There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24
Whoever walks with the wise will become wise; whoever walks with the fools will suffer harm. Proverbs 13:20

I woke up very late this morning (lol) after having a “great” weekend. One of the first things on my mind was how lucky I am to have built such great friendships. This entire weekend was spent with people whom I truly consider my closest friends and we wound up any and everywhere. A great part of building friendships is having the opportunity to watch your friends grow and prosper. One person landed a new high - paying job, so we drove to NY to celebrate. Three more are graduating from Temple this week; more cause to celebrate. And lastly if I was Kanye West (which I’m not, I’m THE CEDRIC SHINE, LOL) my buddy Chris Thomas would be Jay - Z, making him my Big Brother. Yesterday I got to watch him graduate from Penn State’s phenomenal Business Program gaining his MBA.

All this to say I am very grateful for the friends that I have in my life and very thankful that I can be a special part of their finest moments. I feel my time is better spent around people who have my best interest at heart and I have theirs. We are as good as the company we keep around ourselves. The bible tells us that iron sharpens iron, and judging from this weekend I have some of the sharpest iron surrounding me. I pray that I can be as sharp as those who have influenced me. So today I am honoring my great friendships, I think you should too for without them there would be no us. Peace and Grace be unto you.

A wise man who knows proverbs reconciles difficulties.

Now therefore , Our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. I Chronicles 29: 13

Pardon me for sending this message out so late.,I had my first final exam this morning. I really like to get into the message of the day in the mornings, I really like to vibe with the word and sometimes that takes a while. However this morning I had to get into Property Law and ready myself for the exam; easements, mortgages, future interests, that sorta stuff. Today’s scripture is very short but powerful to me. Last Monday I felt as if I truly knew nothing and I was unprepared for the exam that I just recently got out of. While no grade has been submitted yet, I am confident in the knowledge I put forth.

I could thank myself, and I could thank my friends who helped me prepare for this exam. However most of my thanks has to go to our Creator for the effort he put forth in helping me get through this test. He gave me the mindset to prioritize my studies and allow the information to flow through my brain. He has afforded me kind friendships that looked to help me with material they saw that I was struggling with. He even spoke to the Professor and made sure that he made a fair exam that I would be able to articulate the necessary arguments. So I praise his glorious name and remind myself that all things are possible through him. Peace and Grace be unto you.

God is good, all the time!

A man of many companions may come to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

I read another breakdown of this scripture and it read “There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother”. Friendship was on my mind heavily this morning as I thought of the great ones that I have in my life. I thought of how fortunate I am to have good friends and I enjoyed the fact that others thought of me as such. While we are all trying to achieve some sort of success, we would be fools to only measure ourselves by monetary successes and material things. But I love how the scripture warns us, a man of many companions may come to ruin. Surrounding ourselves with people who don’t have our best interest at heart just so that we wont be lonely is not being blessed with great friends. That’s being bogged down by the celebrity of friendship rather than the true nature of building relationships.

You know its funny, after reading this scripture I think of old church songs i used to hear. I barely ever know the words but there’s one that talks about having a friend in Jesus. For years I took that song in vain and I wasn’t really getting the message from it. But now I’m wishing all that time I had been actively pursuing a friendship with Jesus, that’s a true friendship. Having a greater belief in him and knowing that he has my back; there’s nothing I cant do with a friend like that. I for one am taking the time to prayerfully build a better relationship with the Creator and to acknowledge all of the beautiful friends and family that I have in my life. Without them there would be no me and I feel that we all have those type of spirits in our lives, so today I wish to honor them. They continue to help us grow and hopefully we do the same for them. Peace and Grace be unto you!

Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.