how winners are made!

Check out the blog tomorrow for another inspirational video.

Inspirational Video #2- Impossible is NOTHING.

This video has a very strong message. How many people say that it is "impossible" to do this or that. Nothing is impossible if you believe. Isn't that what Jesus himself said. "All things are possible to those who believe".

You need to believe in yourself and God. You have to reach higher than what everyone says you can reach. And believe bigger than those around you. If you listen to the voice of the world, they will always tell you that things can't be done. But that doesn't mean that it can not. You need to demand more of yourself because impossible is nothing. As the video said "they didn't accept it, and neither will we". I say, "if all those people could accomplish great things, then impossible really is nothing and listen to me well, "I will NEVER accept it"! What about you?

Inspirational Video #1 FIGHT one more round...

I have decided that everyday this week, I will upload an inspirational video or commercial. Keep an eye on the blog to see each one, and leave your comments.

Everyone of us has more fight in us than we think. Sometimes we give up, thinking that we have done our best, or can't take anymore. But if we can just reach deep within us and find a little more strength to keep going, we would find the victory. Even if you don't have the strength in you, you can get it from God.

'Maybe It's My Fault'

Check out this commercial that was made some years ago. It is really thought provoking. So many people are full of excuses. They want to blame everyone and everything for their failure. But they are the ones to blame. Stop looking for others to blame and start looking at yourself. Give your best, do what's right, let go of the bad influences and negative surroundings and you will succeed as well.

Sometimes you need a reminder...

Click on the link below to read a blog that was written back in February. If you never read it, you should. If you did read it, then re-read it.

Shoulda Been Dead: No Gunk, No Junk, Just You: I was remembering this juice I used to drink called "Just Juice". No, I'm not hungry or thirsty, I was remembering something else about it....

Change.

If things aren't going well in your life, you have two choices:

1. Keep doing the same thing and expect different results. Which probably never will come. Or

2. Change. Do things differently and you will get different results.

I was talking to some young people over the last few days about what it takes to bring change to our life. It's funny, because people are so quick to say "I want to change my life, but I don't know what to do to bring a change". Well, the answer is in the word itself. If you want to change your life, then you have to change.

No one else is going to care as much about your life as you do. Many others may come along who can help a bit, but ultimately it's up to you. We can't go around blaming everyone else or the world for what is wrong in our lives. The truth is, it all starts inside of us. We choose to lie, steal, cheat, sleep around, gamble, drink away the pain, self medicate, etc. We choose. But when things fall apart, we like to blame someone else or sometimes the world itself. But no one forces you to make your decisions. I can understand a women who is raped or a person who is robbed. Sure they didn't choose that. But in most cases we choose to do good or bad, and we have to live with those consequences.

In the end, life is really about what you and I choose to do. You can say, "I'm not a liar, or I don't sleep around", ok, that may be true. But you still do somethings wrong, and your bad decisions lead to or will lead to problems for you. So we need to change. We need to cut the bad out of our lives and choose good instead. I.E. we need to change if we want our lives to change.

This may not be the most funny or creative blog that I have ever written. But it is a reminder to all of us. Let me repeat this again, if you want your life to change, then change. I think sometimes whilst we are crying out to God saying "you have to change my life", He is looking down at us saying, "sure, after you".

How many more need to die?

You see this picture up above... This young lady was shot and killed in Harlem just yesterday. She was 18yrs old, and a very good basketball player, they say. She even had a lot of colleges looking at her. She was one of the best in the country at her position.

What's the point, you may ask? The point is that she is DEAD. And why? Because someone mistook her for someone else. How many times does that happen? Too many! It really frustrates me to see how many youth are dying for NO REASON. They are dying. Understand what I am saying. THEY ARE DYING! Some of them are not literally dying, but are dying from the problems in their lives. And what are we doing to help?

I know I should've been dead years ago according to society. And many of my friends are long gone already. But I had people who helped me get on feet and change. But if we (the Youth Power Group), don't do more to reach out, others will die without a chance as well. The worst thing is that she died in Harlem NY. I know for a fact that we have a YPG on the main street in Harlem. So probably she passed by there a number of times. But I wonder, did anyone ever invite her.

She was killed at 4am. Because she was out at a party. That's why I always tell the youth to be careful. I don't do parties, because they are too dangerous. There is to much going on in the streets these days. If she was in the youth group, then she would have learned the dangers of being out that late, and maybe things would have turned out differently, because she would not have been at the party in the first place.

You who know the truth, have an obligation to tell it to others. If you don't then that is just plain sad.

How many more need to die, before we start doing more???

Nough Said.

Read the words and look at the picture. Nough Said!

The day I almost got raped. Part Three (A way out)

Continuing from where we left off on Friday.


Even though I was going through this inner battle, I knew what was right. So I kept insisting with my no, but she kept insisting with her yes. She was actually dragging me away from the door and toward the bedroom. As I think about it now, I don't know where she got that strength from, considering I was so much bigger than her (come to think about it, I know exactly where she got that strength).

