Mountain High/Valley Low

Think on this…It’s has been a wild week for me emotionally. The week began with me finishing the final ministerial assessment. The process has been intense and required a lot from my family and me. This was supposed to be a triumphant moment. I was excitedly anticipating seeing my family who were preparing to see our home for the first time. This week began with lots of potential and hope. Tuesday morning while recovering from that last session I got several calls that would change things significantly.

Both of my siblings were calling me to tell me that my brother-in-law’s son died suddenly, that morning. Sixteen years old and gone, just like that. Of course that changed the trip to Atlanta and the celebratory atmosphere, and rightly so. What it created in me was a major dichotomy of emotions. Joy over finally getting my ministerial license (I have honestly been doing the duties for a years, so this should be a big moment). The other feeling was one of morning and heartache over my family being in such great pain.

If I am honest I don’t know what to feel. In the midst all of the festivities I have tried to simply be present, and the same while talking to my family. There is no formula for this place in which I find myself. There are no quick fixes. This is a great moment in personal and ministry life and a horrible one for my families. It is, what it is. “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” 2 Tim. 2:3
Moments like this are to be walked through, not avoided or belittled. Life happens, and ceases to happen, that is the rhythm with which we live…Just a thought.

That’s just Awesome!

Think on this…I have been busy. I mean really busy. I of course have been doing my best to make sure that my book gets into people’s hands. I have also been completing a very rigorous ministerial class. I have been in meetings upon meetings and missing other meetings. Then, I have been in the never-ending struggle to get baby sitters for my son while my wife and I tag team all of these meetings. Also, I haven’t been sleeping very well because my son has his two bottom teeth coming in and he has been getting up at all times of the night uncomfortable. It’s been crazy in the Boyd household.

Most people that have been reading these blogs have noticed my repeated mention of College Impact. Rightly so, because I really need to sell books, but also because someone is reading this blog thinking, ‘Yeah, I still need to get a copy of that’. The interesting thing is that I had been quieter than usual lately because of all of the craziness. Guess what? My wife was looking on Amazon the other day and there was a flurry of activity around my book. College Impact was as high as 33,000 of all books selling at that time. That’s just awesome! I have no idea who was buying them, or where that came from. But thank you, God!

That is the struggle. I know that it’s my job to do what I can do. But, the tricky part is that God does what He does and He doesn’t need to check in with us to do so. He moves in his timing and in his own way. We never know if what we have done was enough. All we can do is our best. I think I have been doing that, but only He knows. That’s why I love how the Bible says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 That’s just AWESOME!...and that’s Just a thought.

Paramind Publications

http://www.paramindpublications.com/collegeimpact.html

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/College-Impact-Empowering-Collegiate-Christians/dp/0976273829/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271542074&sr=8-1

Think on this... As I was preparing to write todays blog I realized that I had already written it! So I will send you to my other blog today. Just a reminder I still need as much support as possible getting the word out about College Impact. Any help you could provide would be so appreciated...Just a thought.

http://www.damianlboyd.com/college-impact-blog/

My Brothers

Think on this…I recently spent a couple of days with some great men. These gentlemen were like me in their dedication to working with college students and young adults. One thing was amazingly clear to me. College Impact is so needed. I was considering dialing down the continual writings about the book, but these brothers of mine encouraged me to keep going. The overwhelming consensus was that this book was the missing component in the college arena. It was so affirming.

The danger for someone like me is that people will grow weary in hearing about the same thing repeatedly. But, since one of the points of a blog is to update people as to how I am doing this message is still relevant. Greater then that I hope that this blog in some way shows my tenacity and trust for God in the light of challenges and difficulty. I also hope that in some way people are inspired to live their dreams out.

The big message is trust God with your dreams. Why, Because God is trustworthy or worthy of your trust. If you have been following these blogs for a while you know that it has been a road littered with set back and frustration. But, I followed him in spite of funds getting low and disappointment. All I know is that God has me! The Bible says, “O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.” 2 Samuel 7:28 So, yes I enjoyed my time with my brothers because they reminded me of why I have done this and I will continue to trust Him with everything I am as I move forward. College Impact: Empowering Collegiate Christians for Campus Influence is available at the links below.

Paramind Publications

http://www.paramindpublications.com/collegeimpact.html

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/College-Impact-Empowering-Collegiate-Christians/dp/0976273829/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271542074&sr=8-1

So Encouraged

Think on this…I must make a confession. I have been nervous about the response to my book College Impact. You see, people have been purchasing it, slowly but steadily and I was getting little to no feedback. Now, for someone who has a tendency to care about what people think, that was hard. I felt God saying to me, “Don’t worry about what they think, know that I am proud of you.” That was so encouraging, but it didn’t stop my inward struggle right away. Peace came over time. But, it came.

There is a healthy side of getting feedback. The reality is, I produced a product that needs to be purchased. So I need to know if it is good and helpful. What benefit is a book that no one wants to buy? My challenge was not being ruled by others opinions of my work. I used to be such a people pleaser that I had to quiet the old voices in my head. It was harder then I want to admit. But, here I am saying IT TOOK A COUPLE OF DAYS!

