It's All About The Stories

On my way to daily mass my son said to me, “Dad, I don’t want to go to church. It’s boring.” At first I wanted to respond to him harshly but how can I blame him, for 28 years of my life I believed church was boring too.

I replied to him, “Son, I understand. I used to think church was boring too. What I would like you to realize is I go to daily mass so that I can learn to be a better dad for you and your sister. I go to daily mass so that I can learn to be a better husband to your mom. Don’t you want me to be a better?”

He replied, “Yes, but it’s still boring.” I responded, “Son, there are many things you ask me to do that I don’t really want to do but I do them so I can spend time with you. Can you just look at it as time to be with me?”

He agreed but reiterated that church is still boring. I laughed at his honesty.

Why aren’t more people racing to church on a daily basis or at least once a week? Why are so many racing to happy hour or Las Vegas? Why do so many wait in line for Black Friday?

The answer is a lack of understanding. Many believe that the things of this world will satisfy them. They believe that getting drunk will help them forget their worries. They believe gambling will give them an opportunity to get ahead in life. They believe having the coolest gadgets will improve their quality of life.

It is only through full submission to Christ can one fully find satisfaction in the worries of life. You see I’m not going to sugar coat it. There are trials and tribulations to all not only to those who don’t believe. In fact in Mark 10:29-30 Jesus tells us “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property – along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life.”

We are promised trials in our life but when we realize it is for our benefit than we embrace it instead of trying to cover it up with the things of this world. You see church is boring but so is football if you don’t understand it.

A great quote was shared with me a few weeks ago by Terri Yurek of Terri Yurek insurance. It was, “Be in the moment.”

Many times in ones haste to get all tasks completed we neglect to concentrate on the duty at hand. When we are at work we are thinking of our wife and kids. Then when were with our family we are thinking about work. Because we neglect to focus we end up saying, “I don’t have enough time.”

The other day my kids wanted to play Monopoly. I agreed but was in somewhat of a hurry to get started so we could finish and go to bed.

After a few minutes of playing I realized that this time with my kids would be a great opportunity to increase their knowledge in math, a subject that my dad loved  sharing with me.

Because I took the time to be in the moment, I had a wonderful time and I can’t wait to play again. Watching them smile and laugh is the most precious of gifts.

We all have 24 hours in the day and we have a choice how to spend it. Focus and be in the moment and each moment will be treasure.

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I want to share some fantastic news with you. After a year in the works I’ve done it. I turned all my chicken scratch into a book.

Who would of thought I’d write a book? Two years ago I had a hard time putting a paragraph together. It just shows that through Christ, all things are possible!

The book draws out a picture of the day I found my faith at an exorcism and how God tested my faith by asking me to pick up an underwear. It’s filled with funny stories of faith, love, and encouragement. It’s a story of my journey with Christ.

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Originally Featured in The Javien Chronicles #40

Of my many observations of my wife and other women there are two things I’ve learned. One women get frazzled easily and two they get way to many headaches. One main reason I find that they get jolted easily is that they forget to eat.

I’m a guy and in my many conversations with other men I don’t think I’ve ever heard a man say, “I forgot to eat.” Now guys aren’t perfect, we have our issues too, but if women would just learn from this they could function a lot better.

Much like women most Christians today neglect to eat (spending time in the God’s Word). You see trials and tribulations come to us all but it’s those who eat often that function at a higher level.

You see the Bible says in Matthew 6:33 to “Seek first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” The Bible also says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray continually…” The Bible says to eat early and eat often. One pastor was once asked, “How long should I pray?” He answered, “I only pray for 15 minutes, but I never go an hour without praying.”

Most health books recommend one should eat every 2-3 hours (5 to 6 small meals a day). Just like the Word says eat and eat often (small portions).

When one waits to eat they are easily irritated and can’t function properly. Once they can’t take it they reach for the nearest source of food and gorge out hoping the pain will go away. Many Christians too wait to eat. They usually wait until they can’t handle their situation before the call for help.

If only we would just discipline ourselves to eat and eat frequently we could handle the fussy kids, all the errands, and the trials and tribulations of life.

