It's been precisely one month since I last posted a blog. I have no excuses for you, nor would I want to make one up...that's not me anymore! As a matter of fact, I thought about just changing the title of this blog to "Your Monthly Morsel of Vitamin E-12". That would have probably been more appropriate.
The truth is, I've never successfully kept a journal in my 33, oops...I mean 34, years on this earth. However, I had an amazing thought cross my mind this evening that sent chills all over my body. It was one of those thoughts that you've had countless times before & it never really sank in. You've probably even said the thought out loud, still not realizing the meaning & power behind it, BUT TONIGHT I DID, and that's why this blog will be different!
You see, the thought that crossed my mind, was that I'M A SAVED MAN!!! That's why this blog is going to be vastly different than any other journal or collection of thoughts that I've ever tried to compile before. Not because I'm actually going to write more often (A leopard can't change its spots), but because the content itself will be different...where it's coming from IS different...and because I won't feel so guilty when I don't write everyday like I always tell myself I'm going to.
It's been just over a year since I gave my life to our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ. In that year, I have grown more as an individual than I did in the previous 33 before it. I have come to truly understand many of the words & concepts that my earthly father tried so diligently to instill in both of his sons...words like grace, honesty, & respect...and concepts such as love, trust, & faith.
I don't believe that I will ever MASTER anything that he taught me in this lifetime mainly because I don't think HE intended for anything to be really mastered. However, I can say that the foundation that that both of these men have poured into my life is second to none and while I may never be able to reach perfection here on earth, the pursuit of perfection is a journey worth traveling!
I am a changed man because I HAVE BEEN SAVED! I don't have to prove that to anyone, but I want everyone to SEE IT, because it's a testimony to how great HE really is!
To those that have known me for some time, I pray that you have seen & recognize the transformations that I've made in my life & that they have impacted your life in a positive way. To those of you that I have not had the opportunity to get to know better, I pray that you will continue to read this blog & that my stories, experiences, & testimony will change your life for the better as well.
In closing, a leopard may not be able to change its spots, but in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really have to. With God, nothing is impossible...if He wants to, He can change them Himself!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Waking Up Early is for the Dogs!!!
No! I really mean it!!!
Waking up early is for the dogs...especially my dog! I honestly think she does it just to amuse herself! You see, my fiancee & I own a Rhodesian Ridgeback
This isn't our dog Makenna, but it gives you a good visual for the purpose of this message.
Anyway, she seems to think it's a necessity to wake me up EVERY single morning around 4am! I could almost set an alarm by it, but I don't have to, because she'll jump onto the bed, lick my face a couple times, then sit there & whine @ me until I get up!
Now...I know this is partially my fault due to the fact that I use to work until 3am & it was routine to take her out as soon as I got home so that she could do her thing, but now I think she does it because deep in her little doggie mind...she wants to torment me!
I honestly think she has come to realize that I'm no longer fully awake @ that time and uses my grogginess to take advantage of me in ways only a cunningly deceptive dog such as a Rhodesian Ridgeback knows how! You see...these dogs are very smart! So smart, that they will do stupid things to make you think that they're dumb, but in all actuality, they are just setting you up!
She woke me up this morning@ 4:30 by dropping an un-stuffed toy (un-stuffed, because she had surgically torn a hole where the stitching is & pulled out all the stuffing & the squeaker) because she wanted to play. When I threw the toy, she came back with the squeaker instead & kept making it squeak until I tried to grab it from her...only to move out of the way like a ninja when I went to grab it out of her mouth.
When I finally got it away from her...which I had to do because my two roommates were still sleeping (remember...this is 4:45ish in the morning), she decided to run in circles around our couch & then literally jump on top of me as I had just laid back down on the couch!
So beware! If you're thinking about owning a Rhodesian Ridgeback..be prepared for a personality that will end up training you instead of you training them! Check out the link below for some more unbiased information on Ridgebacks!
Despite my exhausted comments & attempt to write this blog post, they are great dogs, but I still have to say that getting up early is for the dogs!
http://animal.discovery.com/videos/dogs-101-rhodesian-ridgeback.html
Making Life Happen!
Waking up early is for the dogs...especially my dog! I honestly think she does it just to amuse herself! You see, my fiancee & I own a Rhodesian Ridgeback
This isn't our dog Makenna, but it gives you a good visual for the purpose of this message.
Anyway, she seems to think it's a necessity to wake me up EVERY single morning around 4am! I could almost set an alarm by it, but I don't have to, because she'll jump onto the bed, lick my face a couple times, then sit there & whine @ me until I get up!
