God favors me...

That's what I told the storm...

A Hope in the Unseen

Cedric Jennings’ story is the true American story.

As the protagonist in the bestseller A Hope in the Unseen, by award-winning journalist, Ron Suskind, Jennings’ story is the story of a number of young Black boys and girls in this country.

It is a story of inspiration. It is a story of perseverance. It is a story of hope, carried in the hearts, minds and souls of so many people who know what it is like to have the odds against them.

And it is a story – about the rise of someone considered disadvantaged, who overcomes their surroundings and obtains a better life – that at some point will not need to be told anymore.

But for now, at a time when history has been made with the election of the first ever president of color, the book and its title is very much appropriate.

A Hope in the Unseen is the story of Cedric Jennings, a young boy, born and raised in Washington, D.C. The product of a single parent (his mother) home, he is the youngest of three siblings – all of different fathers. He attends Ballou Senior High, a school which at one point produced some of the best and brightest students, but during Jennings’ time the school is ridden with crime. Yet for Jennings, there is hope.

As Barbara Jennings’ youngest, Cedric is one of the top students at Ballou, yet he is not prepared for what is to come in the form of other schools post-high school. At Ballou he is a star, but else where he is out of his league.

We get to know Jennings through Suskind. We celebrate with Jennings as he graduates from Ballou, and even before then when he is accepted into a summer program at MIT. Yet we realize, while we want him to succeed, how unprepared he is for what he has to accomplish after Ballou.

We share Jennings’ joys and pains, cares and concerns, even frustrations and fears. And we learn just how much we, the readers, have in common with Jennings; whether young or old, parents or child. It is not through sympathy, but understanding that we embark on this journey with Jennings, from Ballou to Ivy League Brown University.

I am all too familiar with Jennings’ story. No, I was not born and raised in D.C., but his story is my story. I am my parents’ youngest. And out of my mother’s three – two older girls and myself – I am the first to attend and graduate college. I come from a family of government employees, factory workers, building maids, etc. And I have had to overcome a number of setbacks.

I have felt like I did not fit in. I know what it is like when trying to put together a class schedule during registration – wanting to get the right classes, but at the same time find classes where I am guaranteed to succeed because if I fail then that only proves how out of my league I am. I have found myself frustrated when I thought I had done well, only to receive a grade far from what I thought I earned.

I have been Jennings.

A Hope in the Unseen is 373 pages of the lives of many young people of color. It gives a great view of a timeless world where success is the driving force for survival. And while it is Jennings’ story, it truly is everyone’s story. Whether it is their background, their neighborhood, the trials and tribulations of success, or adjusting to a roommate and their habits, we all have experienced what Jennings is living, right in front of our eyes. It is a great piece of writing, but is more than just a book. It is a guide.

Christmas time is here...

Dec. 1, 2008

I know, I know, I have not been here much lately. What can I say, the kid has been busy. There have been some major changes in my life lately like my recent seperation (break-up), starting counseling to deal with some emotional issues, work, school, finals, etc, etc.

But today is too important of a day to let it go unnoticed and written about. Today, Dec. 1, 2008, is World AIDS Day. A very important and special day to me in that it also leads up to the anniversary of my brother's passing some 16 years ago.

So, take the time to recognize the day in some capacity whether it is going and getting tested yourself, or taking a friend, or just talking about it.

Also, check out the December issue of Black Enterprise. I have a story in there about the AIDS epidemic in the black community.

HOLLLLAAAAAA!

Vote however you liiiike...alright Ron Clark Academy

My first documentary...

Don't vote....?

I came across this video/PSA done by some of the country's most well known and influential actors, actresses and comedians while doing my daily web surfing. The title alone caught my attention, and I am sure it did for a number of people.

So I thought I would share it with you all.

Sacrifce...

I came across this piece I wrote sometime ago. It was an encouraging word for me then and as Atlanta and most of the Southeast experience this gas shortage, it seemed timely and fitting...

Enjoy!

