Peace and Blessings reader! I know it has been long over due for this post, but by God’s permission I hope the wait was well worth it. This entry is a little different from my “normal” post. This entry is a reflection of a wonderful journey that took 40 days to complete, I was blessed to experience with a group of guys that have now become apart of my family…. I have to give thanks to Allah (God) for the blessings through Jamal Myrick, Dana Ford aka “Anad Sharif, Robert Bateau, Anthony Wright, and Sheldon Jordan. These distinguish gentleman contributed to my spiritual growth and because this journey was centered around God our bond is a bond that can’t be broken.

If you are curious as to what journey we took it was a spiritual journey centered around this book called “The Purpose Driven Life  ” by Rick Warren. This book is  Christian centered with the purpose to   bring its readers  closer   to their creator. You maybe wondering what is a Muslim doing participating in a journey like this, well at first even I was hesitant, but its interesting how I still managed to find myself in the journey, the answer  is coming up in a few brief moments. As far as my knowledge, I have to give credit to Bro. Jamal for being blessed with the idea to partake in such a marvelous experience. He notified all the brotha’s to see who wanted to participate in this journey. When I received the beautiful invitation, I pondered and thought about it, at the same time I was just baptizing (immersing) myself in the teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad under the leadership and guidance of Minister Louis Farrakhan, so I actually decline the invitation out of lack of self confidence (wasn’t sure I could articulate and relate in the journey), and didn’t want the brotherhood thinking I’m trying to covert anyone (there’s no compulsory in Islam). However, faith would have a different plan. While calling in to a different conference call that involved the brotherhood, I overheard Mr. Sheldon give a beautiful summary of a lesson the book covered on God. As I sat and listened to my brotha and felt the spirit of truth through his words, my mind was made up! I thought, in the Qur’an Allah (God) loves and rewards the DOER of good, and I’m striving to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who did nothing but good, then how can I not want to be involved in this wonderful mission of self improvement. Once Mr. Jordan finished talking, I immediately said “Bruh’s I would like to rethink my decision and I would love to be apart of this experience” they accepted me with humbled hearts and opened arms.

I’m not going to give you a day by day analysis (lol that would take forever) but an understanding of what we were blessed to experience, each day brought about a new aspect of faith, certain principles that were important in our relationship with God. We would proceed to ask challenging questions that would foster an in depth analysis of the chapter or principle(s) that we were going over. We all realized the deeper meaning of Love. This was proven as how our relationship with each other grew deeper. We were all on the same page that during this journey we planned a “Bruh’s trip” to Tampa, Fl. There we were holding each other accountable but yet demonstrated Love. Why love? Well, through our understanding we came to understand that God tests those he Love, and love was a prerequisite in order to be a disciple of Jesus, (John 13:35) “By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another”. Throughout the Holy Qur’an its states “Allah loves the doers of good”, each respective verse shows that love must be demonstrated in order to start the journey towards God. This love was definitely developed on this journey. We also know that this new confession of dedication to live a  “Christ-like” life would bring on many trials and test. If you study the prophets of the Bible, they all suffered in one way or another when they wanted to walk or live that live that brought them closer to the Father, Jesus being the ultimate example of what it would take to submit your will to do the will of the Father. The Holy Qur’an (Sura 29:2) “Do men fancy that they will be left just upon their declaring, “We believe, and they will not be tested?” As the group began working on dedicating ourselves to our respective religions and faiths, many of us were faced with challenges that tested our faith. This was clear proof that God wanted to see if the words spoken from our lips was congruent to our actions. Our Brother Dana has been saving up for a car that he really wanted but a situation happened where he may have to sacrifice that money for a relative, our Bro. Jamal had problems with his family where the roof over his head may not be anymore, and I was faced with making a decision on a relationship that I had with a young lady for 4.5 years or to step out on faith and seek a relationship on the principles of my faith that my heart wanted, or  our Bro. Rob getting on the call despite working from 8-10pm most nights, still making the call.. These were just a few of the test that some of us experienced. As we all discussed our solutions and  how hard they were we knew that to stand on with the spirit of truth, we would over come these minor problems (I use the word minor because with a source as God backing you, nothing is big in his eyes, cause HE has the power to help us overcome all). Philippians 4:13 states “We can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us.” Bro. Dana made that Godly sacrifice, our Bro. Jamal found housing and I ended my 4.5-year relationship, and I think God has answered my prayers with a blessing. We all just can bear witness to the rewards of a trial.

As our last day of the 40 day journey approach, we all shared the valuable lessons that we had learned, we shared areas where we have gained tremendous strength where we were once weak and we each critique each others growth and made humble suggestions to each person on how he can continue to grow in God’s likeness. As I personally listened to each person, a brotha had a moment on the phone were tears were shed, I too, shed a few silent tears, not out of total sadness (I was sad the calls were ending, I once looked forward to 8pm each day!) but out of joy that Allah (God) would allow me to grow closer with my Christian family. These phone calls were bigger than us personally, we, on the bigger scale were exemplifying the principles and the essence in which God wanted us to grow. Our friendship is now center around God, a love that is manifested out of our pursuit towards God was born between each of us; after many of the conference calls we found ourselves sharing our deepest secrets and exposing our vulnerable side to the group. Each night we ended the call telling the group how much we loved each other. Most black men may go their whole life without uttering those words to another black male friend. I’m in no way or form exalting these individuals over any one else in my life, just taking the time to share a blessing that I gained. I hope this will help those to appreciate those special individuals in your life, and take new journeys with your friends!

