Trick or Treat

Think on this…we don’t celebrate All Hallows Eve or Halloween. We understand its origins and it’s not something we endorse. We don’t judge people, or even Christians who do; it’s just not our thing. There are no ghouls and goblins on our door, or scarecrows in our yard. But, we do give out candy to the neighborhood children. I know that it might seem slightly contradictory, but read on to get a better glimpse into our reasoning. Think about it, when else will children from all over the neighborhood come to our door? So we see it as a chance to love on those in our community.

When I was a child I remember trick or treating. I am from a small town where many of the homes are right next to one another, that provides for great candy collection. We would forgo the traditional plastic bags or buckets, because bag snatching was a big thing and they simply could not hold all of the goodies we would collect. I would come home with a pillowcase full of candy that would take us hours to sort. The one thing I remember vividly was the homes that would give us the best candy. To this day I still see one house in particular. I am in my 30’s and I still remember a good Halloween house. Someone had an impact on my life because they gave me candy! That is crazy, but my point exactly.

We believe whole-heartedly that we are to touch the live of those around us. To be honest, it’s a bit creepy for a grown man to strike up conversation with children. So, now that we are the cool candy house both our neighbors and their children know who we are, that we care, and we are safe. We didn’t go cheap on them, we gave out full size candy, and it caused a ruckus. After our house kids were saying, “full sized” in the street. One young lady said, “You’re my new best friend”. Now that we are BFFs maybe they will read the scripture card we attached. I know that some would argue the pagan nature of the holiday and I would agree and simply remind you of the pagan nature of our Christmas trees and Yule Logs (look it up). We are not opposed to using this holiday to touch the lives of our neighbors. The Bible says, “I became like a person weak in faith to win those who are weak in faith. I have become everything to everyone in order to save at least some of them.” 1 Cor. 9:22 The alternative is to hide in our home making a statement nobody will ever hear…Just a thought.

China (The Country)

Think on this…Many people have been asking about my recent trip to China. I figured I would explain my insights through a few blogs. I do understand the interest people have in that country as very few ever visits this mysterious land. It made sense that the first thing we were told was that nothing in China is, as it seems. I found that to be the theme of my time there.

The purpose of my trip was to learn how I might send students there to teach conversational English to Chinese students. I must admit much of the allure was the opportunity to visit the country. Yes, I always love the chance to touch the live of college students. After all I am the College Impact guy. It’s become a life’s work, but the thought that I could be in a country many people will never see was a big deal.

When I hit the ground in China I was a bit overwhelmed. I am used to being a minority here in the states, but 1 in 1.6 billion is very different. People would stand a few feet away from me and just stare. I was polite and said, “nǐ hǎo” and they responded with hello and would continue looking at me. This was not rudeness on their part it was simply many of them had never seen a black person before. It is an all-Asian world so a black person in their context is just an oddity…

Read more: http://damianlboyd.com/college-impact-blog/

Change the World

Think on this…Last week was intense and filled with opportunities to make a difference in this world. I think we wrestle with such a lofty goal as changing the world because we see both the greatness of that ambition and the weakness of our own humanity. I believe that this is natural and honest although not the most spiritual response. God has high expectations for us His people, and we will not see the full expansion of His kingdom in the earth unless we choose to follow Him into His prescribed future.

You see I have led a hip-hop environment called Destinations, geared toward reaching urban young adults for almost 10 years now. We have a history of having provocative shows with titles like Naked, Blow, Safeword. We have pushed the boundaries so much that even our more progressive church is a little freaked out at times. We had an idea recently to have a show that married our usual evangelistic focus with a cause. We decided to focus on child sex trafficking. With eighty million children being trafficked for sex, this was more than needed.

We decided to partner with both local and international sex slavery organizations to increase our level of impact. Well this thing took off, and this little event that has had mostly been a local movement got a lot of attention. I was on a national radio broadcast, and we had two media outlets at the event to cover the story. We raised money for a local project as over four hundred new girls are trafficked in Georgia a month, and we raised funds to make a difference in Asia… http://www.damianlboyd.com/college-impact-blog/

Love God & People

Think on this…it’s easy to love God but people are a different issue all together. Let’s be honest, people have a tendency to be losers. Before you decide that I have completely walked away from God please read on. I just want to admit the truth here. People tell you that they will do something and let you down. People get mad at you and refuse to forgive. People abuse, miss use, bring harm, etc. Can you agree with me that people have a tendency to let you down? Parents, friends, spouses alike either have or will disappoint. It’s their nature.

I would be okay with that thought if church people were better, but they usually aren’t. I know that they are supposed to be, but they often cheat, lie, complain, and gossip as much as non-church folks. For some reading this blog, this is a confirmation of what you have always believed about church people. Others would jump to defend and cover the flaws of other Christians, and I would do the same, but we must first own up to the problem.

