“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” ~ Amos 3:3 KJV

S.I.N.™ Stop Incivility Now™ Quick question.  How many more women and children must die for nothing before real men like you and I rise up and start walking together in peace while working together as one to help cultivate a culture of civility? Think about it.

When the world least expects it, a swift paradigm shift will happen that is going to change the way men see women, treat women, relate to women. Matters not the colour of their skin. Real men will choose to Live, Love, and Lead United™ to stop the culture of incivility that condones sex trafficking, rape, and slavery in any form. Difficult? Most definitely! Impossible? Not!

Imagine the endless parade of possibilities that will appear when the women that real men love, honor, and respect finally stop living with Fear. My challenge to all who read this is simple. Stop Incivility Now™! Dare to dream bigger and act like you honestly believe it’s possible to beat impossible odds with God’s help.

As always, the choice for “this one” and “that one” to agree as one that it’s time to do something that has never been done before is theirs alone to make.  But please don’t take too long before deciding to do the right thing by letting love lead the way because it’s much later than you think. Can you imagine a world without women? I can’t. Can you? I hope not. S.I.N.™ Stop Incivility Now™

Copyright © 2011 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

“Teaching children and adults to read, write, and comprehend is not only our essential duty and investment in America’s future; it is also an act of love.” – John Corcoran, author of The Bridge to Literacy and The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read

Mr. Corcoran is a former adult nonreader who decided to make a tangible investment in America’s future. Please visit Mr. John Corcoran’s Blog to see what I honestly believe is an excellent example of “Personal Leadership.”  As a sign of respect, I’m shining a light on this philanthropic literacy advocate for having the courage to “face his fears and embrace Change.”

“Out of 191 million adults in the U.S., as many as 44 million cannot read a newspaper or fill out a job application. Another 50 million more cannot read or comprehend above the eight grade level.” -from the 1998 US Government Report, The State of Literacy in America, released by the National Institute for Literacy (NIL).

Quick question. Who, or what, is still stopping the millions of illiterate adults who never learned how to read above a 5th or 8th grade level from doing the same? Hmmmm. Think about it. In the meantime, check out the U.S. Department of Education’s website.

It’s still true.  One person really can make a difference. Difficult? Most definitely! Impossible? Not!

Copyright © by Roderick O. Solomon except where otherwise noted.  All Rights Reserved

“Easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” — Frederick Douglass

This “revised” post now only contains the Prologue to Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness, “When Good People Become Great.” As time permits, I will begin posting brief excerpts from this introspective, inspirational story about “personal leadership” to inspire you to “face your fears and embrace Change.” Only then will you choose to take the next step necessary to make your “Big Dream” come true.

In the meantime, please feel free to peruse “The Archives” to see how far this humbled beginner has come by faith since January 1, 2007.  As many of you know, I didn’t “choose to write this book.” Over 10 years ago, this thought-provoking, 272 page book chose me.   If I can beat the odds with God’s help and choose to “keep risin’ to my feet after every fall I survived,” you can do the same.  The choice to do so will always be yours alone to make. So choose wisely.

“But by grace still go I.”

The Prologue — “Always Expect The Unexpected”

Quick question. Did reading the Prologue to Steppin’ Out Of the Darkness inspire you to sit up in your seat and say “Hmmmm” upon first glance?  Hopefully, what you found has peaked your curiosity about what else you’ll find beneath this book’s cover.

When time permits, post a comment to let me know if you felt inspired you to “finish writing the vision” you prematurely abandoned in the “valley of sun-dried bones” sometime “after the fall” you survived.

Copyright © 2007-2008 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

Last year, my wife, KWiz, and I watched the movie “Freedom Writers.” This year, we watched “The Great Debaters.” Both are unforgettable films. If you’re an aspiring writer who needs a reason to finish writing your book, please don’t wait to see either of these films. Both are amazing examples of the art of story-telling.

It’s true! Everybody has a story to tell. Some of you are extremely talented, gifted writers who can effortlessly employ the power of the written word to tell your stories. For me, writing is a struggle, which is why I started blogging last year. Have you ever wondered if there’s some secret formula or writing technique that will make one book sell better than another?

Can “talent alone” ensure the success of the books that authors allegedly choose to write? Who or what enables prolific writers to repeat the meticulous process behind the creative chaos that made your book a success? Does the timing of a book’s release play a significant part in its author’s ability to emotionally connect with one generation and not another? Do you believe that book sales, or the lack thereof, are an accurate indication of the perceived success or the failure of a book?

According to prolific author Paulo Coelho’s profile, “Slow initial sales [of The Alchemist] convinced his first publisher to drop the novel, but it went on to become one of the best selling Brazilian books of all time.

