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.

It’s no secret that Christian marriages are still failing at an alarming rate. Why? I honestly don’t know. But today’s provocative post about love, sex, and relationships will present a few questions about the monogamous relationship Adam shared with Eve to provoke thought. Like many of you, my heart’s desire is to make love work, maintain an intimate, healthy relationship with my wife so that our marriage will last till death parts our paths.

I, too, am still searching for a few answers in a proactive attempt to help our generation break the generational cycle of divorce that’s destroying our families. Doing the reading and research required to prepare for the “Women Of The Bible” series revealed something that I’d like to share with you today. I’m still searching the Scriptures found in Genesis 2 and 3 to discover specific details about the health of the intimate relationship Adam “allegedly” shared with Eve while living in the Garden of Eden.

Since Eden means, “place of pleasure,” here’s a perfect man and a perfect woman that God made for each other who had it all. Adam and Eve had a legitimate “marriage made in Heaven,” a sanctified, sexual relationship that was holy, ordained, and blessed by God.

According to the Scriptures, the Master Potter deliberately, and with premeditation, tailor-made a woman for Adam and nobody else. Since God created Adam, it’s safe to assume that Adam was perfect in every way before his great fall from grace.

Since our Creator doesn’t make any mistakes, one can only imagine how beautiful, how blessed, and how alluring Eve must have been to Adam. Adam had the perfect partner to share his life with for all of eternity. Imagine how much Adam must have loved and adored Eve. Since God created Eve while Adam slept, this woman literally became this man’s “dream come true.”

But what about Eve? Here’s where this epic love story gets interesting because some traditional, long-standing assumptions have been made about the first family’s divinely ordained marriage. Has anybody else out there in the blogosphere ever ponder the possibility that Eve never felt the same way about Adam?

Nowhere in the Scriptures does it ever say that Eve “loved” Adam. But don’t take my word for it, take a look for yourself and tell me what you find. Can it be that Eve just wasn’t that into Adam? Maybe Adam didn’t “fit the profile,” didn’t “measure up,” didn’t meet her expectations.

Ladies, how would you describe the man of your dreams, the man you’d ask God to tailor make just for you if given the opportunity? Only God and Eve know if Adam was tall, dark, and handsome, if he had a six pack, if he was a good hunter, if he could sing a love song like Luther Vandross. But what if Adam wasn’t all that Eve expected from the man of her dreams?

If Eve was just as enamored, infatuated, and as in love with her ideal man as Adam was with his ideal woman, how in the world did the “original down low brother” manage to get her undivided attention? Maybe Adam didn’t satisfy Eve, didn’t listen when she talked, didn’t know how to communicate with her. Maybe Adam didn’t have what it takes to make the heavens and the earth move when they made love together.

Maybe Eve “felt” lonely, bored, and had grown tired of living a mundane existence with a nice man, a good man, a predictable man who never made her cry, never gave her any drama. Did Eve need Adam as much as he needed her since it wasn’t good for a man to be alone? If Adam was indeed the perfect man for Eve, how did some charismatic snake in the grass manage to successfully seduce his woman?

What empty promises did the father of lies proffer to distract Eve while Adam was “allegedly” standing right beside his woman? Had Adam become so emotionally disconnected from Eve that he didn’t know Satan found a way to get his hedonistic, misogynistic hooks into her? Do you ever wonder if Eve cried out to her man for help or ask the question, “Adam, where are you?” because Adam was missing in action?

Why didn’t Adam intervene, do what real men do, and kick Satan to the curb before a bad thing could happen to these good people? Before God created Eve, did something go terribly wrong with Adam? Maybe Adam had issues that didn’t get revealed until it was too late to reconcile their intimate relationship with God. Have you ever pondered the possibility that Satan had also attempted to seduce and deceive Adam before God created Eve to be her husband’s helpmate?

Do you ever wonder what prompted to God say that it wasn’t good for a man to be alone? Did Adam develop some type of pathological, dysfunctional behavior because he walked alone in the garden of earthly delights long enough to become too lonely for his own good? I wonder why God never said the same thing in the Scriptures about a woman. Do you?

