Enough IS Enough: What’s in your S.H.O.E.?

Enough IS Enough: What’s in your S.H.O.E.?

by | Nov 5, 2019 | Headline News |

Video courtesy of Ray Charles

At times in your life, you may feel like you’re in a rut. You’ve got a great job, attained a degree or two, but something is holding you back from reaching your real God-given purpose. For some reason, you just don’t feel fulfilled. Maybe you’ve tried to read self-help books or be inspired by successful business leaders in the past but nothing has spoken to you spiritually. Dr. Ray Charles may have the roadmap you need to make a lasting, meaningful, and righteous change. In his book “Enough IS Enough: What’s in Your S.H.O.E.?,” Dr. Charles openly shares how he overcame his own personal and professional struggles and outlines a method that takes readers on a journey of looking inward and authentically about themselves and what pebbles are hindering their success.

UF: When you’re doing all the things that you were told to do — you go to school, you get your degree, and you work hard — what is the missing piece that keeps people from feeing fulfilled?

DC: I’m going to share with you something that I don’t believe I shared in my book. My best friend was a two-time Super Bowl champ — Chicago Bears and the New York Giants. After the N.F.L., he decided to enroll in the Harvard Executive M.B.A. program. He aced that program. Then, he took a company from $5 million in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to 65 million in five years. He had the “Midas Touch,” everything he touched turned into gold. And then he hit a precipitous fall. The business took a turn. He committed suicide. He had C.T.E., which is the concussion the player had in the Will Smith movie (Concussion 2015). The gentleman reached for a gun and the movie ended and everyone knew that it was suicide. That was my best friend Dave Duerson. Why did I share that story? It’s because he had one of the highest IQs that I know of. Just through the roof. He knew his business acumen. When the pain came and when the storm came, what he tried to reach for didn’t necessarily sustain. College prepares you for the “what” but not the “who.” So companies have a business plan, a marketing plan, a strategic plan, a sales plan, and all of the other plans. But college doesn’t prepare you for a personal plan. So how do you navigate your way when you hit the bumps in the road? Most of us tend to look at things external to combat those bumps, when in fact it’s not external, it’s internal. And that’s what the “who” is.

UF: Is there a particularly emotional intelligence issue that people have difficulty getting over? Something that you see more often than others?

DC: I think what people have difficulty getting over is the depth. Because in order to get to the “who” it goes through the cross. You gotta go through Calvary to get to the “who”. People don’t want to give that up. In order to get to the “who,” you’ve got to get out of your comfort zone.

U.C.L.A. did a research study that shows leadership success comes down to two things — intellect and how do people feel when they experience you. It doesn’t necessarily have to be physically entering the room. It could be, how do people feel when your name shows up in someone’s email inbox? So according to this research, 93% of leadership success depends on how people feel. People have to experience the authentic you that was designed by God. It has to be a pursuit of,  “What is my divine purpose?” When I come to terms with that, and when I walk into a room, it’s going to cause a certain sense of joy and peace, gladness and engagement. Most folks spend their time going after the 7%, which is the intellect. So we have leaders of nations and businesses, very smart people who are suffering.

UF: In your book, you talk about what has hindered your success both personally and professionally. How were you able to make a successful shift in your life?

DC: I was arrogant. I changed when I saw right before my eyes a mirror of who I was. But after that change was a transition. The event was the change. I went on an “in-venture” — an internal adventure. I went on that In-venture to discover, “Ok, how do I get out of this? How do I make this habitual? How do I make this a lifestyle?” I thought I was confident. My wife was like, oh, no brother you are arrogant — and then my fraternity brothers validated that. I was like, okay, I get it. I get it. How do I change? Show me the proof of change and the proof came in the Word. That was the event. Change is external, but transition is internal. The transition, that journey, is what S.H.O.E. is about. I’m taking folks through a journey, but change happens in an instant.

A Test of Faith: Key Witness in Guyger Trial Dead

A Test of Faith: Key Witness in Guyger Trial Dead

by | Oct 6, 2019 | Headline News | 1 comment

Video Courtesy of WFAA

RELATED: BLACK CHRISTIANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA CONFLICTED ABOUT GUYGER AND FORGIVENESS

Joshua Brown, a key witness in former police officer Amber Guyger’s trial, was shot dead on Friday night in the parking lot of his new apartment building, according to The Dallas Morning News. He lived right across the hall from Botham Jean’s apartment at the time of the shooting and feared he might get shot one day for his testimony. S. Lee Merritt, Esq., a civil rights lawyer and social justice activist who represents the Jean family, said on Facebook that he will work to find justice for the Brown family. Although it’s too early to say who or why Brown was killed, his mother suspects foul play as he reportedly had no known enemies and was a working guy.

