It's All About The Stories

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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.

This story was from my friend Kyle

Malachi 3:3 says: ‘He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.’ This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: ‘He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.’ She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, ‘How do you know when the silver is fully refined?’ He smiled at her and answered, Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.’

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you. Pass this on right now. This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them. And, whatever they’re going through, they’ll be a better person in the end. ‘Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once.’

Originally Featured in The Javien Chronicles #16

Oh how I enjoy writing to you all. Believe it or not after writing this article I will be sitting eagerly waiting to write to you again.

Today I want to share with you some business wisdom. As I’ve mentioned before I lost my job earlier this year. As a result of my displacement from the job market I decided to make use of all the books I’ve bought over the years. The books on how to start a business, how to be a trusted adviser, and how to get out of the rat race.

My journey has been far from perfect. There are moments when I feel like I’m doing the right thing. Then other times when I feel like quitting and going out to get a real job.

When I was an employee of a company I worked X amount of hours then made X amount of dollars. I worked my hours and got paid, guaranteed money.

Now as a business owner I have to find my own clients and work. Basically, I need to fish for my own food.

In my journey I’ve learned some great lessons. The lessons are great because they can be used if you own a business or not.

First of all you must DECIDE to change. I’ve had many conversations with people who disliked their lot in life. They are tired of the extra pounds and dissatisfied with their job.

When it comes down to it, you can think about it and you can talk about it. True change will be birthed when you stand up and say, “I’m sick and tired of my situation!” “I will no longer take it anymore!” Say it and say it with purpose.

The next step is to PLAN. You need a plan. Remember, “A man without a plan is like a ship without a sail.” or “If you fail to plan then you plan to fail.”

You need to first write down where your are in life. Next write down where you want to be. Then write out what it will take to get there. Without a clearly defined plan you will just be floating out in the middle of the ocean.

Finally you need to TAKE ACTION. You see you can decide to go to Hawaii. You can plan out your trip. But if you never buy your ticket and get on the boat, you’ll never get there. All you will have is a dream.

All of the above seems easy enough. Your probably thinking I can do all that. I leave you with one more piece of advice. Get a mentor or accountability partner. Share your journey with others and ask for their help. Not only is it more helpful to have a coach, it is also more enjoyable to share your successes with others.