Throughout life’s  journeys God send you special people that allow you to grow, I thank HIM for this special group of young men, who I pray continue to spread their talents with the world. I know they heard it a million times before and I’ll say it again;  ”I love ya’ll” This song is dedicated to my “Brothers”

Seeker of truth, Spreader of Love,

Artiium X

The “Mad” “Radical” and “Angry” blogger

Follow @artiium_x

This post took longer than usual because when I thought I was complete, another inspiration would come up and I would have to re-write the whole post, but I would like to thank God for my current bruhs (Sheldon, Rob, Dana, and Jamal) because through this book club journey that we are embarking on, many of my inspirations came from them. Born to struggle, if we examine the life that we all are blessed to have, everyone of us endure some type of struggle to get to the point where we are now. After studying the teachings of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, I found a lesson in where it shows the beginning aspect of Christianity and Islam. One interesting observation I see is that Christianity does not take its’ beginning from the birth of Jesus; nor does it have its origin from the ministry of Jesus. But Christianity takes it beginning from the most painful and crucial aspect of his life. It begins on the basis of his passion under the judicial decree of crucifixion. Islam is very similar, Islam doesn’t start its calendar from the birth of prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, nor does Islam begins its calendar from the first revelation of God to Muhammad. But Islam begins its history, its calendar with a death plot against the life of the prophet from which he escapes and fled his enemies. So here you see both of these religions start at a painful but critical hour just like your and my life.

The origin of life is a very painful process, and the start of our life, just like the origin of our religions, begin at a painful moment. Now, the act of creating life may not be painful but the very journey to start life is a STRUGGLE. Lets examine how God created this process, before we became this flesh and blood that we are now, we all were sperm from the lions of our father, now the journey for that sperm was a STRUGGLE, if we remember anything from anatomy, we learn that even within the woman’s vagina there are certain chemicals that kill millions of the weaker sperms, right from this point the strong of the strong survives, now the journey of our live is just beginning because the sperm still has to travel through the cervix where many other ones are killed off or don’t make it, then the struggle continues because they have to penetrate the egg and successfully fertilize the egg. From this brief shorten description of the reproductive journey of life, you can see that the start of life is a STRUGGLE, (and most of us after the 9 months come out crying) but YOU was the strongest of the strongest to make it showing that you are built to win.

Once we arrive in this would our struggles aren’t over, for just like as we are in our infant stage, so are our struggles, we gain the ability to crawl, then walk, then we start to run only after mastering the struggles of learning how to balance ourselves, and now we are or growing to be strong adults. The same is true when we enter our mental maturity. As we face these struggles (school, parents, even our own self) there’s a lesson here. That even in our darkest hour, an hour when you think you should give up because the forces arrayed against you are so mighty; so powerful; and they look as though they have totally overwhelmed you, it is in that hour that your greatest opportunity for triumph is in you, because God created us to win. If the Bible states that we were “created in his image and after HIS likeness” then God placed within us that seed of success.We just have to water that seed of success with FAITH, as our faith grows and we know we backed by that unbeatable power, then you see a person take on great challenges and win. Its in that hour of weakness that God created our hearts to be humble and open to receive him, it is then, when we going through it financially and the rent money is looking low, or when your boyfriend/girlfriend is trying your last patience and your about to break. The Bible says (2 Corinthians 9-10) “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” You ever notice that after going through something and you look at your weakest moment you can see how with your Faith you regained strength and now your stronger than before. Some of us may have pledged and had those moments where you thought you couldn’t make it, or where you on that journey to graduate and its looking like you may not walk across that stage or whatever struggled you endured, I cant count the many nights where I been in the bathroom sobbing, and asking God to grant me the strength to endure this journey. Through it all we waited like Job, and we knew, “I will wait until my change comes” and in order to grower wiser, all we have to do is reflect on our journey and understand the quality of strength we gained, the Holy Qu’ran says, “In the alternation of the day and the night, in this are signs for those who reflect”

From these struggles comes change, a proper understanding through the reflection of our struggles gives us knowledge and once you understand that struggle you been through, your mindset starts to change for the better, which leads to a person doing better in the real world people say you are……..”Mature” now. Maturity meaning you have the mental ability to decipher between behavior that is acceptable and act on that progress in a way that separates you from those who are immature. This is why many of us find ourselves with a new set of friends from those we started with in elementary to middle and high school to college and beyond.

In order for us to continue the evolutionary journey towards perfection, we must remain humble and know that nature and life is critical. History of our own life shows that there is difficulty, and, after you’ve mastered the difficulty, there is ease. When ease comes, a new challenge is going to be presented. All of this is God’s way of making sure we don’t fall victims to being content! So lets keep striving and know that we are born to struggle BUT we are built to win! Peace and Blessings!

I would like to thank you the reader for your support and hope that your little brother may have shed some inspiration as inspiration has been given to me by God, my family, my bruhs/sistas, and even strangers.