What is my point? It’s that people stink; I thought I said that. :-D Just kidding! Jesus was asked about what he considered the most important law in the entire scripture. This was his answer, “Love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy… and love others as well as you love yourself. There is no other commandment that ranks with these." Mark 12:29-31. You see very few people will say that they have a problem loving God. Some will doubt God’s existence and others will argue over His interaction with man, but most have no issue with thought loving God. To love people is hard. Jesus did not tell us to love good people or Christians only he said love everyone. From the most hypocritical to the worst humans alive, we are to love them. We don’t have to like it, but we are to love them anyway. If we loved people more, maybe they would not have such a hard time deciding to love us in return…Just a thought.

Under Construction

Think on this…we have been raising funds to make our home handicap accessible for my son who has special needs. We are well into the first phase of this process and things and a bit of a mess. There is dust everywhere inside of the house and we have a massive amount of debris outside. We can see steady change and improvement, but the process has my family disheveled and out of sorts. We have had to embrace the reality that this is the new normal, at least for a while. The interesting thing is that I am learning a lot about life transformation as I watch my home renovation.

One lesson I have learned is that whenever a major change needs to happen there is usually destruction that must happen first. Whether quitting smoking, or trying to be a more empathetic person we usually struggle when change starts in our lives. Things get ugly before they get pretty. Another learning is that everyone in the family is affected when an adjustment begins in the life of one person. You can’t avoid it. We are communal beings and when a person is being changed we all have to give them space.

The truth is that we are and should ever be under construction. That is because no person is perfect, and who doesn’t want to grow to reach his or her full potential. But, when people are in transition we need to allow things to be messy and give them an opportunity to make the change. We can desire the needed change so much that we can despise the necessary process. The Bible says, “As all of us reflect the Lord’s glory with faces that are not covered with veils, we are being changed into his image with ever-increasing glory. 2 Corinthians 3:18 As my house is being changed I hope my life is as well…Just a thought

Superhero & Champion

Think on this...My wife has always called me my son’s superhero. It stems from the first days of his life when I was the primary. I was the one who watched him emerge from the womb blue, saw him take his first breath, was the one fighting with doctors initially when they were saying he needed to be institutionalized long term, etc. My wife had recently had surgery, and I had to be what both she and my son’s hero. The other reasons that she calls me a superhero is the fact that Damian Jr. is a total daddy’s boy, and now he is my full time job. So yes, I will embrace that designation, but she is undoubted his champion.

I remember six years ago with tubes coming out of every part of his little body, and my wife struggled to pull herself up to his bed to see her son. Having had a major surgery, this was no small feat. I tried to explain to her everything that was explained to me while she recovered, and she just stroked his head and whispered into his ear what would be the defining words of his life, “Keep Fighting, just Keep Fighting”. That was all she had that day, but she would quickly model that statement.

Before she was well enough to move around, she was working to make sure that our son had everything he needed. It started with his breast-feeding; as she was in tears making sure that he had what was most nutritious. I soon had to go back to work so she took the lead. There was meeting after meeting with doctors and specialists. She was interviewing therapists, finding programs, and firing people who weren’t in agreement with what we believed God was doing in his life. She was a force to be reckoned with...(read more) http://www.damianjrstory.blogspot.com/

Family Business

Think on this…ever wonder why as children we were told to always wear clean underwear in case we get in a car accident? As if while bleeding profusely a medical professional would look for dirty underwear. There is a deep philosophy that we were being taught. It simply, you don’t embarrass the family in public. We are supposed to represent ourselves well when outside of our homes.

If I am completely honest I feel this way about Christians. So many of us live with such low standards that it makes me a little ashamed of us. Not ashamed of Christ, but of others in His family. I understand that it takes new believers some time to develop Christ-like character. I fully believe that even though we have been clean from all sin we still have habits that are hard to shake. I am no different. But, we can do better. We lie, cheat, divorce, quit, and complain just as much as people who don’t have the hope of Glory living in them. Not to mention all of the sexual, financial, and marital scandals of church leaders that have been in the news. We are supposed to be better than this!

I am not condemning anyone, but my heart breaks when someone outside of the family of God says, “See, they are all a bunch of hypocrites”. Yes, God’s grace covers us and we are in continual need of a savior. But, we must remember that people are watching us, and they may or may not join our family based on what they see in our conduct. The Bible says, " The name of God is maligned and blasphemed among the outsiders because of you! " . Romans 2:24 I love both God’s people and those who have yet to join His household. It’s a shame that people won’t give their hearts to God because of our poor character. I know that this is family business, but it needs to be said…Just a thought.