Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. It is by our actions that we know we are living in truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. I John 3: 18-20
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. I John 4: 7-8
Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been brought to full expression through us.
I John 4: 11-12

Good morning, I hope you enjoyed your weekend, I definitely did! My weekend was great and what made it so great was that I was surrounded by love, family, friends and a roller coaster or two lol. I started writing this message in my head last night as I was riding home and I was reflecting on the events that happened over the weekend. It’s way to much to put into this short message but the basis of my happiness came from the love that I shared with my people and the reciprocity of that love by them sharing it not only with me but with everyone around. This morning the word is talking about love, how we must love one another, how that loves speaks volumes to the God within us and how this is what our Creator wants for us.

Yesterday my main man O said the pulpit is not necessarily in the church, it is wherever one or more gather and speak the word of God. I had to reflect on that statement and I started to think of how I had been ministered to throughout the day and did not even recognize it. Ma Greer hit me with some jewels, Heist hit me with some jewels throughout the day and at that moment these people were expressing love for me and allowing the divinity within them to shine through them and to light my life. When we love one another, when we will good things into each others lives we are fulfilling what God had planned for us. That we would live in harmony, caring for one another, helping one another move through life to reach even higher plateaus. I woke up this morning thankful that the Lord has blessed me with people who allow me to love and love me back. Peace and Grace be unto you!

A Stacks, my brother you know I could not forget you, Happy Born day!. Ayinde - meaning we gave praises and he came. Bless you brother and your family you are definitely a blessing. 1

I will, I will, I will, I’LL WORK FOR LOVE FOR ALL MY LIFE!

Over here at Notes of This Native Son we always like to shout out up and coming artists. Today I want to send a special shout out to the sultry sounds of L. Michele. We have to start supporting real musicians so that we can stop being plagued with trash music. Her work speaks for itself, ENJOY!

Could it be that the world is falling in love with the new sultry sounds of L. Michele? She’s your friend, your neighbor, the girl you knew all your life. Entering the music scene with soulful beats and beautiful vocals, she is rebirthing the movement of rhythm and blues. Her sultry melodies and charismatic personality make it nearly impossible not to fall in love with her Brooklyn bred stylish yet street edge flavor.

Over the years, the borough has been highlighted for its hip-hop artists; however, L. Michele is here to remind the world that her hometown also belts out crooners. At the tender age of 12, L. Michele got her start performing at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY. With such a powerful instrument coming from her small body, L Michele captivated her audience and the desires for her dreams were actualized on that fateful night. It was at that moment that her sound caught the ear of record producer True Master, whose credits include Alicia Keys, Busta Rhymes and The Wu Tang Clan, who then put L. Michele under his wing and began to hone her craft through songwriting.

L. Michele has achieved many accomplishments in her pursuits for success. She was a member of the Grammy and Stellar Award winning choir, The Love Fellowship Tabernacle Choir. It was with them she made numerous television appearances including the Bobby Jones Gospel special and the McDonalds Gospel Fest. This opportunity gave her the chance to sing along side such music greats as Fred Hammond, Stevie Wonder, Babyface, Sean Combs and Mario Winans. Along with those performances, she has also performed at the famed venues Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden.

With the release of her first album self-titled L. Michele her unique self-proclaimed sound captivates and soothes your ears but promises to make you two-step with songs such as “Could It Be” and “No One Compares.” For easy listening “1,000 Words” and “Love” will soothe your melodic pleasures.

With a distinct voice, multifaceted talent and intelligent character, L. Michele’s possibilities for success are endless.

L. Michele the Writer
L. Michele the Singer
L. Michele the Performer

Visit www.IamLMichele.com for more info

I’m on my Jazz tip! You have to appreciate the passion that goes into Jazz, the intensity that goes with playing those instruments. That’s love, love for the music, love for your craft, love for those listening to you. We can learn a lot from jazz musicians. Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NllPZ5_Tw40&hl=en]

It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands. How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your thoughts! The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand, that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed. But you, O LORD, are exalted forever. For surely your enemies, O LORD, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered. You have exalted my horn [a] like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured upon me. Psalm 92: 1-10

2:20 pm, this has to be a record set for the latest Pardon me. Well if I’m going to check in this late I must have some good news to share with you! You know I always have a story to tell, and the scripture represents how I feel about the Lord. How I have to praise his name because he always blesses ya boy. So this story starts somewhere during the semester, I thought i would be overseas with my homegirl Trudi enjoying Europe but God had other plans and that fell through. So needless to say I was not applying for jobs, more or less just doing my school work (sometimes less than more). But one of my other partners in crime hipped me to this fabulous program that she had attended and she thought that i would love it. It was a program teaching our youth the law and preparing them for a mock trial in front of a real Judge during the summer at St. Johns University.

