Influencer 2020

One day, I woke up, bowed down to my knees, and told God “I wanna be dope”

And in spite of being raised by a single parent, incarcerated father, minority, and a female

I was determined to always cope

I raise my hand when nobody else does

Only because I got to experience how important a missed opportunity was

I take a stance for me and for God

I don’t wait for opportunities, I make them

Never worrying about statistics, negative opinions, or battling demons- I forsake them

I am an influencer- not today but everyday

So, what is your influence?

What makes you dope?

Are you with Trump “Make America Great Again”?

Are you Tiktok heavy or a VSCO girl?

Or have dreams of being rich and never broke?

Are you mopping your way through school or succeeding by the beat of your own drum?

Because my influence is great- I can play Jesus in the play

I will never be ashamed to grab a hand and pray

My respect will never be questioned

I love me and I also love you

My influence is Jesus Christ

So, maybe I can be your influencer too

Secret of the Son

I pleaded to the Son to give me the meaning of life

I wanted to know

“Your purpose is not found among stars”

He whispered, “Look below”

The Value of Wisdom

During the new year, many decide to make resolutions. A resolution is a decision to do or not to do something. Usually these resolutions are put into place because we strive to accomplish more than we did in the previous year. While this is true, many agree that one of the greatest and most beneficial goals to obtain is having wisdom. Sometimes wisdom comes with chronological age, and other times it does not. Wisdom is the ability to make the right choices in life experiences that not only affect the present, but our future as well. A wise person regards every part of their life and not just their current situation. They make the choices that are in the best interest of themselves.

Scripture that justifies the value of wisdom is found in Proverbs 2:1-6. The first three verses state, “My child, listen to what I say,  and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.”

The fist step to gaining wisdom is to listen to the Father, for we are to obey His commands. Sometimes in life, we have a difficult time making decisions, but if we begin to listen to God first, we would understand what He asks of us. We find our selves asking other people for advice during our hardship, but no one knows what God has in store for us individually. What He is to tell us is for us to hear, accept, and follow.

Next we are to treasure His commands. This means that His instructions come first. They are the very guides to our lives. When God speaks, we are to take Him seriously because He is a God of righteousness. Matthew 6:33 proclaims, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” If we seek Him and treasure His commandments, we will know what to do next in order to satisfy Him. If we work for Him and only Him, He will bless us abundantly. We may not receive earthly possessions, but great is our reward in Heaven.

Concentrating on understanding His word  is vital to us growing spiritually. Although we may not understand at the moment what He asks and teaches, we can always find out. The Bible is a way to study all of God’s requirements of us. In addition, we will find everything that we acquire in the spirit. When we truly follow Him, He will take us as we are and give us power and strength. He will give us what we need to overcome our wildest dreams if we allow Him to lead us.

Proverbs 2:4-6 says, “Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.  For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” 

We are not to wish to see God and then go back to complaining about our lives. If we truly want something, we will search for it and go after it. For example, when we are extremely hunger, we find food so that we may be satisfied. John 6:35 states, “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.'”

Fearing the Lord does not mean to be scared of Him, but it means to put Him and His word above your life. It means that you will trust Him even when you can not understand His plans. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, ” “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. We will gain knowledge by trusting that He has a plan for our lives.

Understanding who He is, who we are in Him, what He asks of us, and our goals, will allow us to gain wisdom. In Him, not only will 2020 be our year sagacity and righteousness but every year to follow.