Now...I know this is partially my fault due to the fact that I use to work until 3am & it was routine to take her out as soon as I got home so that she could do her thing, but now I think she does it because deep in her little doggie mind...she wants to torment me!
I honestly think she has come to realize that I'm no longer fully awake @ that time and uses my grogginess to take advantage of me in ways only a cunningly deceptive dog such as a Rhodesian Ridgeback knows how! You see...these dogs are very smart! So smart, that they will do stupid things to make you think that they're dumb, but in all actuality, they are just setting you up!
She woke me up this morning@ 4:30 by dropping an un-stuffed toy (un-stuffed, because she had surgically torn a hole where the stitching is & pulled out all the stuffing & the squeaker) because she wanted to play. When I threw the toy, she came back with the squeaker instead & kept making it squeak until I tried to grab it from her...only to move out of the way like a ninja when I went to grab it out of her mouth.
When I finally got it away from her...which I had to do because my two roommates were still sleeping (remember...this is 4:45ish in the morning), she decided to run in circles around our couch & then literally jump on top of me as I had just laid back down on the couch!
So beware! If you're thinking about owning a Rhodesian Ridgeback..be prepared for a personality that will end up training you instead of you training them! Check out the link below for some more unbiased information on Ridgebacks!
Despite my exhausted comments & attempt to write this blog post, they are great dogs, but I still have to say that getting up early is for the dogs!
http://animal.discovery.com/videos/dogs-101-rhodesian-ridgeback.html
Making Life Happen!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
What's In A Name?
Why the name: Your Daily Dose of Vitamin E-12?
After 1 whole week of maintaining this blog, I am pumped up to have 2 followers! Now I haven't really been marketing this blog that well & the two followers that I do have are great friends from church (one of them being my pastor). However, after talking to them both, I came to the realization that the name of my blog may be one of the reasons I haven't reached too many people yet.
Those closest to me would understand where the idea of "Vitamin E-12" found it's origins & why it is actually a pretty cool concept name for my blog & twitter accounts, but most of you are probably just completely confused. The truth is that I am extremely "technologically challenged" & merely an infant in the world of social media, so I asked my 16 year old sister to help me get started. I mean let's be honest...who else do you turn to when you need to learn how to do something on the computer or a new smart phone now days?
So, Amber helped me set up my accounts (meaning she set up the accounts, showed me how to log on, and where to go in order to distribute my knowledge & opinions to the cyber world) & in doing so..."Your Daily Dose of Vitamin E-12" was born!
She came up with the name because a lot of my friends call me "E" and I have always worn the #12 in any organized athletic sport that I have competed in from the time I was 5 years old. Thus the name "E-12".
As for the the rest of the blog title...well that I attribute to the fact that even at 16 years of age, I have realized that my little sister is already better @ sales & marketing than I am at twice her age...go figure!
Hence the name "Your Daily Dose of Vitamin E-12"
I felt the need to clarify or explain this topic after my pastor told me that he didn't realize that it was me, but instead thought that I was some rapper or DJ who liked one of his tweets...I mean let's be serious, why wouldn't a rapper want to follow the infamous pastor of a 2 year old church plant in Palm Beach Gardens, FL?
No...I'm definitely nothing close to being a hip/hop artist (although I did dabble in college...usually after a few adult beverages), but I did own a karaoke business with my father @ one point in my life & have absolutely no problem with getting up on stage & making a complete fool of myself from time to time (no alcohol necessary).
On a more serious note...I highly encourage you to follow this blog, as well as my pastor's: http://www.chipstallings.blogspot.com/
My goal is to provide you with something to read that's entertaining, but more importantly...LIFE GIVING!
Thanks for taking the time to get to know me through this venue. I hope you learned a little about me & I look forward to getting to know a lot about you!
Here's to Making Life Happen one day at a time!!!
After 1 whole week of maintaining this blog, I am pumped up to have 2 followers! Now I haven't really been marketing this blog that well & the two followers that I do have are great friends from church (one of them being my pastor). However, after talking to them both, I came to the realization that the name of my blog may be one of the reasons I haven't reached too many people yet.
Those closest to me would understand where the idea of "Vitamin E-12" found it's origins & why it is actually a pretty cool concept name for my blog & twitter accounts, but most of you are probably just completely confused. The truth is that I am extremely "technologically challenged" & merely an infant in the world of social media, so I asked my 16 year old sister to help me get started. I mean let's be honest...who else do you turn to when you need to learn how to do something on the computer or a new smart phone now days?