Anyway, she actually managed to pull little by little until she had me in the bedroom. By now it wasn't even funny anymore, it was just plain weird. I'm thinking to myself, "this girl is a lunatic!" But the real question in my mind was, how am I going to get out of this without:
a) going through with it, or
b) physically hurting her, to get out the door (which wasn't an option, because I didn't believe in hitting women)

So, in the bedroom she was just as aggressive as before. She said, "I told you I wouldn't let you go! Take off your clothes, we're gonna do it!"

Just then, like a small voice in my head, the thought came, "you haven't asked for help". And then it hit me, I was trying to get out of the situation on my own. But I hadn't asked God for help. If I really wanted to please Him, then in spite of making a stupid decision, I needed to ask Him for help to get out of it. And in that very moment, I uttered under my breath "Jesus, please, help me." I think I was asking help to get out and to resist my own will to sleep with her.

As soon as I said those words, we heard the front door opening. We were in the room closest to the main door, so we could hear it easily. It was actually her room mate. And the funny thing is, because she was having to pull me into the bedroom, she just simply looked for the first room in sight, and that happened to be the roommates room, not hers.

So when she heard the front door, she stopped "attacking me" and went to check who it was. I forgot to mention, she had two roommates, but the room she was in, was the one that had come home.

So she got up and went to see who it was. By the time the she got to the room door, the roommate was trying to open it. So she quickly opened it and pushed her back. So the two of them began to argue (I guess the roommate didn't like the thought of someone "dirtying" her bedsheets). So the girl pulled the roommate away from the door so that I couldn't hear the argument.

As I heard the voices fading down the hall, the thought came into my mind, "this is your shot". Because I could tell that their voices had passed the point where the main entrance was. So I jumped up, fixed my clothes a little, and ran for the door. When I say ran, I mean RAAANNN. Because If she had come back into that room, my resisting power would have run out. So I ran for my life. I felt like Joseph for a moment (though I was a lot stupider). But I got away. And I didn't sleep with her.

I feel like that was really a turning point in my faith. That is the first time I ever resisted so strongly. And that was the last time I EVER put myself in such a situation.

The moral of this story is; first of all, never trust yourself enough to flirt with wrongdoing. And never put yourself in a situation that you may regret. It's like the old saying goes, "prevention, is better than cure". I should have listened to the right voice in the first place and not have been alone with her. But I was being foolish. Don't make the same mistake!

And the second important point is that God really is faithful enough to always provide a way of escape. There is no wrong doing that you just can not avoid. If you don't avoid it, it's because you don't want to. God showed me a way out because I was looking for one.

Check this out:

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape, so that you are able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Anymore excuses???

The day I almost got raped. Part two (when thing's got hot)

So, I guess I should pick up from where I left off...


Well, the third or fourth time I went to this young ladies house, something completely unexpected happened. We began to... let's just say "heat up" a little too much. Again, no one was home, and the environment was perfect for something to happen. But I honestly didn't want anything to happen. I knew I would probably smooch a little with her, but that was about it. I had decided I would not sleep with her, because I knew that would be wrong before God. Of course with what I know now, I would never have put myself in that position in the first place. But I was immature (especially spiritually speaking), and so I made a stupid decision.

Anyway, before even a kiss was shared, out of what seemed to be the clear blue, this girl says to me, just like this "I'm gonna sleep with you today". I said "what! No way!" And she repeated "you're going to sleep with me. I decided already". So I laughed, and was like "I think I'm gonna go, before you try something". But I was taking it lightly, because she was a very petite young lady, so I'm thinking there is no way she could force me to do something with her.

Jumping forward a little bit. We went back and forth jokingly for a few minutes, until I actually stood up to leave, because I recognized that she was serious. But the moment I stood up to walk toward the door, she grabbed a chair and pushed me down on it. Let's be clear, I didn't fall like some helpless rag doll, but I wasn't expecting the push, so I did fall right in place on the chair.

The next thing I knew, she jumped on my lap and started kissing me and trying to undress me. I was like, "no, get off me, I'm not going to sleep with you". But I was still thinking she was just playing (taking the joke a little too far). So I used my strength to get her off of me and headed to the door. When I got to the door, she threw herself in front of the door, and said with a serious face, "YOU"RE NOT LEAVING, UNTIL YOU HAVE SEX WITH ME'.

At that point I saw in her eyes that she was not playing. So I got a little serious, but still in disbelief that she was coming on so strong. So I said to her, "no, I'm leaving", and I tried to softly move her from in front of the door. At this point, she completely spazed out on me. She grabbed my arm and started dragging me away from the door. At this point I started using my strength to pull away from her, and I couldn't.

Now, I would like all of you to keep in mind, I was very attracted to her. I thought she was really pretty. But I was trying to resist, so that I would not upset God. So I was having a double battle in my mind. One side of me was saying "what are you doing? Are you crazy? Look at this girl. She is forcing herself on you, and look at how good she looks!" But the other side of me was saying "Get out of here! Get out NOW!" And so I didn't know which voice to listen to.

I think that's enough for today. I will really finish it on Monday. Just keep an eye on the blog.