Food nourishes our body so that we could handle our daily tasks. The Word of God nourishes our spirit so that we could handle what the world throws at us.

You see food doesn’t take the daily tasks away it just makes it easier to deal with just like praying doesn’t take away the trials it just makes them easier to handle.

When you can handle things you rule in life. If you want to rule in life eat and eat often. Seek the kingdom of God and pray without ceasing.

God Bless,

Orlando Javien Jr., Author

“Remember knowledge is useless if not applied.”

“If you do nothing, you’ve gained nothing.”

“Change without change is not change.” – Creflo Dollar

Originally Featured in The Javien Chronicles #35

The other night as I was going up to bed I noticed that the ottoman was out of place. Instead of it being in the middle of the living room, it was right by the stairs. I could have easily taken 2 seconds to move it to the right place but instead I brushed the task of for tomorrow.

A few hours later in a hurry to get my day started I ran down the stairs and right into the ottoman. After grimacing in pain for a moment I started to laugh at myself. I was laughing because it was my fault. If I took the time to move the obstacle yesterday, I would have reached my destiny (the kitchen) more smoothly.

That humbling experience reminds me that I can reach my goals a lot more smoothly if I only remove the obvious obstacles today. The most obvious obstacles that hinder success are the television, the internet, addictions, poor time management, disorganization and the most deadly of all is fear.

If you want to reach your destiny smoothly I recommend you examine your life. Are any of the obvious obstacles hindering your success. If so then move them. Move them today that way you can arrive with less bruises.

Originally Featured in The Javien Chronicles #34

When I first lost my job earlier this year I counseled with my buddy Eric. Since he worked in the HR department I figured he could help me find a job.

I asked him how much I could make if I applied for a non-managerial job. A job that didn’t involve me supervising anybody. A job that I could just do and collect a paycheck.

He replied, “You could make $40,000 to $50,000 a year.” I was surprised with his answer so I asked, “What about closer to $100,000?” He replied, “Those positions are reserved for the leaders.”

Why did I inquire about a non-leadership role? It should be obvious that I didn’t want to manage anybody. I just wanted to do my job and be on my way.

All my life I’ve tried to avoid leadership roles but for some reason they keep knocking on my door. Fear has been my main roadblock to accepting the challenges put before me. Fear that I will look foolish, fear that no one will follow, fear that I would fail.

Now that I’ve learned how to get past my fears, I can now take on the challenges that lay before me.

One of the most important things I learned about leadership is the “Me First” attitude. Before I can ask anyone to do anything I must do it first. Before I ask my kids to eat their veges, I must eat mine first. Before I ask my wife to clean the house, I must do it first. Before I ask anyone to walk like Jesus walked, I must do it first.

The “Do as I say, not as I do” mentality is out the door once you decide to follow Christ. Once you grab hold of the “Me First” attitude your journey with Christ will be a lot easier to understand.

Originally Featured in The Javien Chronicles #30

Today I want to share with you a story about FEAR!

One night during a very deep sleep my wife abruptly woke me up. In a frantic voice she said, “I heard a noise downstairs. Check what it is!”

Instead of jumping out of bed and rushing downstairs, I lay there frozen. I couldn’t move. All I could do was think about what could happen. I was wondering if I had enough time to get a weapon. I was wondering if they had a weapon. I was wondering if they were going to hurt my wife and kids.

I was overcome with FEAR. False Expectations Appearing Real flooded my mind.

When I finally had the nerve to check it out, it was just the ice machine.

Fear is a major roadblock in many people’s lives.
Fear prevents one from starting a business or changing careers. Fear prevents one from asking a girl out or committing to marriage. Fear prevents one from realizing their true potential.

To overcome Fear you need to know where it comes from. Fear is of the devil. How do I know? The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” So if Fear didn’t come from God then it came from the evil one.

If you want to be free of fear then go to the Word. Seek out the answers to your troubles. You see when you allow fear to rule your mind then the devil is in control, but when you release faith that God will help you through your situation then you allow God to have control.

Listen to the audio below to help you overcome your fear of failure.

Audio: Overcoming the Fear of Failure -Jentezen Franklin, Free Chapel, Atlanta

God Bless,

Orlando Javien Jr.