So, Amber helped me set up my accounts (meaning she set up the accounts, showed me how to log on, and where to go in order to distribute my knowledge & opinions to the cyber world) & in doing so..."Your Daily Dose of Vitamin E-12" was born!
She came up with the name because a lot of my friends call me "E" and I have always worn the #12 in any organized athletic sport that I have competed in from the time I was 5 years old. Thus the name "E-12".
As for the the rest of the blog title...well that I attribute to the fact that even at 16 years of age, I have realized that my little sister is already better @ sales & marketing than I am at twice her age...go figure!
Hence the name "Your Daily Dose of Vitamin E-12"
I felt the need to clarify or explain this topic after my pastor told me that he didn't realize that it was me, but instead thought that I was some rapper or DJ who liked one of his tweets...I mean let's be serious, why wouldn't a rapper want to follow the infamous pastor of a 2 year old church plant in Palm Beach Gardens, FL?
No...I'm definitely nothing close to being a hip/hop artist (although I did dabble in college...usually after a few adult beverages), but I did own a karaoke business with my father @ one point in my life & have absolutely no problem with getting up on stage & making a complete fool of myself from time to time (no alcohol necessary).
On a more serious note...I highly encourage you to follow this blog, as well as my pastor's: http://www.chipstallings.blogspot.com/
My goal is to provide you with something to read that's entertaining, but more importantly...LIFE GIVING!
Thanks for taking the time to get to know me through this venue. I hope you learned a little about me & I look forward to getting to know a lot about you!
Here's to Making Life Happen one day at a time!!!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
How Are You Growing?
After having had the chance to lead my own Connect Group for our church recently, I decided it would be best to attend one as a follower for many different reasons: 1) For my own spiritual growth, 2) To connect & grow with other people withing our community, & 3) As a learning tool to improve my own leadership abilities.
I started attending The Four Priorities men's group 2 weeks ago this coming Monday & even though we have only been meeting for a short time, I can already see so many opportunities for growth & connecting with other people!
I look forward to seeing how this class will change me in all of the areas I listed above & I highly encourage you...NO, I CHALLENGE YOU to look into this small group & see if it's something that you might just allow to change your life...BECAUSE IT WILL!!
You can find more information at http://www.thegathering.org/four_priorities/
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Our Testimony
As I was designing my blog (which is still under construction), I kept thinking about what my first post should be. Then I looked down and realized that it's almost 4:30am. That got me to thinking about the last time I actually stayed up until this late...or should I say early...working on something that was intended to help me grow as a person. Memories of college immediately flashed through my head!
For those of you who have known me since my college days...I pray that you have changed as much as I have! And for those of you who are still getting to know me or haven't had the chance yet...I pray that you never have to meet the mess that I was back then!
We all have amazing stories filled with peaks & valleys. I'm not here to say that my story is better than anyone else's, but I have come to realize that I have an amazing story. The purpose of this blog is to not only share my story with you in the hopes that you may find it beneficial in some way, but to challenge you to do the same!
No matter where you're at in life right now, somebody needs to hear your story...SO TELL IT!
Don't sit on the sidelines waiting for life to happen...go out there & "Make Life Happen"!
I've never done a blog before & in all honesty, I'm not even sure how they really work, but I hope to meet people, build relationships, & grow in every way possible through this experience!
On that note...it is now approaching 5:00am & I must say it was much easier pulling all nighters 10 years ago than it is now...Good Night...or should I say Good Morning?
For those of you who have known me since my college days...I pray that you have changed as much as I have! And for those of you who are still getting to know me or haven't had the chance yet...I pray that you never have to meet the mess that I was back then!
We all have amazing stories filled with peaks & valleys. I'm not here to say that my story is better than anyone else's, but I have come to realize that I have an amazing story. The purpose of this blog is to not only share my story with you in the hopes that you may find it beneficial in some way, but to challenge you to do the same!
No matter where you're at in life right now, somebody needs to hear your story...SO TELL IT!
Don't sit on the sidelines waiting for life to happen...go out there & "Make Life Happen"!
I've never done a blog before & in all honesty, I'm not even sure how they really work, but I hope to meet people, build relationships, & grow in every way possible through this experience!
On that note...it is now approaching 5:00am & I must say it was much easier pulling all nighters 10 years ago than it is now...Good Night...or should I say Good Morning?
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