This comes off the heels of Christians being conflicted on social media over the outward displays of forgiveness on behalf of Jean’s brother and the judge in the case.

If it turns out that the killers were retaliating against a witness, It’s almost as if they were hell-bent on making sure justice was not completely served for Botham Jean. (Of course, Guyger getting 10 years was somewhat of an injustice in itself.) Was it some kind of intimidation tactic to keep other witnesses from testifying against police officers — or white people in general? And more importantly, how do we muster up our courage to forgive the Brown killers, too? We know what the Bible says about forgiveness, but it’s a test of faith indeed as social media is coming down pretty hard on Christians after this latest tragic event.

Black Christians on Social Media Conflicted About Guyger and Forgiveness

Black Christians on Social Media Conflicted About Guyger and Forgiveness

by | Oct 5, 2019 | Headline News | 1 comment


Video Courtesy of THE BEAT by Allen Parr

When the verdict came down and Botham Jean’s killer, former police officer Amber Guyger, was found guilty of murder, emotions ran high. Some expressed relief — and even surprise — that a white police officer would be held accountable for taking the life of an innocent and unarmed black man. But then the hugs happened at Guyger’s sentencing, where she received 10 years (Really? Just 10 years?). Not just the victim’s brother, Brandt Jean, a devout Christian, but the judge, too.  People are beside themselves on social media. It hasn’t been quite the same reaction as the forgiveness of the church members after the Emanuel church shooting, where most people generally embraced the idea that to forgive was divine. Many people seem genuinely angry and unable to forgive, laying bare the conflict we have as Christians and what we really stand for as a Kingdom.

Called to Train Young Tech Pros

Called to Train Young Tech Pros

by | Sep 29, 2019 | Faith & Work | 2 comments

Derrick Davis in front of his Home Technology Pros of Metro Detroit business truck.

 

When Derrick Davis launched his television career as a video engineer 35 years ago, it wasn’t uncommon for him to be the only brother on the production truck crew. Things haven’t changed much as he travels to various venues all around the country at 57, still in the field covering network sports as a broadcast maintenance engineer for WXYZ-TV in Detroit, an ABC-TV affiliate. Davis wants to change that. He promised his late father he would.

“You know what, you’ve got to stop complaining and do something about it. God Blessed you with a gift. Now that you know what that gift is and your purpose, why don’t you start training young people to do what you do?'” Davis recalls his dad Maurice telling him.

Davis pondered the idea for decades, strategizing with this dad over the years on how to make that kernel of insight into a feasible concept. He had a lot of ups and downs, setbacks and heartbreaks before soaking his 401K and feverishly saving for five years. In 2019, he launched a technology school, The AV Technology Institute, and a companion franchise business, Home Technology Pros of Metro Detroit. The goal of the Detroit-based school is to help young people who aren’t college-bound and are struggling with what they want to do in life. Many of Davis’ potential students will soon be entering the workforce out of high school or possibly coming out of the prison system. The franchise, which helps people install home theater systems, home networking and more, will give those who finish his program the opportunity to gain hands-on experience as interns. Unfortunately, his dad died before he could see the vision become a reality.

“Literally three days before he passed, we were sitting at the kitchen table, and out of the blue he said, ‘Did you start that school yet?’ and I said, ‘no,'” Davis recalls.

His dad responded, “What are you waiting for?”

Davis answered him, “I don’t know.” That conversation, so close to his dad’s death, haunted Davis and spurred him into action. “From that point on, I made it my sole mission to make sure that I got this tech school off the ground to give back to the community. I have funded everything I’ve done thus far. It’s all or nothing, and I believe it’s for the glory of God to do what He promised me, that vision that He set in me.”

The idea of being an educator was a hard one to adjust to, even though his dad, a pastor, and former middle school band director, had told him previously that it was in his DNA. Davis’ mom, who also has passed away, was a second-grade teacher. Several people in his family are educators, principals, teachers, and counselors.

His hesitation possibly was because Davis himself struggled in school.