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Seeker of truth, Spreader of Love,

Artiium X

The “Mad” “Radical” and “Angry” blogger

Follow @artiium_x

Confessions of A Reformed Hoe

““I’ve gone from saint to whore and back to saint again, all in one lifetime.” Ingrid Bergman

I use to be a hoe. Emphasis on Use to be. Now I know that this may seem strange that a person, no wait a woman, is actually willing to admit to not only herself, but to others that she use be a bit loose. Well it’s a part of me. I can’t share my world and only expose the “good” things. As a little girl I was always sexually curious. I always explored the taboo act of masturbation and experimented with others. That was elementary school. When I got to middle school, seventh grade really, I got a little out of hand. Now where I went to school at, it wasn’t uncommon for girls to “date” boys, but I took it to another level. I was a fast a**. Keep in mind, I didn’t think that I was the most attractive thing in the world, but I had figured out something that I was, a freak. Even in the seventh grade I knew being a freak was a more valuable characteristic than being pretty. I’m not sure exactly how I let people know what kind of girl I was, but they eventually figured it out and I became “popular.” Now see, I wasn’t giving up the pussy, but there was a lot of fingering, touching, kissing, hand holding, jacking and titty f**king. Okay anything, but the actual penis penetration.
The first time I was suppose to have sex was in the seventh grade with this boy who looked like Jay-Z. Okay now before you say, damn that ain’t cute, I know that. How he looked didn’t matter. I knew only one thing about him, he was nasty, and that alone was enough of a reason to date him. After we started talking, I skipped the after school program, so that I could walk to shallow side and get my rocks off in his apartment’s stairway. Classy. Well he eventually grew bored with that after a couple of weeks and wanted to have sex. I remember I told my best friend at the time and of course she told me not to go through with it. There was no way I was listening to her lame, respectable advice.
Mac-Head (a.K.a. Jay-Z Jr) pulled back the covers and told me to undress. I looked at the sheets and looked at him and said “Um see my friend told me not to this. Sorry.” Okay the truth was, if he would’ve pulled back those damn covers off the bed and let me slip underneath them, I would have had sex. I was too self-conscious to be exposed like that and I just made my friend out to be a cock-blocker because of my insecurities.
If you can’t already tell, I had no standards in middle school. I mean c’mon, it was damn middle school. I dated boys who barely spoke English, gay, questionable, gay, but didn’t know it yet, tall, skinny, single, in a relationship, drop outs, drug dealers. Yeah it really didn’t matter. Equal opportunity employer over here. I could be with a boy for two weeks, break-up with him, then be with another boy in five minutes. Had to line them up.
My High school years were rather boring on the hoe front. I started dating seriously and only performing sexual acts with guys I was in a relationship with. Okay, not really. I had relations with guys I was interested in having a relationship with.
In college I took friends with a benefit to another level! God knows, I did not know how important my self-worth was and how beneficial high self-esteem is. The people I did were. . . urrr eh. . . um urrr. . . aw yea. From the summer of 05 to about 2007, I was out and about Tallahassee just serving up the pussy like $1.99 nuggets from McDonalds. Just cheap. I led a reckless life back then. Looking back on it, I can’t regret doing everything that I did because it was a necessary part of my development. I just wish I would have understood what I was doing to myself. I used sexual freedom as my excuse. My validation was, I was sexing because I wanted to. My partners were being used and not vise versa. Societal gender restrictions have had such a negative impact on the perception that we have on “expressive” women that my reputation, like my psyche, became badly damaged.
What changed me?! Honestly nothing at first. I just got bored doing that meaningless sh*t. Got into relationships, failed at relationships, but at least I wasn’t just being used. I hate that feeling. Now it’s difficult for me to even be thought of as just a sexual being, but I know that I still present my self as such. Men delight in my sexual appetite. Know that I’m freaky by nature. I will sext, maybe exchange pictures, glorify cunnilingus and fellatio, flirt, and allow my a** to be patted, pu**y teased, but that doesn’t satisfy me anymore. Trying desperately to alter that perception, I often falter. Someone please see me as more than just a sexy personality, but as a beautifully crazy, cool, dramatic, caring woman who just happens to entice your sensual side, peak your sexual interest, and elevates your freaky potential.

Dominique L. Grant

Randomtrustory.blogspot.com

Dominique.grant1987@yahoo.com

“Clear Signs”

The actual definition of sure is to be confident, as of something expected; free from doubt as to the reliability, character, action, etc., of something. But it seems that in today’s culture that sure is just a passive, unchallenging affirmation to an agreement or occurrence in life.

Well, in the latter sense I had always been sure about my four year relationship with my boyfriend; he was my best friend and my constant companion, basically he was my everything. But towards the end of the relationship we started having intense debates on something that should be the foundation of any lasting romantic relationship: FAITH.

I was on the path towards Islam and although he had grown up in Christianity, he had started moving away from organized religion all together. At first we consciously avoided religious topics. However avoidance can only last for a short time before things start to fall apart. As we began to have more arguments about religion, I started to question whether this relationship was actually Allah’s (God’s) intention for me. With such varied opinions could we ever truly and completely find peace within each other? How would we raise our children? Were we even a match or had we been together so long that we were just comfortable?

I started praying for Allah (God) to give me some sort of sign to let me know what I should do because I knew marriage was the next step. Many weeks went by and I had a few weird dreams; where he and I would be going somewhere and for some reason he would just go without me.  Each time I woke up from these dreams feeling like Allah (God) was trying to tell me something but I always just ignored them. Then one night I had a dream that he broke up with me. When I woke up I was in a panic and the scene was engraved into my memory. This dream wasn’t hazy or unclear like the others had been. I felt every feeling and recorded every detail.