Now you know Ced loves the kids, and I love anything that will allow me to talk and help teach someone something. So I sent my resume, this was the only resume I sent out this whole semester and I let the company know that I was willing to work for free. I just wanted to be apart of this movement that I saw them mobilizing. Doors were closed in my face because all the positions were filled and they could not even take me on as a volunteer. I emailed the executive director and asked him if i could shadow him, I let the man know that I would be an asset to his organization, ALL OF THIS TO NO AVAIL. Then last week I got a phone call, I thought it was the student loan people so I almost did not pick the phone up.

However, I’m glad I did, it was the same company offering me a phone interview right there on the spot. Before this I just planned to blog all summer, who knows where the wind would blow me but I was just going to fly. Today I had my second interview, where I had to do a practice lesson with adults acting as 8th graders. After the practice lesson and interview was over, the Executive Director stuck around, like he wanted to talk to me. That same home girl who first told me of him had told him of me. She let him know that I was a Christian and that I believed in the word of God. We rapped for maybe another 20 minutes just about the Lord and his Greatness and in the middle of that he said “Well, I can just tell you, you already got the job”.

God is good, and the man let me know God worked in mysterious ways on this one. Someone else had the paid position but something caused them to split ways with the gentleman. He said before they went back to the others they had interviewed he remembered that there was this persistent kid who kept emailing him. That pesky kid was me, and my buddy Maat let him know how we all know that God moves through us so he gave me a chance. So here I am, just thankful and thankful that I could share such a moment with you. Peace and Grace be unto you!

Thank you Lord for your blessings, thank the Almighty for the strength?

Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.- Romans 15:2

“Build him up, publicize him, make him a celebrity!” Those are the words of Malcolm X and they have nothing to with this scripture but they came to mind when I read build him up. Today really is not about me nor was yesterday. It is still about my brothers who have graduated and are starting a new chapter in their life. I had a rough night last night, celebrating can get out of hand sometimes. Then I woke up this morning and I was being mentally selfish. I had selfish thoughts, I was thinking about my own happiness. But the truth is today is not about me, we are about to celebrate with a bbq and enjoy a few more festivities before i head back to NY to be with my family.

Build him up; that’s what we need to do for each other. Before writing this message I was talking with one of my sisters. I’ll commonly refer to my closest friends as brothers and sisters because I really do believe we have that vibe. They say we are all children of God so we are brothers and sisters. Either way she was building me up, speaking the truth as she sees it. She always does this, she’s a great friend. I have to make sure I do the same. Not build people or myself up with false hopes and empty rhetoric but more so truth. Last night my brother and I had a deep talk, there’s been a lot of deep moments going on lately but reading today’s scripture lets me know we are on the right path. We are building each other up! Peace and Grace be unto you!

God is good, all the time!

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Colossians 3: 5-10

I was looking through the bible for some words of joy, some words of praise because I feel blessed in a lot of ways. I read a topic called right living and figured I would check it out. As I started reading the above passage I was saying to myself “word, this is true, but I’m not about to write about this with my imperfect self”. Then I thought there must have been a reason that I was drawn to this specific passage and God knows that I am far from perfect so I can at least touch on it because it did speak to me.

What I immediately gained from reading these words and having gone to church and hearing the preacher’s talk about the days when they were in the streets is that it is all a process. No one became holy and sanctified over night. But see that word process becomes a crutch for me, I can’t speak for others. As long as something is a process, that is not delineated with a specific time frame we can continue to relapse and do what we feel because their is no clock that we are working on. It’s easy to say that our own conscience should be the clock but it’s not that simple. Over the years I have created many destructive habits, they haven’t destroyed me yet so I continue on that path. Having a renewed love for God but still battling with other temptations. I don’t really have a purpose for today’s message, more of my own confession. In the back of my mind I am asking myself, if I truly want to walk on the right path and receive God’s blessings why am I stalling in the process? Peace and Grace be unto you.

When the cock is drunk, he forgets about the hawk.