What did Satan say, or do, that Adam didn’t say or do? What were the persuasive, albeit deceptive, words that flowed out of the perverted mouth of this fallen, false angel of light that convinced Eve to “doubt” God’s words in the first place? Did Satan convince Eve that Adam “wasn’t good enough” for her? Can it be that Eve didn’t appreciate Adam, wasn’t content with the perfect man God created, and secretly desired a “bad boy,” “a gangsta,” a “street thug” that she could hate to love for more than one night?

Quick question. How many married people do you personally know who are living with a person they secretly hate to love? Can it be that sharing a love that’s worth receiving and giving is an act of faith that a person chooses to do without ever expecting anything in return. I wonder if God is the only one who loves a cheerful giver? Think about it until the next time we meet.

– To Be Continued –

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

To the humble, courageous, “great” ones among us who exemplify how leadership is a choice, not a position.

– Stephen R. Covey

“We’ve Come This Far By Faith,” was one of the Gospel song selections the church choir sang during my uncle’s homecoming celebration last Friday. The soul-stirring words of this song bolstered my honest belief that getting up and showing up daily to engage all who actively participate in the spiritual chess game of life is an act of faith.

Only God truly knows what tomorrow will bring. Do you? Only God knows when Adversity will strike. Do you? Only God knows what the future will hold. Do you? I don’t. For me, trusting God is not an option. After failing and falling flat on my face, trusting God is an act of faith. Must one be “humbled” before one can be “humble?”

Although God has humbled me, am I humble? Some have accused me of being arrogant to believe that I could pen a book and be successful doing so. Am I arrogant because I choose to believe ordinary, everyday people can achieve great things with God’s help? Am I arrogant for believing in myself when nobody else does?

Do humble people dream big dreams? Do humble people believe they can make big dreams come true and achieve greatness with God’s help? When one dares to dream dreams as big as the ones I’ve dreamed, my mentors helped my humbled soul to realize that it’s not wise to lean upon my own limited understanding. Who, or what, has humbled you?

Watching the leadership of the great men in my life over the years has taught me that leadership is a choice one makes by faith. One can assume a “position” of leadership but if nobody is following you, are you qualified to be referred to as a leader?

“We’ve come this far by faith” is the message that kept resonating deep within my soul while driving back to Atlanta this weekend. These inspiring words also confirmed the following quote from my pending release of my book, Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness.  The Prologue, “Always Expect The Unexpected Parts 1 – 4,”  to this introspective story about personal leadership has been posted

“It is by choice that great people like you with great weaknesses like ours believe, by faith, that we can beat impossible odds and achieve great things with God’s help.”

–Roderick O. Solomon

Yes, it’s true. For those of who noticed, I’ve changed the title of my book from When Least Expected. Doing so was both an act of faith and an act of obedience. I’m trusting God with the consequences of my obedience.

Watching the leadership of my Uncle Bay over the years has taught me that strong men are humble men who understand that meekness is not a sign of weakness. Humility is not a sign of weakness. Strong men cry when we see the people we love hurting. Meekness is “power under control.”

“The joy of the Lord is my strength. When I’m weak, He is strong.”

I don’t know about you but the Scriptures remind me of the reasons why I need Jesus Christ to do what only He can — the impossible. When one dares to beat impossible odds, you realize just how much you need God’s help. It is the example of Christ’s leadership that I choose to follow by faith.

Writing a book is definitely an act of faith. Only God knows what will happen next. Nevertheless, I trust God to do what’s best for me and my family. Do you?

“We’ve come this far by faith…”

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

The words from the Gospel song, “In The Midst Of It All,” by Grammy award winning singer, Ms. Yolanda Adams, and the Scriptures verses found in Psalm 121:1-8 NIV will point you in the right direction.

It’s my prayer that you will be encouraged, empowered, and inspired to get up, show up, and take the next step towards making your big dream come true today.

1) I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?

2) My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.

3) He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.

4) Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.

5) The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade on your right hand.

6) The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

7) The LORD will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.

The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.