Just then I remembered my father said that sometimes you can use the Qur’an for specific guidance to your problems.  So I then I walked over to my bookshelf and grabbed the Qur’an. Before I opened it I took out the book mark and I prayed the most sincere prayer I had ever prayed and asked “Allah if you’re trying to tell me something please make it plain because I can’t end my four year relationship based off a dream. I need clear guidance for this decision will change my life forever.”

I opened the Qur’an and the first words I read were do not take non-Muslims or over Muslims as a spouse. As I slammed the book closed you can imagine my astonishment to have read these words that answered my specific problem. I thought to myself could Allah actually be using this Qur’an to speak to me or is this just a coincidence.  The only way to know for sure is to try again so I open the Qur’an to a random page and my eyes were drawn to read in Chapter 16: The BEE second half of verse 13 “…Surely there is a sign in this for a people who are mindful”.

After reading that there was no turning back, Allah (God) had given me a clear message that I couldn’t deny no matter how much I didn’t like his answer. Three weeks later my boyfriend broke up with me exactly the way it happened in the dream and even though I was beyond devastated I was able to go on because Allah (God) had warned me.

Always remember that God does answer prayers just be sure you are sincere in wanting to receive his true answer.

Follow @lilacmariposa

Connected To The Source:

I was home late one Saturday evening watching TV with my mother, when Miami Crime Stoppers came on. I was half-way paying attention to the TV because quite frankly hearing, “the suspect is described as a young black male” infuriated me. The show is mostly focused on solving unresolved homicides in the city I call home, Miami, FL. It’s a shame how immune I was to receiving and hearing bad news because of this “culture” in my native city. As I reluctantly half-way listened to the show and proceeded to check my phone, I heard my mother say “Who is this man that these people are talking about?” I quickly looked up to try to answer her question, and then she quickly blurted out “Everyone is saying such great things about him.” By everyone my mother was referring to a few church members, his two daughters, and his beloved wife.

I don’t remember the man’s name to save my life, but I do remember his miraculous story. The man was in his fifties and had come over to America from his country to establish a better life for him and his family. If you’re like me, you know far too many people with this exact story in South Florida. The man was above anything else, invested in his faith and connected to the source which is proven through his amazing story. On one morning as he was going to open up a local laundry mat that he had established, he was approached by “a young black male.” The young black male pulled up shortly after he had opened his doors for business at 7:00am. The young black male asked the man if the laundry mat was opened, and he replied yes. The young black male then proceeded to go to his trunk after quickly entering and exiting the convenience store next door, then re-entered the laundry mat. As the man was going to open his office door, the young black male approached him and shot him three times. The first shot delivered was in the stomach, the second was to his left arm, and the third was in the back of the head in front of this man’s laundry mat. After the suspect fired the last shot to the back of the mans head, he proceeded to drag the man’s body out of the view of his entry doors to a blind-spotted area. The man was smart so he had very good surveillance of the inside and outside of his establishment.

After the young black male had senselessly shot and assaulted this man, he fled from the scene with the same brisk walk in his step from when he had first arrived. Now anyone who knows me knows that I do not like violence; Not for entertainment, and certainly not in real life. Watching this man very vividly receive three shot wounds while maliciously being then left for dead was beyond belief. I’d like to mention that this young black male came in casual dress to carry out his crime; with no face mask at all. You all would never believe it, but this man survived. After three gun shot wounds, with one of them being to the head, he survived. This attempted murder was one of the most horrific crimes I had witnessed in my life. Now I know what you’re saying, “It was on TV, and youweren’t physically there” which is true. However, like most of us human beings, I have the capacity be empathetic at the core of my being. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” and Dr. King said that. Witnessing this man who was left for dead GET UP off his laundry mat floor after three gun shot wounds to ask for help next door was AMAZING to see.

The man then appeared on the show censored in appearance to talk about how he got enough strength to get up and seek help. He said that he had said a prayer to God to give him the strength to get up, and held on to his crucifix. The man made it through after being unconscious and heinously shot several times for no reason. I share this story with you readers to reaffirm that anything can happen. Bad things don’t just happen to bad people, they can also happen to innocent good people. This man survived because he was a good person, but more importantly he survived because he was Connected to The Source. For whatever reason, I was in a position to watch and retain this miraculous true story. I will never forget the man, or his dedication to his faith. I’ll leave you by saying that life is unpredictable and sometimes unfair, but you must be the absolute best person that you can be. The best of you has nothing to do with what you give yourself, but it is significantly reliant on what you are able to leave others with. I believe that if this man had not survived, he would have still felt that he lived a fulfilled life. This man who I will never forget has left me with inspiration, compassion, and an unyielding faith to keep pushing through life, even if you have to bite the bullet sometimes, literally. Whoever your God is I say to you stay connected, because you never know when you’ll be called to redeem your source. Stay lifted. God Bless.

Best,

Zeba Khan

Welcome to The Empowerment Restaurant, where the food is so good we have your lips smackin’. Here at The Empowerment Restaurant we aim to assist our customers by finding the food to cure their hunger. Our food will help you transform your mind, body, and soul. Today our meal includes an appetizer, entrée, and dessert and it will focus on the activation of your passion to serve your purpose. However, before you digest this food, please remember that passion and purpose are one. As you discover your purpose, you will notice that it is something you are overwhelmingly passionate about. As you activate your passion, you will ultimately serve your purpose.

