A WRITER’S RESOURCE…

It doesn’t take a genius to mess up punctuation and grammar. But you can look like a genius by using them correctly…

It’s Wednesday April 15, 2009 and I’m sitting on a plane flying from New York to Texas: four months before Speedsuit Powers, my new book, is slated to be released (August 2009). And right now, I’m reading through a book my wife gave me on punctuation and grammar (she’s a reading and language arts teacher).

Helping Our Young Black Men-Part 3

Click here to read Part 1 and Part 2

I had the opportunity to meet a young black male over the weekend while I was in California at the 168 Hour Film Festival .  His name was LaMar and he was 15 years old.  What struck me immediately was that when his grandmother introduced us to one another, he looked me straight in the eyes, gave me a firm handshake and called me ‘Sir’.  "Did he just call me, Sir?"  When he did these things, I immediately thought to myself, "Now this young man has been given some real training."

As we enter 2009 , all of us are concerned about the economy, making ends meet, being successful and living a meaningful existence. We’ve seen the news stories about those who’ve lost their jobs, their homes and their savings; and we either fall into this category ourselves or know someone who does. Many of us are anxious about a future that seems uncertain, but I believe that the future is in fact certain… we just need ‘eyes to see and ears to hear’ in order to take advantage of the opportunities that stand before us. My life is far from perfect and sometimes I get anxious too, so I’ve been pondering my own existence, making observations and looking to the Bible for guidance. Here are five things to consider as we seek to press forward in 2009.

Have you ever watched The Dog Whisperer ? It’s a facinating show! A family has a dog who doesn’t listen and acts up. In many cases the dog is the "boss" of the house. Then Ceasar Millan comes in and is able to connect with the dog, deal with the dog’s issues, explain to the owners what they’re doing right and wrong, walk them all through a time of rehabilitation and leaves the family (dog included) in a greater state of growth than before he came. It’s amazing to watch. It causes me to think about times past with my own dogs.

Did you know that seeing is reality?  Simply put, what you and I are able to see affects our perspective on life.  And how we act is based on how we perceive. How do you see your life?

Getting off the Train

Yesterday, I took the train into Grand Central Station and proceeded on my usual walk to catch the subway.  There’s a long tunnel that everyone has to walk through to get to the shuttle to Times Square/42nd St.  There’s usually various advertisements for different television shows on the wall.  But, this time there were only different versions of advertisements for the same show:  HEROES. 

Are You Too Busy For God?
5 Simple Steps For Drawing Closer to God in a Fast-Paced World

I talk to a lot of people about what they do to strengthen their relationships with God.  The response is usually the same:  they have the desire, but don’t have the time.  I’ve said this myself.  We’re all so busy and by the time work is over we may be too tired to engage in the Bible.  So, if things can’t be dropped from our schedules (like quit our jobs and move to a monestary) then we have to find some other option. Here are a couple of simple steps we can do to build a stronger relationship with God.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

What does God have to do with the television show, Extreme Makeover Home Edition?  Have you ever watched an episode?  It’s addictive.  You take a deserving family that has a run down house and has experienced some kind of tragedy. 

I USED TO SAY ‘NO’ TO TYLER PERRY for a number of reasons. I remember going to see one of his early plays a number of years back and when Madea came out on stage and started talking, I thought, ‘isn’t this supposed to be a Christian play?’ You see, Madea is a no-nonse woman who likes to say what’s on her mind, even if it’s an occasional cuss word. She never crossed the line with the ‘heavy curse words,’ but the light ones seemed to be fair game. Oh, by the way, Madea isn’t a ‘real’ woman, she’s a character that Tyler Perry plays. And this character has become a runaway hit for many audiences.

What does Tyler Perry have to do with Self-Discipline and what does this have to do with me? Read on and let me tell you.

What is the Vision for Your Life?

What do you want to do with your life? Do you feel like you’re too busy? Well, I’ve been asking myself, ‘can a busier schedule make you more disciplined?’

Are you overcoming your fears? Can a person have a FEAR for so long that it becomes hard to distinguish?

You know what I mean, right? You live with the FEAR for so many years that it becomes a part of you. It didn’t start out that way, but the more you let it stay in your mind, the more it bonded with you - like a cancerous tumor that is so intertwined with the healthy cells of your body that it’s difficult to tell where the tumor ends and your healthy cells begin?