“I was labeled the black sheep in the family. I was the most likely not to succeed. But I used that as a sense of motivation. The TV station that I work for is literally a half-mile from the high school where I graduated from,” said Davis, who turned a negative comment from a school counselor into motivation for success after he completed a career assessment test that revealed he could not be the cameraman he aspired to be. The counselor advised him to be a food service worker or a dietician. “I gave her a few choice words, got kicked out of school, got home, and told my dad the counselor said I couldn’t do what I wanted to do because I’m not qualified.” His dad understood his frustration and didn’t get upset with him about the incident. Even his mom saw in him what a lot of people didn’t. “She knew that I wasn’t a book genius, but she also knew I wasn’t stupid either.”

It took Davis awhile to find his way after high school. He went on to attend Tennessee State Unversity for two years, followed by earning a certificate in Radio and Television Production from the Nashville School of Broadcasting. He decided to join the Navy and was able to obtain a Certificate in Electronic Technology while there through correspondence courses.

“As a radioman in the Navy, I dealt with the radiofrequency transmission. That’s where my interest in electronics started. I worked quite a bit alongside electronic techs on the ship, and they mentored me along,” said Davis, who said that after four years in the Navy he decided to take his chances in civilian life. He worked at Dow Chemical for ten years but stayed involved in community television as a volunteer. Davis’ first TV gig was as a master control operator, and he was able to climb the ladder into roles of increasing responsibility. Now married with kids, he went back to school part-time and after six years earned a bachelor of science degree in electronic engineering technology from the New England Institute of Technology.

Inside a classroom at the AV Technology Institute.

“It wasn’t easy…it was a struggle. I learned so much by having mentors, guys that were my supervisors or ahead of me and working hands-on in the field. You learn more when you are actually doing the job than when you are reading about a job. But my degree helped me advance my career. It helped me 20 years later get into the television station that I was told I never could get in to as a kid,” said Davis. He has four adult children and six grandchildren, and his 28-year-old son Deshon is following in his footsteps. “Today, he’s me. He does network sports, doing the same job I did when I got out of the Navy. He started from the bottom as a utility guy pulling cables and worked his way up.”

Davis’ school is in a building owned by the nonprofit Life Remodeled, which repurposed a former elementary school building into a hub of educational and vocational organizations for children, students, and adults in the community called the “Durfee Innovation Society.” In the building, Davis has two classrooms for lab work and instruction. However, his Home Technology Pros of Metro Detroit business is a virtual office and a truck.

“Right now, our country is leaning back to trade schools and trades. That was a missing demographic for years. Everybody pushed college, college, college. This is a basic low-voltage technology that builds the foundation. If you catch on and you are serious about it, you will run with it and take it to the next level,” said Davis, who, in honor of his parents, has an annual scholarship fund dinner to provide resources for aspiring young adults seeking a career in technology. “It’s been a lifelong struggle for me, but I’m blessed. I can’t complain. I thank God every day for His mercy and His grace for what I’ve been through and where I’m at now.”

 

 

5 Celebrity Videos That Will Inspire You

5 Celebrity Videos That Will Inspire You

by | Aug 29, 2019 | Headline News |

Listening to the testimonies of highly-successful people can sometimes give you the boost you need to live out your own dreams. Be inspired and receive your blessing by watching the videos below.

1) Celebrity Stories of Faith: Lecrae

“God has called me to be way more than I could have ever imagined.”

Hip-hop artist Lecrae talks about how he initially wrote about money, cars and girls and stuff that mattered to him. However, a shift happened in his life when he began to see those material things as trivial without eternal value.

2) FAITH – Stephen Curry’s Motivational Speech .

“All you need to have is faith in God and undying passion for what you do or what you choose to do in this life…”

It’s a short video, but you’ll get a jolt of inspiration from his on-point advice on how to be successful. The video was shot after Curry won the 2014-15 NBA Most Valuable Player award.

3) Michelle Williams: A Story of Faith

“God’s Word is What Continues to Sustain Me and Keep Me.”

The Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and member of Destiny’s Child opens up about her life growing up and battling depression and suicidal thoughts until she dedicated her mornings to reading a Bible app.

4) Denzel Washington Motivational & Inspiring Commencement Speech

“Put God first in everything you do. Everything that I have is by the grace of God.”

Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington delivered the commencement speech at Dillard University, telling college graduates to put God first in everything they do.

5) Chance The Rapper Reads The Book Of Galatians On Instagram

“One thing I didn’t know about the Bible is that it’s not all narrative.”

It’s not so much that this video itself is particularly inspiring, but the fact that a rapper of Chance’s caliber is on video, reading Galatians IS inspiring.