Psalm 121:1-8 NASB

In the early 1990′s, I created and published a popular series of bookmarks to encourage, empower, and inspire the next gifted generation of critically thinking leaders, our children. Here’s a sample of one of the many. I will share some of the others as time permits.

“When nobody believes in you, believe in yourself. If not you, then who?”

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

As promised, we’re continuing this month’s series, Women Of The Bible, with yet another look at the life of Eve. If you haven’t read Genesis Chapters 2 and 3, please do so in order to better understand the harsh reality of the truth and the ugliness of the dilemma Eve faced after the fall.

Since we’re dedicating the entire month of May to women and issues relevant to women, we’ll discuss Adam’s role in the fall of humanity next month with the message, “Adam, Where Are You?” For now, we’ll stay focused on the life of the woman whose name means, “Life-giving.” Imagine hearing God saying to you what Eve heard after the fall that gave birth to death, to pain, to shame, to fear, to the emotional division that still exists between man and woman.

Yes, it’s true. We’ve all blown it. We’ve all made mistakes. Big ones. Small ones. Inadvertent ones. Intentional ones. We’ve all done something we shouldn’t have at some point in our lives. We’ve all been in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people. I know I have. Have you?

Take some time right now to search the seat of your soul, to dig deeper into the cluttered place where all our secrets still hide and reside. Uncomfortable? Most definitely! But necessary. Take a moment to take a closer look inside the heart of your soul. What did you find? What did you do? What did you say?

On the flipside of this script, what didn’t you find? What didn’t you do when you had a chance to take a stand? What didn’t you say when you had an opportunity to clear the name of an actually innocent person who was falsely accused of a crime you know they didn’t commit? Justifying your unethical actions by telling yourself that “I was just doing my job” doesn’t make the pain go away.

Do you feel like crying right now? Go ahead, cry if you must to cleanse your face and rid your soul of the toxic residue that’s poisoning your body. During my showers in the mornings, I cry often. Do you? The water from the shower symbolizes the tears I shed. The shower cleanses my body as it washes away the dirt I picked up from the previous day.

The tears cleanse the heart of my soul as they wash aways the residue of all the unwise decisions, the mistakes, the dirt I’ve done. Crying is better than dying a slow death from the anger, bitterness, and resentment you feel towards yourself for failing to face you deepest fears. Weeping may endure for a night, a few nights, a season, but sooner or later, joy always comes in the morning.

As some of you may know, the morning is symbolic, a metaphor for the glorious day that the long-awaited sunrise will appear and allow your eyes to meet the “greatness of God’s faithfulness.” Have you been waiting a long time for the light of God’s love to pierce the spiritual darkness of the hopelessness Despair creates?

Maybe you said something you shouldn’t have and harmed somebody you love with the words from your own mouth. Maybe you betrayed somebody’s trust and lost their respect, their friendship, their financial support. Maybe you let somebody down who depended on you to keep a promise, to fulfill a commitment, to prepare an important sales presentation, to keep your end of the bargain. But you blew it big time.

Saying, “I’m sorry,” isn’t enough this time. The damage is done. You’ve blown it one time too many. You finally found the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. If only you had the supernatural power to turn back the hands of time. Alas, you don’t and now you must sleep in the mess you’ve made. If you’ve been there, done that, you can imagine how Eve felt once this woman finally realized that her mistake would affect generations of women who had done no wrong.

Imagine how it must have felt to know that both she and Adam could no longer stand in God’s celestial presence without feeling “naked and ashamed.” Both Adam and Eve had sinned against God. The word sin means to miss the mark. Despite your noble efforts, your due diligence, your good intentions, how many times have you missed the mark?

“Okay, now what?” you ask yourself. “Where do we go from here?” you wonder as you ponder the eternal consequences of your disobedience, your failure to do the right thing, your willful act of rebellion. Matters not the reason why. Where do you start? What steps must you take in order for you to feel good about the person you face in the mirror? I don’t know. But God knows. That’s where I’d start.

During your dark night of the soul when all seems lost, remember that God is still standing closer than a brother. God will not leave you nor forsake you. God still loves you despite what you’ve done or didn’t do. Don’t give up. Don’t give in to the pain you feel. Don’t quit. Today is the beginning of the rest of your life. The present, not the past, is a great place to start doing something new.