The Appetizer

What is purpose?  Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines purpose as “something set up as an object or end to be attained.”  Let’s take a closer look.  When you were born you were blessed with amazing qualities, unique talents and through the years of your life, you have had incredible experiences.  These qualities, talents, and experiences form what we call your purpose.  We all have a purpose in life because we have all been blessed with a unique gift or special talent.  Within our unique gift or special talent, we share a common thread— using our gifts and talents to serve others.

What is passion?  Passion has many definitions, but to me passion is a way of believing.  Passion – real passion for who you are, who you are becoming, where you are, and where you are going, what you believe in, stand for and would die for – shouts to the world: “I am here to stay.  I am here to make a difference.  I will leave my mark in this world. It may take me my entire life, but I will not give up until my purpose and destiny are realized and fulfilled.” Who do you know who is passionate about something? Anything?  I am passionate about seeing teenagers be the best they can be.  I am passionate about showing people how to ignite that fire that is within them.

In order to ignite that fire inside of you, you must ask yourself “What should I do with my life?” So many of us go through life never asking ourselves this question or we ask ourselves this question, but never answering it. I understand that this question is not one that can be answered in a short amount of time.  I understand its difficulty.  It took me a while to find my answer, but eventually it was revealed to me. However, what I do not understand is how some of people go through life never finding what their true purpose is, and no, I am not talking about the one your parents had for your life.  I am talking about your destiny, what you feel your mission on this Earth is to do.  I propose a challenge to you. I challenge you to ask yourself this question everyday until your answer surfaces. Here are some tips to make this process easier:

1. Determine who you want to be.  Instead of concentrating on what you want to do, decide who you want to be.  This should be the guide to your choices in life.
2. Listen to your inner voice.  The answers you want in life will often come in the form of a whisper or at an unexpected event or time.  This takes practice to hear your true desires.  In the end, you will be reminded or made aware of what’s important and what makes you happy.
3. Acknowledge misfortune.   What are you doing with your free time? Are you spending it on things you love? Evaluate your happiness. A key to living a purposeful life is seeing what makes you feel fulfilled.
4. Explore possibilities.  Your passions can lead you down various pathways to find joy and contentment. Search deep within your life and discover the things that bring you happiness.
5. Disregard the voice of the world.  Finding your purpose in life could mean going against the advice of close friends, family members, and mentors. Just take a leap of faith and trust your dreams.
6. Have faith in transformation.  Life is meant to be a challenge and you are going to fall, but you were born with the willpower to get back up. One of my mentors, Delatorro L. McNeal, II, states, “Life challenges are strength-builders for later struggles we will encounter.” As you go through challenges, do not be afraid to modify your life because of your experiences. Take your challenges and create new circumstances.
7. Take the next step.  Fate doesn’t happen overnight. It happens when you are willing to leave your comfort zone—that zone where you have been stagnant awaiting success. Get prepared to make some changes in life… The time is NOW!
8. Have patience.  Results won’t come in two hours or overnight.  Be patient.  Stick with your purpose to find your answer and take steps at making it happen.

The Entrée

Congratulations on eating the full appetizer. Did you leave any room for the main course and dessert? I sure hope so.

As you digested the appetizer, you were provided with a strategy to help you answer one of the most unanswered questions. At the prime age of 20, I have asked myself that question for the longest time and finally I have come up with my answer. In my life, I want to be able to inspire younger students and teenagers through determination, passion, and wisdom (my purpose). Even more, I want to use my God-given gift of speaking (my passion) to motivate individuals to be the best they can be.  Now that I know what I want to do and have found my passion,

I am living it.

In order to live my passion, I currently follow a routine that has me on track to serve my purpose. I plan to share this routine with you, but before I do, you must stop what you are doing and prepare for what’s next. Friends, in my experience, I have noticed that we often travel through life with our activation switch OFF. I am assuming that you are tired of traveling that way because you have either bought a copy of this book or received it as a gift. Therefore, to ensure that you activate your passion to serve your purpose, it is time for you to turn your activation switch to ON.

Is it on yet?

What about now?

Ok, good!

Well, now that we are traveling together down the road less traveled, let me share with you the routine I follow to live my passion. As you achieve your purpose, you must become someone new. Today is the day for you to adopt the V.I.B.E.S mentality!

Visionary.

It.

Bumblebee.

Eliminator.

Self-Pleaser and a Service.

I know you are thinking, what exactly does V.I.B.E.S. means and do you adopt this mentality.  Let me explain!

Become a Visionary:  Remember those visions, those dreams, those goals that you buried because you felt they were not realistic.  There were times where I had visions that I saw for myself, but let them go because I did not think it was practical.  There were little visions, such as approaching a girl and asking her to be my Valentine, and there were big visions, such as graduating after being dismissed from the National Honor Society for cheating or even mustering up the courage to run for Student Body President on a college campus of over 38,000 students.  As you can imagine, some of my visions were accomplished and some were not.  Those that I achieved I did because I believed in them.  Folks, your visions, your dreams, your goals can come true, but you must be willing to believe in them.  Take Dr. King and his dream.  He saw to it that “his four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”  I vision myself living my passion and inspiring youth, but not only do I see it, I believe it.

Become It: Walk the walk and talk the talk.  Take your passion and become it.  Talk about your passion because the more you talk about it, the more real it becomes, and the more possibilities you will notice that will help you serve your purpose.  As you become it, you will notice that you are more detailed, and as you are more detailed, you will notice that opportunities to live your passion will unexpectedly appear.  Becoming your passion increases the chance of finding someone who has the right information or connection for you, or can just steer you in the right path.