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3-4

I once had a spiritual guardian tell me that God sends angels and messengers disguised as normal human beings to test us. He, my spiritual guardian, said that they come to us in the form of homeless people, friends, co-workers, colleagues, what have you. And that they have a mission and purpose.

Now my spiritual guardian -- your equivalent of pastors, reverends, bishops, evangelists, etc – was my spiritual guardian at the time because he nurtured me. He helped me to broaden my mind and my horizon. He showed me a different way of seeing God. He told me that it was not for me to understand God and what God was doing, but to trust God and believe in God. And since him, I have had other spiritual guardians, mentors and fathers.

Anyway, the message that I got from that lesson was that you never know what one’s purpose in your life may be. Therefore, you should treat everyone with the same unconditional love and respect you show God. Everything happens, for a reason.

Now, I do not profess to be a religious scholar. I am not educated in hermeneutics, harmonistic, hieroglyphics, or what have you. But I do know a thing or two about God and how God works. And I am a student of life; and God is my professor.

I have had an exam or two; aced a mid-term, just barely, with a passing grade. I have studied from God’s PowerPoint, reviewed God’s syllabus, and skimmed a few chapters of God’s textbook. I have attempted to jump ahead in the lesson, thinking I would have the upper-hand the next time class met. And I have even attempted to get a little extra credit in the class.

Yes, I, the little black, boy from Decatur, GA, who just happens to be same-gender-loving, have a calling and a purpose. I have a purpose, destined and divinely ordered by God, to do great things and be great; to share my testimony and free others. And my first assignment has been, to love.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life." -- John 3:16

God made a major sacrifice and did it freely and lovingly. God designed it so. God knew it had to be done; it needed to be done. Some of us will never have to make the same sacrifice that God made; the ultimate sacrifice. But we are faced with challenges and tests everyday to see just how much we trust and love God. And most times, we hesitate to make these small, very small sacrifices. How we score determines how we are blessed. And many of us miss our blessings because we refuse to make the sacrifices God wants us to make.

One evening on my way home from school, I stopped by the gas station. I had $20 in my pocket and just enough gas to get home. All I needed was enough gas to get me back and forth from home and school until payday. Each day, Monday through Thursday, I drive 30-plus miles, one way, to school. It normally takes me about 60-minutes, due to traffic. And I normally refuel three times in a two-week period.

On this particular evening, as I was pumping what I had planned to be five gallons of gas into my car, an older gentleman walked up to me with a gas can. I saw him coming before he got to me. God wanted to test me. God wanted to see what kind of sacrifice I would make. God wanted to see how I would trust God.

“Can you spare a gallon of gas,” he said. Now, I hesitated. I had given the cashier $15 for five gallons of gas. It was going to be just enough, I thought, to get me back and forth from home and school and school and home until payday.

“I don’t know where this will stop,” I told him. I started to make the excuse that it would not be much because all I was getting was $15, five gallons. I started to make up some sort of excuse as to why I couldn’t. But then, I thought about it. All he wanted was a gallon; just one gallon. I could spare a gallon.

He smiled big and thanked me. He then went on to say how most people would say no, look at you funny and go on about their business. But instead, I was willing to help him. He appreciated that. “That’s a blessing,” he said and thanked me again.

“No problem,” was all I could think to say. I closed my tank, got in my car and sped off on home. I had what I needed and he had what he needed. God would handle the rest.

Who I am, what I am, what I do or do not do, who I love or do not love, had nothing to do with anything at that moment in time. He was a spirit who needed help from another spirit; plain and simple.

I share this story with you all because, well I feel as though I was led to. I did not share it to brag or gloat. I did not share it to show off. I shared it because this is a perfect example of what God’s love really is about. It is about sacrificing, even for someone you have no surface connection to.

Keep this in mind the next time someone asks for help. They may be one of God’s angels testing you. What kind of sacrifice will you make?

Live from New York...

Sometimes you just need a little break from it all. Or, you turn to Saturday Night Live and get a laugh or two in...