williamjonathan

So many times in life we define ourselves but what we have or what we can achieve. In these moments           we are missing it.

Over the past few days I looking at the Thanksgiving celebrations and the time I had with friends and family last week. Something clicked in my head to night as I was writing in my journal, those around you are those those that define you. It is so easy at times to get caught up in everything that is taking place in you life and over look those who are there and those that have been there.

Yes, we still need to grab life, and chase our dreams. But that never needs to negate those that are in our life. I am the worst at this I feel at times, it is so easy for me to get moving my day to day life and all that is entailed with that alone that I over look those who are there for me, praying for me, living with me, and those laughing with me .

I would encourage us all to take moment in our day to thank God for those He has placed in our life, and also thank those same people, wether it be a call or a text, hug or a word of encouragement. If we are defined by the people around us, then we are also play a hand in defining those who are the closes to us. Even more so at this time os the year, I am praying that we all can grasp this a little better.

Love.

This blog is something that I have been waiting to write. I think I am ready.

Life on this earth is short and sweet, it is here for a moment and then gone in the next. It is like the air we breathe, we don’t notice it at times until it gets hard to breathe, then we try to enjoy every breath, for a moment. (james 4:14)

The  other day I had a conversation with a stranger, this is not completely irregular for me to do, however they way the conversation went was a little different. I was talking to this person and asking them questions about who they were and what they wanted to do with there life.

“Well, I know what I want to do, but this is not it?” was their response.

“Why are you still here then. If you know what you want to do then and this is not it? Why?” (Me)

“I am afraid…”

We have nothing that is a grantee in this world other than times we may be the best and time we may be the worst, of acceptance and of rejection, success and failure. This is not something that is an idea, but rather a very true reality.

Life is moving with or without you or I on board. It is time to stop standing around and wondering why life is passing us by or complaining that life is passing us by.

GRAB LIFE.

You have nothing to lose… If you fall on your face get up and learn from you mistakes. Equip yourself for what you made to do and what is a head of you.

Pray.Seek.Follow.Chase.Live.Love.

It is funny at times when I sit down write, full of thoughts.

But there is nothing to write.

I want nothing but to communicate and connect.

Yet there are moments when the words would be few but far from empty.

I have but this way to connect with you. this place here for all to see. in hopes that you will read.

God had blessed me with these hands to type. this heart with which write.

Tonight I am thankful for one. two. and you.

I pray that you feel my heart.

Though these words are few they are full of love for you.

Yesterday I went to breakfast with a friend at a local little neighborhood dinner. As we were sitting down the door opened and in walked an elderly couple with there mentally handicapped son(30-40 years old).  I took notice as they walked in the door the son was a step a head followed by the husband helping in his wife. I wasn’t facing them, but they sat right behind us so I in normal fashion listened in on the conversation a little noticing that others in the diner and the staff would come buy and have conversation or say hello by name.

As I walked up to pay for our breakfast, I noticed that the husband was holding his wife up in the seat and feeding her the breakfast… At that moment there were several different thoughts and emotions. I want to ask him so many questions. I wanted to cry. I wanted to hug him. I questioned myself, “what would I do?”.

Lately I have been seeing love in many different ways then I have thought of before. At this time of the year it is important to love, to embrace those around us that are close to us as well as those who are alone and those that we might not care for so much.

Love is not always flowers and candies. Some times if making a plate for someone who doesn’t have enough, feeding one that you love, and embracing someone you never thought you would.

love.

Psalm 101:2 “… I will walk with integrity of heart within my house.”

One thing that some might not know about me, is that I value is character. Character is something that is valued and wanted by all, but truly seen by no one. The only time that you can truly see one character is when you are standing in front of mirror. When you are walking around your home, when you are alone.

Your integrity is not tested by what others see or know bout it, it is but to the flame in your hiding place, in your personal space. It is not what you preach in the street corner, but what you pray in your closet.

The quest I have is not…”would others say you are one of character?”, but rather “could you honestly say you are one of character?” The truth will be known.

love.

Life is funny at times… It will kiss you on the cheek, slap you in the face, tell you that it loves you, then bite you in the _____.

I have found that in my life there are a few things that take care of this in my life, one of them is my talks with my mentor, lead pastor, and friend, David.  Today was no exception to this rule. Over the past 7 months he has played a very interracial part of my life and development, along with his amazing wife Dara. I am happy to say that they are finally moving to Uptown after what seems to be an eternity. This is the setting for this blog and am sure of many to come.

Lately there have been a lot of little things that are changing in my life, as some would say,”the devil is in the details”. So as these things have been shifting in my life so have my stance. On some things that are normal for most people are no longer normal for me, some jokes are not meant to come out of my mouth, even thought they are not even bad, and the way I live in the little things is what will be seen on the big screen. That is what we have been trying to “weed” out of my life in all areas. To be honest some are not hard at all, some are quite easy once you make up your mind, while others are no so easy and the only way that one would get through it would be with Holy Spirit at you side.