Become a Bumblebee: Ever heard of the rule of the bumblebee? According to the laws of aerodynamics and mathematics, it is impossible for bumblebees to fly. Unfortunately, the bumblebee is able to fly and has done so since its existence. Folks, you are going to be told your passion is impossible; live it anyway. If I received a dollar each time someone has told me “it’s impossible” or “that’s unachievable” I would be a millionaire right now. Most successful business people and entrepreneurs were told what they wanted to accomplish was “impossible,” but they were a bumblebee and proved the world wrong. Live your passion by becoming a bumblebee.

Become an Eliminator: In life, there are always crucial sacrifices that need to be made. Many of us are not where we want to be academically, socially, physically, emotionally, or spiritually and that’s because we have people or things holding us back. What are necessities in your life? Is it important that you have 1,000 friends on an internet social site? Is it important that you work with people or are you content working alone? Is it important that you have the newest material things, or are you comfortable having possessions that are years old? In order to live your passion, you have to eliminate those things that are not necessities, those things holding you back.

Become a Self-Pleaser and a Service: We are not here to please others. We can’t do what others want us to do. We have to do what brings us joy. You have to live your passion and not anyone else’s. You will find that as you are pleasing yourself by living your passion, you develop the skills and knowledge to be a service to others. Additionally, being a self-pleaser and living your passion creates a better atmosphere. When you stop focusing on trying to please others and tap into your passions and purpose, you ultimately become a service to others. In order to get, you have to give. Therefore, give abundantly!

This is my routine to activate my passion to serve my purpose.  As you can imagine, sometimes black clouds try to rain on my sunny day, but as long as I stick to V.I.B.E.S, I will be fine.  Apply to your life what you can and I promise when you refocus and become V.I.B.E.S that your world will feel a whole lot better.  I hope I haven’t fed you too much because we still have dessert to go.  I’m only steps away from putting the icing on the cake.

The Dessert

I know, I know.  I’m sure your stomach is aching from all the food you have digested.  However, I just want to share a little more information with you and you can go take a nap, because I am sure all this food has made you tired.  I get like that after I eat too.  J

Within this chapter, I hope that you were filled with the knowledge to activate your passion and find your true life purpose. A life purpose is the container in which you pour your life, an organization in which you provide your time and your resources, that in which you find happiness and create it for others.  Your life purpose is more about what you bring to life, than what you do. Your life purpose is that which can shape you.

If you ever begin to start losing your passion, here are a few guidelines to help you receive it back.

1. Count your blessings.
2. Manage your opportunities.
3. Eliminate old baggage.
4. Live with an attitude of gratitude.
5. Do what you love, not what others want you to do.
6. Love yourself as you are.

Congratulations!!!!!  You have just found out how to activate your passion to serve your purpose in Laymon’s terms.

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This month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its unemployment data for the month of May. The unemployment rate for the African American community went up from 16.1 percent to 16.2 percent.  Black males, who already had the highest unemployment rate of any ethnic/gender category, saw their joblessness rise from an astounding 17 percent last month to 17.5 percent this month.

While white unemployment has declined since May of last year (8.5 percent to 8.0 percent), black unemployment has risen (15.3 percent to 16.2 percent).   Black teenagers also saw their unemployment rate rise over the last year (38.4 percent to 40.7 percent).   White teens, on the other hand, had a sharp decline in their unemployment rate (25.1 percent to 20.7 percent).

These astonishing numbers take us back to the statement made two years ago by President Barack Obama with regard to black unemployment.  When journalist April Ryan did a wonderful job of pushing the black   unemployment issue to the president, the baffling talking point of the Obama Administration was that “the rising tide will lift all boats,” implying that engaging in policy for the entire country would magically heal the effects of racial inequality in the job market.  The translation was: “Sure black people gave us 18 percent of our votes, but you don’t deserve more than two percent of our time.”

The problem for the Obama Administration is that the “rising tide” logic might make sense on water, but it doesn’t add up in the real world.  In fact, it sounds an awful lot like Trickle Down Economics, endorsed by the Reagan Administration nearly 30 years go.  Economic trickles don’t work between the rich and the poor and they certainly don’t work on matters of race.  This truth has been established repeatedly with the worsening unemployment numbers we keep seeing every single month.

One has to ask this question: Just how high does the black unemployment rate have to be before the Obama Administration and Congress reconsider their policies against engaging in targeted action on behalf of black and brown communities?  If the unemployment rate were 20 percent, would that convince them that there is a problem?  What about 25 percent?  Perhaps there is some hidden law against advocating for people of color?

What makes me saddest is that one only speculates that there is almost no unemployment rate for black men or women that would make any group of elected officials in Washington feel compelled to realize that there might be a problem.  In contrast, when whites were screaming about nine percent unemployment, they were given the attention of a newborn baby.  That, my friends, is White Supremacy 101.

Given that African Americans are taxpayers too, one has to admit that perhaps our tax dollars are not getting back to us.  Wall Street gets massive bailouts and other constituencies have their issues addressed by Washington politicians.  But the glaring silence by elected officials on any matter having to do with race is both symptomatic of political cowardice and also a reflection of a society that is so blind with racism that it feels compelled to deliberately penalize any politician who chooses to address racial inequity.