Child, Don’t Spend Your Day

Child, don’t spend your day sewing air

You are not to bite bricks or to pull your hair

Enjoy life although it is not fair

Grow in the spirit because you will become aware

Breathe to love others with the strength of your spine

Serve a meal but eat the rind

Child, pull up your sleeves to defy the odd

Be sure to embrace your presence, for it is a work of God

Take death and carry life

Put it into the center of your palm

The lessons of existence should add euphoria to your psalm

Child, don’t spend your day sewing air

Bleed wisdom and eternity you will share

The Luck of the Universe

I fathom the vitality that is prerequisite for fulfilling one’s sheer proficiency

It is this exact energy that allows the title “the great” to marry our names

This is the stamina that gives birth to dynamism that does not go unnoticed

We are apprehended as leaders and are characterized by our will to gain mental tranquility and inner success

The power that comes along with self determination drains the concept of luck and annihilates stagnance until it is no more

It will unzip the flesh and shine a light on our spirit so that our mind may be revealed to even the those that are deeply rooted in hate

No, this power does not derive from our deepest desires but is a pond from which our effort reflects

I tell you, the scientific formula for work is force multiplied by distance

Therefore, find something to put force toward

Reach within knowledge greater than that of which you carry, and select your calling

Gifted by the Heavens is the root of your journey

Next, multiply this by how long you plan to prosper

Do you wish to be the greatest of all time, or will your determination amount to the greatest reward your life can offer?

Beloved, this is the equation that determines our work

Lastly, comprehend that if it weren’t for the vitality, power, and zeal that allows us to exceed our wildest dreams, the rewards of our work would merely remain our fantasies

We would depend solely on, “the luck of the universe”

Ode to The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit takes me as I am

It is as serene as the gaze of dawn

I am content with its instruction

For it breathes life into all veracity

Wisdom is one with its ways

I exuberantly seek its presence

To All the Trees That Survive

Sprouting through the birth of existence was a seed who was the mother of a field

She was planted purposefully without flaw by her gardener who gave life

Although she was nurtured and was given all that fulfilled her needs, she desired more water

So, she stood tall in a rainstorm, soaking every drip of fluid that she encountered

But the storm caused her leaves to wilt

It left her needing the Son

Although her leaves wilted, she was still of great importance to her gardener

He guaranteed her that she was to bear the grandest tree that would shield others from the storm if they were to be tempted like she had been

It would absorb all the water itself so that the others would be left strong

Her purpose outweighed her disobedience and through this offspring, none would drown in the rain, but all would grow toward the Son

It was the same urge for water that tempted another

But on this day, the tree resisted, for he knew the gardener would meet his needs

Because of this, the gardener promised that the tree would also bear the one that would save

In addition, he would be fertile and yield as many trees as there were stars in the sky

And the descendants would be chosen to produce the best of fruits

As seen in each rainy season, the grand tree that is promised is the solution to the wilting of leaves

The grand tree wilts so that the others don’t have to

Through Him taking on the punishment of the storm, other trees acknowledged that the gardener met their needs

They were fulfilled by the grand tree, for if it wasn’t for Him, they would have withered

His Calling

Listen in unadulterated immersion with the Trinity

I proclaim this because we the youth embody perdurable dynamism in Christ

Youth- one syllable but we endure multitudinous commission

Brothers and sisters, we have the tongue of Aaron

Our words are Messianic, for they are inspired by the hope or belief in the Messiah

Each sound we utter brings influence and the world has no choice but to concentrate on our presence

We convey the chords of “the man after God’s own heart”

Our praise makes the blind see just a little darkness by each moment

We inherit the crown of our ancestor who began his reign on Mt. Moriah

For we the childen are as numerous as the stars

Therefore we are to go and make apostles of one another

Adolescents, I tell you, we have the spirit that inveigles those into eternal rectitude

Cognize that we bear the cross while the world is parallel with iniquity

It is we who amass to pedagogy and the teaching of scripture

As we become like the Ethiopian, ours multiplies in the kingdom of Heaven

God has required much of us, so never forget..

Our relation with Him is beyond the ways of the world

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity,” says 1 Timothy 4:12

Amen

 

From My Spirit

The dawn has not purloined tranquility

For it is to effectuate prayer

Do not relinquish when the red light attains its purpose

Instead, be still and know

Go ’till the ends of the earth

For your name is written in the sand in Judea and Samaria

Have you not been gifted by the God of Goshen?