Have any of you ever pondered the possibility that the part you played did little to determine the success of your book? Did God’s sovereign will and perfect plan have anything to do with the success of your book? If yes, does it really matter whether or not an author chooses to employ “urban street teams” or “main stream” marketeers to promote a book that’s destined to become a national best seller? As writers, what part do we play in the books we author?

Do books choose their writers or do writers choose the books they pen? I had no desire to write a book before I began to pen Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness. I believe the book that I birthed chose me. I can still recall waking up in the middle of the night to write the first page of my big dream. Once I began writing it, I couldn’t stop. Whenever I felt inspired to write, I didn’t sleep much. I didn’t eat. I didn’t talk. Since I didn’t have anything to distract me, I just wrote. I constantly canceled or rescheduled appointments until the words stopped flowing from somewhere deep within the heart of my soul.

Am I crazy or has this ever happened to any of you? What did you do initially? Did you look around the room to see if you were all alone? Did you ignore the words you heard or did you heed the still, small voice that inspired you to believe that you could achieve something bigger than yourself? Did people laugh at you, ridicule you, and reject you when they heard about the genesis of your big dream? My mother and my wife stood by me at a time when I needed their love and support the most.

Writing Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness was an act of faith for me. I wrote on anything and everything I could get my hands on as evidenced by all the cardboard boxes still stuffed with the hastily scribbled notes that I stockpiled over the years. During those difficult days when I had no place to lay my head, I didn’t have time to feel sorry for myself. For reasons that still escape me, I refused to give up after the fall I survived.

Nevertheless, trusting God when nothing made sense wasn’t easy. To challenge myself to keep getting up and showing up for my street fight with Adversity, I started writing poetic essays. Writing literally saved my life after my business failed and I was forced to file bankruptcy. Because of the vision that God gifted to me, I had a plan that I could believe in. God’s unchanging love gave me hope during my darkest days. It’s true! Without a vision, people with no reason to hope will perish.

For reasons now known, “But by grace still go I” is not just some empty Christian phrase that I casually toss around to sound spiritual. If you’re a published writer, did your book choose you or did you choose your book? I hope this post has encouraged somebody to rise to your feet and inspired you to honestly believe that you can beat impossible odds with God’s help. If so, please let me know.

Copyright (c) 2008 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!

My wife of 6 years and counting, KWiz, is also the Mother of our 3-year old gift from God. My Queen’s “Happy Mother’s Day” greeting and celebration will remain personal and private this year since this post is specifically about paying tribute to the special women who gave birth to us all. What makes your Mother so special to you? Here’s what’s so special about my Mom.

My Mother, has sacrificed so much to ensure that her four children always had a safe place to lay our heads. After graduating from LPN school, she frequently worked “double” and “triple” shifts just to make ends meet. No sacrifice was too great for my personal “sheroe.” She never complained to me about how tired she must have felt during her valley experience. She didn’t have to since I saw it in her eyes.

During Junior High School, I often cried while watching my Mother fall asleep sitting up at the kitchen table following one of her 24-hour marathons until I became old enough to get my first job at Comanche County Memorial Hospital in Lawton, Oklahoma. Because of her small stature, I would pretended that my Mom was my girlfriend from a rival school whenever she came to visit me at Mac Arthur High School located in Lawton.

My Mother’s love knows no limits. During my darkest night of the soul, my beacon of hope stood by me during the tough times. To this day, she’s still one of my most loyal, trustworthy friends. By the grace of God, the first wise “woman of substance” that I ever loved will celebrate her 70th birthday this year.

My Mother’s relentless “leadership by example” taught me so much about what it means to be a man, a friend, a husband, a parent, a person that the level of my gratitude towards this Queen of a woman is beyond words. As a sign of respect, I tip my hat to my Mother for making the opportunity possible for me to make my big dreams come true.

Mommy I love you now, always, and forever!! Happy Mother’s Day!!

As many of you know, I’ve been in the process of birthing my big dream, but it doesn’t want to cooperate. For all the new members to our culturally diverse group of critical thinkers, my big dream is the pending release of my first reality-based novel which bears the same name as this site. It’s no secret that I’ve been carrying around the weight of this ever evolving literary project for over 10 years.

Yes, there have been many days when I’ve felt like giving up and quitting. But my faith in God has brought me too far to turn back now and feelings can be deceiving. Besides, meeting the “greatness of God’s faithfulness” has made it impossible for me to lose hope and abandon my vision and forget my big dream. In the meantime, what do we choose to do while we’re waiting on the Lord to open doors and windows no mortal hand can close? If you’re a writer, keep writing. Do some additional research. The faithful remain hopeful.