In light of the fact that the US government decided to boycott the United Nations World Conference on Racism, one must truly ask if the United States is in denial.  Perhaps we are convinced that cosmetic changes, like electing a bi-racial president or honoring Black Music Appreciation Month can override the deep social cleansing necessary to deal with a 400-year old problem.

What’s most interesting about Washington politicians is that solving the problem is never as great of a concern as who gets blamed for the problem.  Well, rather than simply blaming President Obama, we can do what makes sense:
Blame everyone who is not doing all they can to achieve a solution.  This might mean dealing with the Congressional Black Caucus, the Obama Administration, The Justice Department, Congress, the Senate, black community leadership and ourselves to determine whether or not we are demanding that our tax dollars be put to work by helping black men and women find gainful employment.
There must come a time when everyone is held accountable, and all political loyalties are put on the table for negotiation.  If someone is not doing their job in advocating for the African American community, then black folks have no reason to support that official.  The accountability certainly starts at the top, but it must spread to any and all of us who have the ability to access federal and community resources.  Such devastation cannot be allowed to continue and being silent is no longer an option.

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The inspiration behind this piece comes from daily reading of tweets, and  when I hear friends in situations, and they apply the word RACIST to someone. This word racist, in my humble opinion is very tricky, and I believe most of the time its used out of the proper context or meaning, here’s an example please watch this short video below, its about 2mins and then tell me would you call him a racist? And I promise we will go deeper into this word racist and see if we can learn something new today.

Many people might call this guy a RACIST, but after we examine the definition of a racist, maybe your opinion might change. I would like to thank in advance the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, for his explanation of this concept, which has helped me to think deeper on it. There are a couple of questions we should ask ourselves, what is racism? What is a racist? According to the teaching by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, the word race can mean, that which has a beginning and an end (track race), or speaking to a segment of the family of MAN. Its very important that we look at the word because through the prefix or suffix of a word it gives us the direction to use the word, or makes us aware of the word meaning. The suffix “ist” denotes one commitment to or proficiency in, dedication to the main word, example racIST. I would like to provide a few examples of what I mean.

If a person plays the violin and they give their life and time to the violin, you would call this person a VIOLINIST. If a person plays the piano, give their time and life at becoming virtuoso to the piano, you would call this person a PIANIST. If a person study Biology, Chemistry or Physics and they devote their time and efforts to become efficient in these subjects, and receive their masters or Ph.D,  you would call them a BIOLOGIST, a CHEMIST, or a PHYSICIST. Then if a person is born from a people that is oppressed, and I develop in my intellectual and moral capacity to the point where I can lift my race up, so in the positive sense I am a RACIST but there is a negative side to it too.

In the negative sense, when a human being or one segment of the human family wishes to exalt his people at the expense of another segment of the human family, depriving that segment of what God intended for them to have; that is a wicked person using race as the manifestation of their evil. That is what white people have set up in America, not the love of your race, but the deprivation of other members of the human family to the elevation of your race…..so Will the Real RACIST Stand Up and I’ll sit down.

How have white people become RACIST (not all white people are bad, I’m speaking to the ones who created this system, AND the ones that know they’re privileged at the expense of others, and chose to do nothing to change it). The real wicked racist (as we uncovered the meaning from above) creates policies and laws to disguise their wicked racism, I shall prove my point with the help of God. In this country you ever noticed the Ghetto’s well this is the result of wicked policies; please follow along. Prior to 1900 Blacks were scattered throughout white neighborhoods all across the country. At the turn of the century, methods such as public improvement projects, redevelopment projects, public housing programs, and urban renewal policies were utilized to accomplish racial segregation. Manufacturing jobs were lured away from the inner city with cheap land and low taxes. Industry moving from the city to the suburbs resulted in the creation of all-white suburban towns. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) adopted the practice of “red-lining,” a discriminatory rating system used by FHA to evaluate the risks associated with loans made to borrowers in specific urban neighborhoods, there are 4 categories to the borrowing practices. Black areas were placed in the fourth category. Mortgage funds were channeled away from fourth category African American neighborhoods and were typically redirected from communities that were located near a black settlement or an area expected to contain black residences in the future. As a result of these policies, the vast majority of FHA mortgage loans went to borrowers in white middle-class neighborhoods, and very few were awarded to black neighborhoods in central cities…..Will the Real Racist Stand Up…I’ll Sit Down!

I know we all heard or at least read about “Jim Crow” laws. Jim Crow was the name of the racial caste system which operated primarily, but not exclusively in southern and border states, between 1877 and the mid-1960s. This was more than laws, “Jim Crow” became a way of live, the aim was to make African-Americans second-class citizens. Blacks couldn’t vote (meaning no political power), many White Preachers preached that Whites were the chosen people, and Blacks were chosen to be servants of the world. This has a bigger effect on a people, than someone calling you a name. These policies and laws put into effect an “in-superior” mindset thus having us to believe your nothing, “As a man thinketh, so is he”

This brothers and sisters is why Paul said in the Bible (Ephesians 6:12), “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”. What does he mean, “flesh and blood” is us, people, when someone may call you a “Nigger” “Monkey” or even “Nappy headed hoes” that is not a RACIST per say, the effect of those words may trigger an emotional effect called anger but those words will not hold us back as a people (sure that type of behavior shouldn’t be tolerated either). Lets go DEEPER and fight those wickedness in high places (polices and laws) that had an effect on us for over 200 years. So let’s examine the words we use and let us (myself included definitely) grow wiser in our choice of words and the reactions we chose to give.