Therefore guard what is eternal

Are you to build the steps to safety or do you live in a home in which the steps are already built?

It is with a solicitous spirit  I ask

It is with potency I reply

In all that you set forth, set forth all

The dawn has not purloined tranquility

For it is to effectuate prayer

 

New Government

September 28th, Stratford STEM Magnet High School, held the inauguration of the new members of the metropolitan council, Mayor John Cooper and Vice Mayor Jim Shulman of Nashville. Upon arrival, music began the ceremony. White’s Creek Percussion played West African and Latin drums, and the Stratford and Hunters Lane marching bands performed. Later, the presentation of colors was demonstrated by the Statford Honor Guard, then the Stratford chorus performed the National Anthem. This was a time of celebration for all.

The Metropolitan Council made history. The council now has its first Latina and its first Muslim. Its population is 20% LGBTQ, 25% African American, and 50% women. This council shows that it is imperative that there are leaders who represent all of us. As said in the inauguration, our council will move our community from austerity to prosperity. “It is a historic leadership role that the minority caucus has had in Nashville, Tennessee. This metro council and this city has become a gorgeous mosaic,” said Mayor John Cooper.

“This council reflects one of the great things I love about Nashville, its wonderful diversity,” said Vice Mayor Jim Shulman. He proclaimed, “Our city has experienced tremendous growth. Everywhere you look, there are new buildings, new hotels, tourists, new forms of transportation, new forms of road closures. The people that are moving here are everywhere. Nashville fifteen years ago was obviously very different. The changes that have occurred since then have been immense. Big changes bring big issues and big problems.” Shulman voiced, “We as a city need to understand and learn from the past. With a new council and a new mayor, we get to start from today. The issues circling have not gone away. They are still here, but we have all been given a chance to restart and refocus on where we go from here.” “We are better when we all work together. We may not agree all the time, but as long as we remember that we are all in this together, we can find workable solutions, and we can make this city an even better place for all,” stated Jim Shulman.

Mayor John Cooper spoke about some of the challenges that are faced by Nashville. “We are struggling to recruit and retain teachers.” He continued,”Supporting our schools and making sure that teaching is a valued profession must be our common purpose.” Cooper proclaimed, “We begin the work of choosing our future with confidence. What our fellow citizens want from us is very clear. We are to focus on neighborhoods, Nashville’s tourism and it’s residents, a cost effective physically responsible government that is managed for everyone, and a transparent voting government that is committed to high standards.”

“Some people have thought that the revenues generated downtown should stay downtown. I disagree. The people of Nashville have made an investment, and now is the time to spread the benefits of growth, not just the costs, to all our neighborhoods. It is the time to invest in Jefferson Street and Antioch and other areas that make this great city. Downtown has been the heart of our economy, but we must be sure that it circulates the benefits of growth to all our neighborhoods. We need to invest in sidewalks and protecting and expanding our trees and becoming a sustainable and resilient city,” he said.

“We have to invest in our people. Our job is to make sure that our residents are ready for the great jobs that our city is now attracting. Well administered long term capital plans will create a great city, and that is our challenge to this council and to me as mayor. If we don’t get the money right, we can’t do anything else. In government, to care about finances is to care about people, and that’s how you make our dreams real. We face challenges but working together, we can meet them.”

He closed by saying, “We got the growth, and now we have to manage it to make our lives better and not worse. Now is the time to decide with confidence, how we must to succeed as a city. We decide how we live and what our city should be. That is the task of this commissioning with me as mayor and the council. We are in charge of our future. The decisions we make together will set the course of our city for generations to come.”

Now that we have officially elected our government leaders and they have been in office, what changes do you expect?

The pictures shown include myself, Mayor John Cooper, Vice Mayor Jim Shulman, and one of the members of the Metropolitan Council, Delishia Porterfield.