Now, the responses are rolling in, more like trickling in, but they are coming and are affirming. It was my job to write what I believed needed to be said. I had to write what I believed God wanted me to say, and leave the rest up to Him. We took a lot of time to get it to be as good as possible and then release it into His hands. This is not a veiled attempt to get words of support; it’s just an honest tale from my journey. I have learned to rest in these words, “Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." Matt 28:20 …Just a thought.

Salesman

Think on this…I’m realizing lately I am a bit of a salesman. I have a problem with that because I used to work for sales people and I honestly don’t have a favorable image of them. It always seemed as if they were great at over selling and under delivering. My struggle was that I had to come through on the big promises they made. FRUSTRATING.

I have to settle the reality that I am a salesman. It’s my job to tell people about a product (the love of God) and try to convince them to make an investment. What is a preacher, but a salesman? Add to that the reality that I am in the process of trying to get a physical book sold, and yes I have officially joined the sales ranks.

Here is the truth; I need not be ashamed of getting people to embrace the love of God because it is quite frankly the best “product” on the market. I’m saying, invest your life in God’s love and get more then you can receive in return. Instead of investing in pursuits that don’t satisfy, embrace a God who wants to give you life to the full. I can stand behind this “product” because I am in love with it. So I can sell it proudly. Then, because my book College Impact is all about representing the same “product” I can stand behind it as well. So, yes I am a salesman!

The challenge arises when we don’t use the “product”. So many people talk about God and His love and never engage with Him themselves. A friend of mine once said, “I feel like an infomercial for a product I don’t use.” That is the danger. I am learning to stand firm in what, or rather whom I represent. I believe in the love of God and I am overtaken by it. The bible says, “However, as it is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 That is worth selling…Just a thought.

to purchase College Impact visit- http://www.amazon.com/College-Impact-Empowering-Collegiate-Christians/dp/0976273829/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271155843&sr=1-3

The Process

Think on this…In 2007 I had a crazy idea to write a book. Now, with my background that is a high and lofty goal. But, I had been working with college students for ten years and I wasn’t seeing the type of impact that I was anticipating in the collegiate arena. I would see a room full of college students that would worship in large gatherings and go to their campuses and live lives that were incongruent with the big experience that they just had. Maybe it was an intimidation factor or maybe a mindset thing, but something had to change. Why? Because there was more that God wanted to do with, for, and through them. So, I started writing.

Well a year later I was still working at my corporate job and I had little time to devote to the writing process. One of my writing mentors, Tim Elmore, said just keep writing. I listened and would have ebbs and flows of writing moments that got me to about half way there. Then in the middle of 2008 I heard a very clear, “finish it!” So, I feverishly put down what I was writing and by early 2009 there was an interested publisher and a looming layoff at my job. Once the job ended we were already in full swing with the publisher and the dream I had was almost a reality.

Enter 2010 and the book is finally here. College Impact: Empowering Collegiate Christians for Campus Influence is a reality and now what. Well it’s time to sell the dream. That is where things get a little funky. I can truly say that I believe the collegiate world will truly be touched by God’s love if college students read this book. But, I have a struggle going in and telling people why they should buy into what I am doing. It could be humility or just plain nervousness. So, what I am doing is getting a little help from my friends. Instead of doing cold calls I am recruiting my friend who know and believe in me to be the bridges to relationships and opportunities that I don’t have. Cold calls rarely work.

I have to use relationships to get where I believe God wants me to be to make a difference. That is a good thing. You see my tendency is to try and shoulder things on my own, but I need the people I love to help me. So, my questions to you are, are there things that God has place inside of you that you have refused to do? Next, what help do you need to get that done? Why? The Bible says, “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 No one benefits when we sit on what God has given us and refuse to ask for the help we need to get it out there…Just a thought.

Everyday I’m Hustlin’

There is a hip-hop song by a rapper named Rick Ross called Hustlin’. The hook or chorus of the song has as its anthem “Everyday I’m Hustlin’” I can totally understand the sentiment now that I am working to get my first book in the hands of those for whom it’s written. Because many people have attributed nefarious connotations to the concept of hustling or its urban derivative hustlin’, lets use definition of hustle that I mean in this context. “Hus·tle: to proceed or work rapidly or energetically; to be aggressive, esp. in business or other financial dealings.”

I have always been a bit of a hustler (based on the above definition). For instance, during my middle school years I lived in Camden, NJ. We were very poor, so to get a little extra money I would buy candy from the corner store and sell it to my classmates. I was so successful that the school developed its own store. While in college to support myself, I had several hustles. I shined shoes, started selling drinks and snacks while undercutting the overpriced vending machines. I was also a freelance photographer for local college. Hustlin’!

Now, I have a new book! College Impact: Empowering Collegiate Christians for Campus Influence. I am hustlin’ again. I really believe in the products end goal. The goal of the book is for collegiate Christians to awaken to the full life in Christ and touch the live of others for the Glory of God. It’s all about the Glory of God! That is something that is worth hustlin’ for. “All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.” Psalm 145:10

(to read the full article visit http://www.damianlboyd.com/college-impact-blog/ )