Use the extra time to see if there’s a better way, a more cost effective way, an unforeseen way to make your big dream come true. But whatever you do, don’t take your eyes off Jesus like Peter did and start looking at the winds of Adversity when they begin to blow. Isn’t it interesting that as long as Peter stayed focused on Jesus, he managed to do the impossible by “walking on the water.” Quick question. Who or what are you still allowing to distract you, to annoy you, to wear you down, to discourage you, to hinder you, just to keep you from doing what God created you to do with excellence?

Can it be that our “fear of failure” is still keeping many of us from getting out of the boat of what’s giving us a false sense of security? Since the first day of this unpredictable “year of firsts,” how many times have I challenged each of you to keep getting up, showing up, and pushing past the pain? How many times have I tried to encourage and inspire you to believe that we can help each other achieve great things with God’s help? Quit? Never. Give up? It’s not going to happen. I’m too close to finishing the task that my skeptical antagonists alleged was impossible for somebody like me to do.

When our big dreams don’t cooperate, what should we do during those “dark days and lonely nights when all seems lost?” Cry if you must but trust God absent any reservations. Quitting is never an option if you honestly believe that you were born to write or do what you’re doing now. Remember, God’s delay does not always mean that your big dream has been denied. I’ve learned not to argue with God when the answer to a prayer is “no.” Sometimes God’s no is an indication that now is not the time. One never knows how close they came to succeeding until after they give up and quit. Matters not what happens after our big dreams refuse to cooperate, trust God anyway.

Besides, not doing so would also make me a “hypocrite” since the main character of Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness, “When Good People Become Great,” is faced with the same adverse circumstances, unforeseen obstacles, and character building challenges I’m struggling to overcome now. If time permits, you can read a brief excerpt from an earlier version of the “revised” chapter, “Sun Dried Bones, Abandoned Visions, And Forgotten Dreams,” to see how the protagonist responds to what he discovers in this modern day “valley of dried bones.” You’ll have to wait a little longer to see what additional editing can do to make a manuscript worthy of your prospective readers’ time, respect, and hard earned money.

Having a quiet talk with God in my secret place usually puts me at peace whenever the invisible fist of Adversity strikes. Reading the Word of God always works for me when I don’t understand the reasons why now is not the time. According to Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 NIV, “There is a time” and a season for everything that happens on either side of the “Great Spiritual Divide.” Do you mind sharing some of your favorite Scriptures that have inspired you to “keep risin’ after every fall?” For those of you who aren’t “Christians” or faithful followers of the Christ, which means “the Anointed One,” what do you do during your darkest night of the soul?

I can still recall all the days God made me experience whatever I was going to teach during my in home Bible studies to see if my actions spoke louder than my words. As you know, “a faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted.” Is my faith in God being tested and strengthened right now? Most definitely. But God has never let me down. Tonight, I’ll have to search for the poem that talks about what happens when we pray for faith but God gives us more challenges to overcome. If you already have a copy of what I’m seeking, let me know where I can find it. When all else fails, all you can you do is “stand.” Just be careful where you choose to stand.

To illustrate what I mean, here’s a verse from the popular hymn, “The Solid Rock.”

“On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.”

© Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

Today’s post is also from the “Children’s Ten Commandments for Parents,” by Mr. Kevin Lehman as quoted in “Dear Abby,” Independent Press Telegram, January 12, 1981.

Commandment #1: “My hands are small; please don’t expect perfection whenever I make a bed, draw a picture, or throw a ball. My legs are short; slow down so that I can keep up with you.”

Commandment #2: “My eyes have not seen the world as yours have; let me explore it safely; don’t restrict me unnecessarily.”

Today’s post is from the “Children’s Ten Commandments for Parents,” by Mr. Kevin Lehman as quoted in “Dear Abby,” Independent Press Telegram, January 12, 1981.

Commandment #6: “I need your encouragement (but not your empty praise) to grow. Go easy on the criticism; remember, you can criticize the things I do without criticizing me.”

Commandment #7: “Give me the freedom to make decisions concerning myself. Permit me to fail, so that I can learn from my mistakes. Then someday I’ll be prepared to make the decisions life will require of me.”

Despite the fact many of us consider ourselves to be “grown folk,” don’t we also need the same things from each other that little children need from us on a daily basis?

©Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

O Father, help me to treat my children as You have treated me. Make me sensitive to their needs and frustrations. Help me to listen with attention, insight, and understanding to what they have to say. Help me to treat them as a person of Your design and therefore of real worth. Help me to respect … their times to talk without interrupting or contradicting them … their ideas … their need for freedom to make choices and to take responsibilities as they are able. O, give me the wisdom and understanding to teach my children as You have taught me.

Let me not forget they are children and not little adults, being patient and helpful as they are developing skills and mental abilities and to allow them mistakes and accidents without laughing at or belittling them.

Thank You for the provision of my need as a parent in charge of this flock of God. Thank You that in the Lord Jesus You have given all I need to be what I ought as a Christian parent.

–Anonymous