I hope that your little brother was able to share something of substance with you, I would also like to say THANK YOU for taking the time out your productive day and read what I have to say

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Remember there is always two sides to a story, and be a blessing to someone today *Hits Diddy Dance*

Seeker of truth, Spreader of love,

~a

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If your a basketball fan or just keep up with sports, such as myself, you remember the “big announcement” by Lebron James. His announcement made headlines; we all wanted to know the next NBA team that he was going to join. There was so much speculation about where he was going, people waged bets! As faith would have it, Mr. James would end up in South Florida, playing for the Miami Heat (NBA’s best team!!!!!) to be joined by Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. As I studied this move a little closer, my father and I, started discussing another significant meaning to LeBron’s and Bosh’s decision join Wade and play for the Miami Heat…….UNITY

Before James made the decision, there were rumors that Wade, James, and Bosh met up to discuss a future and a plan; to get a national championship. The interesting fact about these 3 black NBA superstars was they had their eyes on a common goal; to beat the Boston Celtics in the playoff (Celtics have been a major obstacle for the Heat) and win a NBA championship. They each SACRIFICED to work TOGETHER to get this “Championship” team together. Wade didn’t receive the raise that he could have received. The purpose was to free up cap room for his future teammates. Bosh, could have easily received more money elsewhere, and “King” James lost over $10 million coming to Miami.

Now, notice how more athletes in the NBA are starting to come together and build the teams they want to play for. This is a good thing, if they realize the bigger picture–they are displaying unity, and sticking together for a common cause. However, you can bet the owners and those in higher places of power have noticed it too. For so long, we wanted to come together to accomplish a goal. We (minorities) were either persuaded by money, status, or some position and the movement ended. As demonstrated by the Big 3, money shouldn’t be a problem when your eye is on a common goal. We as a people should look at this and learn how to sit aside our differences to accomplish a goal. Although they play basketball, but there is a lesson in that trade for US, that are striving to make it. The lesson is UNITY. If you break down the word UNITY, you see that it involves U–N–I (say it to yourself), then the suffix “ty” meaning, “denoting quality or condition”. You and I, have to condition our minds to love ourselves and each other, once we have self-love, we can then love each other. The second commandment states, “Love thy neighbor, as you love yourself”. Once we demonstrate this principle, then our UNITY will come natural. I would like to humbly recommend that our NPHC Greek community (on campuses and in the community) work together, NOT just for political reasons, but to accomplish the objectives the founders of our organizations established (uplifting our community). Our religious bodies should definitely work together, stop letting our labels (Muslim, Christian, Jew, or whatever) hinder our efforts to work together for the common goal of uplifting our people and humanity. Imagine the change WE can produce!

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I hope the little I am able to share has helped you gain a deeper understanding of the simple things that are around us, i welcome all comments, even if they disagree with what I say, please share them below. I also welcome all that want to share a story with me.

I want to THANK YOU for taking the time out your day to read what your little brother wanted to share. May God continue to bless you…AND remember, be a blessing to someone each day *Hits Diddy Dance*

Seeker of truth, Spreader of love,

~a

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Awhile ago, I volunteered and went to one of my PBM bruh’s church to receive spiritual nourishment. When the service concluded, the Pastor asked, “If you were to die tomorrow, how many of you know your going to heaven because your baptized and saved?” (We all had our eyes closed and head down) I didn’t raise my hand (Knowing my past and how I been, I wasn’t sure if I would make it to heaven), so I assumed I was the only one who didn’t have their hand raised, because the Pastor responded, “I see everybody hand isn’t raised”. I have never forgotten that day, not because of what was said, but because I knew there had to be a deeper meaning, or another side to the story.

It is known that each religion has its’ rituals. A ritual, according to the dictionary, is “any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner”. The ritual’s in each religion symbolizes a certain principle that the believer should obtain and live by. In Christianity, the baptism is a beautiful ritual; it symbolizes washing away your sins in your journey to be Christ-Like. The water is prayed over and the believer is dipped in the water, as once done by Jesus himself. The principle behind the baptism is what makes the baptism a  wonderful experience.The question I asked myself was, where does the Baptism start?

I believe, the first process of the Baptism really starts in our minds. All things are thoughts. Our actions and behavior is the manifestation of our thoughts. In the Bible (Proverbs 23:7) it says, “As a man thinketh, so is he”. The water by which the person is dunked in represents life, a fresh start. Water is the element by which life is sustained. Water is the life vessel of the human being and without it we can only go so many days before we die. This cleansing of our thought process leads us to be a living example of Christ. So, as we “dunk” ourselves in purified thoughts, then our actions will reflect a person that is striving to be pure and a reflection of the God we believe in.

Once we have purified our thoughts and make a commitment to live and be a better individual, then we have initiated the baptism process, which is symbolized by being dunked in water. This baptism is a daily lifestyle for us all. Everyday I face different temptation, some I fall to, others I see that I’ve gained strength to overcome. As we take our steps in becoming better Christians, Muslims, Jews, or whichever declaration of Faith, let us all be Baptized in HIS spirit and thoughts. In turn, we will be the reflection of Jesus, Abraham, Muhammad and all of God’s worthy servants!

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I welcome all comments that you would be so kind to provide. I hope in some way or another I have helped you and I ask you to help me by adding your comments or thoughts!

Seeker of truth and knowledge,

~a