For some of you, today’s challenging message will be liberating. Some of you will find the song you stuffed deep down inside the seat of your souls that you’re afraid to sing because you committed a sin you’re ashamed to admit to yourself, to God. Haven’t you noticed that our deepest fears have an uncanny way of silencing us for too long and keeping us from singing our song for all the wrong reasons? What are some of the reasons that you’re still afraid to sing your song?

It’s true. Each one of us is capable of doing, or saying, what we all know is wrong. “Okay, now what Mr. know-it-all?” Some of you will hate me for loving you simply because you still don’t love you. You still hate yourself. You hate anybody that looks like you and reminds you of you. Some of you will become defensive, misunderstand my intentions, and choose to personally attack me for challenging you to face your fears and embrace Change. But that’s to be expected.

“Better the wounds of a friend than kisses from an enemy.”

Some of you may decide to thank the person who keeps loving you enough to tell you the truth about yourself. I find it interesting that Jesus never identified, with specificity, the truth that makes people free as evidenced by the Scriptures. So, what is the truth that will make you free? Does this truth differ from person to person? Think about it.

Knowing the truth that, in God’s eyes, we are all created equal and will be treated equally may liberate you. For others, it may be just knowing the truth that God loves each of us absent any conditions. Knowing that we’re all imperfect people living together in an imperfect world may make you free enough to finally forgive you, to highly esteem you so you can learn to love you again.

Just know that God isn’t surprised, nor is He disappointed by anything we may say or do. Despite what occurred in the Garden of Eden, God has a plan and a purpose for each one of His children. Knowing that our most merciful and gracious Father was willing to sacrifice the life of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, in order to pay for the sins of the world did it for me.

The truth that makes people free is knowing that God’s love inspired Jesus Christ to pay a debt He didn’t owe because we all owed a debt we couldn’t pay. After the fall, Eve also experienced the grace of God. Hence, our next message will deal with Eve and God’s amazing grace. I hope and pray that you will feel better about you today now that you know that God still loves you.

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

Today, my wife, KWiz, and I have similar posts and have shared some of the same resources and information. So don’t think that your mind is playing tricks on you if you frequently visit both of our sites.

During last week’s nationally syndicated talk show, “Imus In The Morning,” Don Imus and executive producer Bernard McGuirk (and others), commented on the Rutgers women’s basketball team the following. Click here at MediaMatters.org for a detailed account and video of what Imus said while the Rutgers University Women’s Basketball team played the University of Tennessee in the NCAA championship last Wednesday.

IMUS: That’s some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos and –

McGUIRK: Some hard-core hos.

IMUS: That’s some nappy-headed hos there. I’m gonna tell you that now, man, that’s some — woo. And the girls from Tennessee, they all look cute, you know, so, like — kinda like — I don’t know.

McGUIRK: A Spike Lee thing.

…ROSENBERG: It was a tough watch. The more I look at Rutgers, they look exactly like the Toronto Raptors.

As the father of a 3-year old pearl of a girl, I got angry because that could have been my daughter Imus was talking about. My wife just happen to be styling our daughter’s hair this morning while listening to Rev. Al Sharpton during his nationally syndicated talk show, “Keepin’ It Real.” This civil rights activist addressed Imus’ racially-charged criticism of women who didn’t deserve to be disrespected.

During the Michael Baisden show (a nationally-syndicated Black radio talk show airing weekday afternoons), a young Black girl called and expressed herself in the form of a powerful poem. She cried as she passionately read her soul stirring poem on air. I want to personally thank Mr. Baisden for posting the following poem on his forum at MingleCity.com.

Violent
By Yvonne Espinoza

We’re violent because this is all we know
You taught us this along time ago
We’re violent because you made us this way
You beat us naked, you hung our people,
Raped our kids and stripped us of our pride
And you now wanna ask why?