For a long time I have been debating whether or not I should become a vegetarian. I started to think about it seriously last summer while reading Russell Simmons book “Do You”. He had a lot of knowledge in there discussing our health and how the food we eat affects our mental health and our spiritual being.

However, we become slaves to our desires and sometimes a quarter pounder with cheese and french fries tastes so gooooddd! But lately I have been thinking about what Russell Simmons was saying and also just about us treating our bodies like temples. If we consume a bunch of unhealthy foods now, it will show on us later on in life. Obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes; none of these are the look that I’m going for.

So last night I decided that I would become a vegetarian and give my body the attention it deserves. So on my fat boy tip I went to McDonald’s one last time and thought I was about to pig out. Hmmm the picture above shows my half eaten hamburger that was barely cooked. The meat was so red I wonder if they put it on the grill at all. I couldn’t even be mad, this was a sign that I was making the right choice. Even though quarter pounders with cheese feel great that doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Unprotected sex feels great too but it can KILL YOU!

I am not a meat hater, continue to enjoy your burgers and ribs. I however will be eating more soy products and seafood. This actually makes me a pescetarian, I just learned this word today. Peace and love!

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Psalm 51: 11-13

Psalm 51 is a long Psalm and I have quoted from it before in the Pardon me messages. I find strength in repeating the whole chapter aloud after I am done praying to God. It is clear that we all make mistakes. No sin is greater than the other and I’m sure I sin everyday. In this Psalm David says “cast me not away from thy presence”. It’s like, I know I am not perfect and I continue to make mistakes Father, but please do not turn away from me for I am your work in progress. I was laying down last night and I was saying to myself how easy it is to talk about faith. To say with your mouth that you believe everything happens for a reason and that it is all in God’s plan. However, I would be lying if I said that its easy to actually make those beautiful words practical. I guess it’s all a journey and a beautiful test we hope to pass.

Speaking of tests, I took my final exam of my 1L year today. A sense of relief came over me when I was finished with the exam. Anxiety set in too however, when we accomplish one feat we often look to the next ordeal or obstacle without taking a moment to be satisfied with our small victory. But back to this scripture, I love it because he asks the Lord to restore joy to him and he asks the Lord to uphold him. It’s like please don’t turn away from me, I make mistakes, but please hold me up with you awesome spirit. After that I am indebted to you, I will teach your word to others and speak highly of your amazing work. Listen we all make mistakes, and we should try and learn from the ones we repeatedly make. Thankfully, the Lord does not turn his back on us, instead he lifts us up to achieve greater heights and we praise his name for that. Sounds like a good look to me. Peace and Grace be unto you.

Things are easier said than done!

when you are happy, like really bask in your happiness. Smile, be joyful, jump up and down on your bed even. when you’re happy really get into it. when you love, really love hard because when you’re sad whoooooo it sucks - Cedric D. Shine

There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

Time waits for no man or woman. Sometimes I feel suspended in time. I learned sometime in this past year that when you are happy, like really bask in your happiness. Smile, be joyful, jump up and down on your bed even. Because unfortunately when you are sad, when its raining outside, it really pours. When that rain comes into your life you have to think about this scripture and think what time is it right now in my life. How did you enjoy the good times you had. Did you really relish in the good times, or did you find yourself making comparisons to how they could have been better times. I get so much out of this scripture that I can’t write it all down today so be sure that I will bring this one back out. I’m looking above at all of the different times in life that we experience and trying to understand how they all merge. After I read one line, I always go back to the top; there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.

Who controls the amount of time that we may be building, the amount of time it takes us to heal. Truth is we definitely have no control over these different time periods and I am learning to grow and appreciate each time period that I may be in. Several of them could be going on at one time and we just have to be patient and understand when God feels we have learned that lesson than he will pass us on into the next time phase he has for us. Faith is real wild because you don’t see God, like you cant reach out and physically see yourself shaking his hand. But you trust in him, it’s wild because that is a beautiful trust. We have people in our lives who we can see, and we put trust in them and they destroy it, so this dichotomy makes some people just believe that only they can control. They can’t fully trust in God because they cant see him, they know that some people are untrustworthy so they just look to themselves. We must try not to fall into this trap; for starters God is within us so he is tangible. I just look to the above passage and I think wow there really is a time for everything, I’m looking forward to the beautiful times he has for me. When you get them and if you have them right now please honor and love those times because those memories push us through hard times. Peace and Grace be unto you.

(sings) Gotta find me an angel - Aretha Franklin