(This was not meant to be how do you say serious, sorry). So today we were talking while sitting on David’s counter tops about Center City, and about my life. The first thing we talk about is how there is not enough time in the day and then we move onto how we are excited about David’s move, then about how I am about to have a face a few more things in my pursuit of becoming the man I am called to be. After a few minutes of me saying things and David laughing in a agreement, partly because He was thinking the things I was saying them before I said them, we head out.

The point… There are going to be moments like I am facing for EVERYONE, no matter where you are in life, no matter how old you are, noting will keep you from change, and if you have found that place, you have landed in complacency and I am praying for you. For the rest of us, we need to know that we are not alone, there are people in your life that love you and care for you… and if you are thinking to yourself, “there is no one in my life”, your wrong I am here for you.

So sorry it is a long one, but be encouraged, with change comes adventure and with adventure comes discovery, and with discovery revelation.

love.

Life and Blog. Both different. Both a laugh.

Have you ever sat down to think about your responses. The response you make is who you are. The words you say are not words rather the truth of you heart.  The truth is seen in the moments we chose to speak, heard when we chose to act.

One thing that is ironic is that in moments we take stand to be strong, we at time make ourself look weak. When we open ourself up in honesty we open ourselves in our realist level. When the you walk from behind the walls of the city to attack, you also make yourself the most exposed to attack.

Remember that your reaction is not just a defense but also your first attack, even if your not trying to attack.

Earlier this week I had a very important meeting/interview, I was very anxious.

This was something that I had been working for for quite a while and it basically came down to a conversation. Once I was in the room with the person that was interviewing me we started to talk, it started with surface level questions, then a little deeper, till we were tilling up the earth looking for dinosaurs. The first questions were about where I was from and my family and other little things.

The second question was about my strengths and weaknesses, this was something that I have been focusing on for quite awhile. It was harder for me at times to talk about my strengths then it was to talk about my weaknesses…

I think that one of the funniest and ironic thing we struggle with as humans is how we strive so hard to cover up our weaknesses and yet that is all we focus on…

But as I was talking, sitting across the table was encouragement. My interview spoke life into what I was talking about and what areas of my life He could see my strengths.

Then came the last question. What is this about number 29… I knew exactly what question that was and I was expecting there might be a question about it. It was a question about something that has effected my in my past and something that will be with me for the rest of my life. I thought that there are two different ways to handle his question. One I could avoid it and dance around it, or I could face it. I chose it, if there is one thing I do well is own up to my flaws and weaknesses. As I started talking to my interviewer about it stopped me to let me know that he really appreciated and respected the honesty that I and my generation had about matter of past mistakes.

I know that I was not the first person to sit across the table and be completely honest with him. It is encouraging to hear that my generation while marked with so many negatives, has somethings on are side.

Be honest. You have nothing to lose, if you hide the truth of a mistake you end up losing more than once, and your not really helping any one.

When he told me that he was impressed with my openness, “I mentioned that I didn’t wear a cape, so there is no point in hiding the truth.”                                     There is only a few times a year that you need to where a cape, and I am sorry all other times just take it off, you are the ONLY one who sees a superhero in the mirror.

love.

I life there are moments that you will be called to change. Change things in you life, things that are normal, things that are not wrong, little things that most of the world never notices or will ever notice, yet they must change.

I am at one of these moments myself… There are a few things that will be happening over the next few weeks that are yet another part of the changes that God is calling me to make in my life. It is not that there are things in my life that are wrong, but there are just somethings that I am reevaluating. I have had a few conversations with some of the people that are the closest to me, letting the words that they say get past the shields I , have established, and letting them impact my heart.

Chang is a scary at time and can seem over whelming.

The truth is we need to change, we need to come to a place where we let other into our world and let there words reverberate the truth of God.

I am sitting down, it is 12:46 am November 7th. I was looking at picture from some various friends (this blog is about me not anyone). As I was looking at the pictures I was watching moments from my past flash in front of my eyes. As I was looking at them, I was reminded of things from my past, the mistakes.

Mistakes I knew I was making, yet I chose in those moments of time to make the mistakes.

I can remember moments where I knew what I was doing was stupid, wrong, and selfish, yet I continued to chose the mistake. I know we have all heard the phase, “You learn from your mistakes.” Unfortunately at times I feel we may use this as a scape goat, a get out of jail free, or just say “it won’t happen again, this is the last time.” Yes, we do learn from our mistakes, but when I learned a lesson in school I tented  to use the correct answer and not the wrong one…

So what are we learning from the past mistakes if we let the past repeat itself?

The question begs to be asked… When is the last time you made a mistake and then told yourself, “I will never do that again” or “I’ll never do that again.”

One mistake, can be a place of great growth or the beginning of a vicious self inflicted defeat.

Think about it… the next time you are making a mistake. Ask yourself, is this a mistake I know I am making? If the answer is yes, learn before you mistake.

love.