Give us a reason not to be

You can’t, it’s impossible

Because to give us a reason, you’d have to right all the wrong you’ve done

But you can’t and if you could then
You’ve only just begun
You’d have to beg for mercy, plead and cry
You’d have to feel the pain we felt

The pain that took lives

You go through the hardships,
The trials and tribulations,
The suffering, the heartache, the dying babies
You sit on a boat full of hundreds of sick,
Old people living to die
How about you dance to make money
Look ignorant on t.v.
Go to jail for nothing
Harassed because others don’t like what they see

Have your people get beat to death
By those who get paid to protect
You eat trash to survive
How about you watch your people and babies die
Get sold for a dime

Kill themselves because they don’t want to live this life

We went through it then and we go through it now
And you know it’s true, and you still ask why?
How dare you have the audacity
Who made you king?

Despite common belief and despite what you think
There is only one king, one God
And he walks with me, with us
The ones who were forced to live in grief
Who were cut, killed, raped and beat
Like animals, brainwashed to think like you

You hacked away, pulled and dragged us down
Until we didn’t want to be Black or Brown
We didn’t want to be Colored or Negroes
We wanted to be High, Suddity, White Folk
We though if we looked, smelled, and act like you
We could live a regular life, and though we tried
You still continued to beat and lay us out
To hang us from our necks, to laugh at our bodies

You could never blame us for being this way
Because you taught us violence
So how dare you think of forming any kind of alliance
Now we know that two wrongs don’t make a right
But since we have none,
Why should we spare your life?

It’s your fault for all of this
And if you didn’t teach us violence
Then who did?
It couldn’t have been us
Because, remember, we’re ignorant!

You should be careful what you say
Because your words have power
Say it enough and it’ll come true…
I know you’ve heard of karma
God have mercy on you.

As the father of a pearl of a girl, I’ve been struggling since last Thursday to “intellectualize my emotions.” But my efforts have been in vain. Hence, I’ve been praying about my public response to the egregious remarks Mr. Don Imus espoused while on the air for millions of people to hear. Once again, this “shock jock” has deeply hurt the feelings of the beautiful women I love. For the women who know me, I will not hesitate to protect them with my life as every man should.

During Rev. Al Sharpton’s talk show, Imus did offer what he referred to as an “apology” for his ugly remarks. Since this is not the first time Imus has put his foot in his mouth, an apology is not enough. As Sharpton emphatically stated today, Imus must be held accountable for the damage he’s done to the image of the women he referred to as “nappy headed hoes.” Unfortunately, the damage has already been done as evidence by the aforementioned poem. Imus could have been talking about your daughter.

Today’s post should get the attention of the real men who love, honor, and respect all women. Matters not the colour of their skin, I honestly believe that every woman should feel safe and secure when in the presence of a real man. I’ll be the first to admit that one too many men have done a lousy job of protecting women.

Nevertheless, the focus of today’s post is Imus, a man who has developed a reputation for making insensitive, racist, remarks about Black women as evidenced by Ms. Terry Howcott’s “Imusinbordinaition” article. This type of inexcusable behavior must stop. Men, our women and daughters deserve better. Don’t you agree?

“Don Imus, how dare you!!”

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

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.

Pedagogy is a word I discovered in the 1990′s while preparing to address a group of students with undeclared majors at California State University at Los Angeles. For all who failed to bring your dictionaries, Pedagogy is a word I use to refer to the science, or art, of “teaching teachers how to teach.” Excellence in the profession of Pedagogy has gifted generations of great people with the keys that unlocked the doors the invisible fist of Ignorance previously closed for all the wrong reasons.

The insightful teachers I’ve observed practicing their excellence verified the veracity of the popular belief that one can’t teach what one doesn’t know. Try it. Teaching anything for the first time is a humbling and frightening experience. Nevertheless, the only way to know how to teach “something” is to do the “something” you’re trying to teach. I honestly believe that one too many of America’s teachers are frequently “overworked,” “underpaid,” and “taken for granted.” God willing, this, too, shall pass before our “unsung heroes and sheroes” become endangered absentees that no global economy can afford to absorb.

For me, sitting down and writing these daily messages that are worth reading from scratch is one example of why it takes courage to teach something new. Dig deep into my archives and look at the previous posts that began on January 1, 2007. Go ahead. Laugh. I did. Besides, it’s healthy to laugh at ourselves. Our pessimistic peers, cynical critics, and the politically motivated pundits may laugh at us and hate us today for daring to think critically. But keep pushing past the pain anyway. More times than not, children will teach teachers more than we ever thought we taught them. “Forrest Gump” did.

” No Struggle. No Strength.”

Hopefully, those of you who keep getting up and showing up daily will see the outpouring of love that inspires each message before you notice the mistakes. Our families, friends, and the people we love and respect may criticize us as we practice our excellence and despise our humble beginnings today. Keep digging deeper and climbing higher anyway. Despite all the ridicule, rejection, and laughter, I’m glad I did. Are you? I hope so. Since I choose to live the rest of my life for an audience of One, I refuse to give less than my best. Besides, “I can’t accept not trying.” Can you?

“If you do your best, God will do the rest.”

Switching to Firefox 2.0 has enabled me to eliminate most of the careless spelling errors “on the fly” while struggling to write a message I hope is worth reading. Once those of us us who dare to teach in non-traditional ways know better, we’ll do better. God willing, our galvanized group still has “300 days” before we meet for the last time during this “unpredictable year of firsts. Only God knows what day 365 of 2007 will bring our way before we ring out the old and enter into the uncharted waters of 2008. In the meantime, what are you teaching others about yourself? Think about it.

Quick question. Are you faithful over little things? December 31, 2007 is still about “7200 hours” or “432,00 minutes” or “25,920,000″ seconds ” away from where we are today. Time will tell if your actions shall speak louder than your words. It’s never too late to begin and always too soon to quit. Matters not what our peers, critics, and talking heads may say about your humble beginnings today. “So, they told you, ‘No!’ Keep on steppin’.” One of the bookmarks from THE LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE COLLECTION™ that I created and produced to inspire elementary, middle, and high school students says,

“To win, one must begin. If not now, when?”

As a former enlisted member of the U.S. Air Force, the excellent training I received reinforced my honest belief that mediocrity is simply unacceptable. Since I can do better, I still have a long way to go before I can think on my feet fast enough to write these dailies with excellence. Nevertheless, pushing past the pain has improved my ability to teach, absent any written notes, what Adversity taught me during my season of “sunny-side-down days.” Hence, I’m a lot closer to making my big dream come true and achieving great things today than 65 days ago when this ever-evolving site got birthed from scratch.

Absent the assistance of an insightful teacher, how many of us would have the specialized skill sets we need to excel and succeed today? Minus these insightful mentors, how many of us would be able to rise above the rim of mediocrity on the elevator of excellence? In an ever-evolving global marketplace, excellence in the profession of Pedagogy is rapidly becoming the “minimum mandatory prerequisite.” Minus effective, meaningful access to excellent teachers locally, our children will fail to gain equal access to the emerging global economies that are rapidly reshaping the landscape of the business world.

I’m still amazed by the amount of time and effort it takes for insightful teachers to conduct the additional research that’s required for a teacher to teach anything with excellence. Acquiring the wisdom and understanding to achieve excellence in any specialized, professional field of endeavor is never an easy task. Try it. Arduous? Yes! Impossible? No. In a global marketplace, both knowledge and information are rapidly becoming more valuable than ever before. A teacher’s ability to achieve excellence while teaching our children is both mandatory and necessary. I have nothing but love and respect for Ms. Marva Collins. Click on the name of this living legend if you aren’t familiar with this master teacher’s awe inspiring story.

Because of a teacher who mastered the art, or science, of teaching, how many of us honestly believe that we can beat impossible odds and achieve greatness with God’s help? As a sign of respect, I tip my hat to any person who has the courage to teach other teachers how to teach. Matters not the colour of that teacher’s beautiful skin. Our teachers deserve all the love and respect we can give them. Besides, it’s time to reward excellent teachers who have mastered the art of teaching others how to teach.

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

Although I’m a man, there’s no shame in letting strangers know that I cried during and after watching Ms. Oprah Winfrey’s “Building A Dream: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy” prime time television special re-aired on March 3, 2007. How many of you felt the power of God’s love as it inspired a living legend to honestly believe she could establish the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls? Clicking on the words, “Kudos To Ms. Oprah Winfrey” will unearth a previous post written to show my support for a noble deed divinely designed to meet an unmet need.

How many of you also saw an impoverished generation of great girls to whom little was given get rewarded for remaining faithful over the little they had? I sat on my couch and cried because I shared the pain these beautiful, optimistic, and enthusiastic young girls pushed past daily. I cried for all the innocent children who died for nothing simply because they tried to reach a safe place where somebody could teach them how to make dreams come true and achieve great things.

During my prolonged season of sunny-side-down days, I experienced how it felt to eat oatmeal or no meal for extended periods of time. No longer do I complain about the hunger I deliberately endure when I refuse to stop practicing my excellence and building my big dream long enough to slow my roll and eat. I’d rather deal with the pain in my belly than feel the sting from the slave master’s angry whip.

Hunger isn’t something I’d wish on my worst enemy. To this day, I have a hard time wasting any of the food I’m privileged to hold in my hands. That includes the bread ends from a store bought loaf of sliced bread which is my segue into today’s post. Although it’s been a few days since I first heard it, the courageous question that’s still resonating with my spirit was asked by a hope-filled young girl during her interview with Ms. Winfrey.

“AM I GOOD ENOUGH…?”

Now that you know this ain’t my real hair, my real nails, or the same face and figure God gave me, am I still good enough? Now that you know I live in the hood with lots of good people with big hearts and lots of love to give, am I good enough? Am I good enough to be your best friend just because or will you pretend to care about me because my parents have lot of money and material things? Am I good enough to be respected by you despite my inability to buy designer clothes or repair the holes in the soles of my hand-me-down-shoes?

Am I good enough to be your husband or will you kick me to the curb once you learn that I don’t have a six pack, don’t stand at least six feet tall in my bare feet, and don’t earn a six figure salary? Am I good enough to be the wife you’ll love, honor, respect, and protect for the rest of your life after I choose to birth your children and lose my curvaceous apple bottom and brick house figure?

Am I good enough to sit in the front of the bus or will I have to listen to you cuss me, call me a ni***er under your breath as you spit in my face since you still hate me because of the colour of my beautiful skin? Am I good enough to share the same lunch counter and eat my meal next to you or will you slap me in the face with the plate of hot food I dared to order despite the “white only” sign?

Am I good enough to drive my expensive car through an upscale neighborhood and stay alive long enough to see my family again once you see that the colour of my skin is darker that a brown paper bag? Am I good enough to live my life without fear after “Big Daddy Blue’s” trigger-happy street gangs of racist, white supremacists racially profile me as I pass by and try to kill me under color of law because they saw that I was only armed with a dangerous mind?

Am I good enough now that you know that I got fired for a crime my former employer knew I didn’t commit but lacked the personal integrity and strength of character to admit the truth about my actual innocence under oath? Am I good enough to work for you and your corporation despite the false arrest, false imprisonment, and false prosecution the executive management of my ex-employer executed during their lapse in judgment?

Am I good enough for you to meet me where I am and love me absent any conditions and treat me as though you know I’m too valuable to throw away even after I stumble badly and experience a great fall? Am I good enough for you to love me now that you know I was once too poor to pay attention and lived in a cardboard box too short to hide the holes in the last pair of socks I had because bad things really do happen to good people?

Am I good enough now that you can’t manipulate me, abuse me, or do me dirty because I’m much stronger and wiser than before when my deceived soul believed the lie you told and sold me? Am I good enough is no longer a question I need to ask now that I know nothing can ever separate my gifted soul from God’s eternal love.

If I’m not good enough for you, I will still choose to live my life for an audience of the most gracious and merciful One sitting high but looking low. So, feel free to go without me if you must because I know I can always trust God without any reservation. Besides, now that the Spirit of God resides deep within my invaluable soul, I no longer need your “attention,” “approval,” “acceptance,” or “affection” anymore.

— TO BE CONTINUED —

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