Roller-coaster Rides and Sour Grapes (A Review of One Blood by Qwantu Amaru)

First things first.  The roller-coaster ride.  One Blood is a thrill ride that really takes you for loops.  Then the ride’s conductor, Qwantu Amaru, does something interesting.  He throws the ride into reverse.  No.  He takes the reader back in time and he does so without regard for whiplash.  There is no time to take a breath with this book.  And so the reader zig-zags from the past to the present; however, continuity is not lost in any way.  Kudos to Mr. Amaru!

Now the sour grapes.  In One Blood Mr. Amaru writes about family curses which are very real if they are believed.  The curse of Melinda Weeps is kept alive because of belief and in like manner many a family curse survives generations because family members allow them to.  But just because the father eats a sour grape doesn’t mean that the son’s teeth should be set on edge.  Curses can be overcome if you believe.

So I enjoyed the fact that Mr. Amaru entertained the reader.  But I thoroughly enjoyed the lesson. The curse can end when you end it.  You are in charge of your destiny and nothing your father did or didn’t do can interfere with your destiny.  Once you realize that, you are empowered to make generational changes. You are empowered to sweeten your life. 

http://www.amazon.com/One-Blood-ebook/dp/B006GDO844/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1342141794&sr=1-1&keywords=one+blood#_

Don't Worry

Here lately I've been guided to talk about relationship at the root: the relationship that you must have with God. And I will be obedient to that guidance for the next few posts and share my insight on the nature of that relationship. Because you cannot hope to have a perfect relationship with anyone else until a relationship with God is established.

Peace and Blessings
James Fant

Don't Worry

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. http://bible.us/Phil4.6.NLT

The definition of "worry"- to torment yourself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts.
Why would you want to do that to yourself? You're you! And worrying about a situation won't make it better. So instead of spending your entire day thinking about how something will be done, how the bill will be paid, how the way will be made, ask God how. Ask Him to guide you; tell you what to do. But what ever you do, don't worry.

As a matter of fact, just tell Him what you need and thank Him for all He's done. And in doing that, you will have taken stock of how God has brought you out before. And that will build your confidence that He will do it again. And after that, just chill out and enjoy your life in Him.

Strong Foundation

The strength of your house depends on the strength and indestructibility of the foundation on which it is built.  We have become so technologically savvy that we can now construct buildings able to withstand hurricanes and earthquakes.  Why don’t we just try to find ways to stop the hurricanes and earthquakes?  Because that would be insane.  And besides, the hurricanes and earthquakes serve a purpose.  And likewise we can’t avoid the shakes and storms that life provides us.  Instead, we have to make God our foundation.  In Psalm 62 David called God his only rock, salvation, and fortress in which he would never be shaken. That doesn’t mean that there weren’t storms and quakes.  It just means that the storms and quakes couldn’t shake him.  In Acts 20:24 Paul said, “None of these things move me.”  He spoke of the trials and tribulations that had no effect on him and could not steer him from his course.  When God is our foundation we can be troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we can be perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.  The God inside of you is much stronger than any outside obstacles.  Please comfort someone else with these words.

Very Present

I was invited to speak at the House of God, Southern District Conference.  The blog post below is a synopsis of the message God gave to me.  Very Present.  I really enjoyed speaking and look forward to doing it again.   Be Blessed.
************************************************************************************
We can’t see oxygen. And yet we breathe.
We can’t see sound waves. And yet we hear.
We can’t see heat. And yet we’re warmed.
Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.
God is invisible. Yet he’s always there.
Psa 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
God is not only present. He’s VERY Present!

Through tough times, through challenging seasons, God is Very Present.  He’s more present and more real than the things that we can touch with our hands.  He’s more powerful and more valid than things that must be proven through experimentation.  Jesus gave us a great glimpse when he compared His Kingdom to a mustard seed; small, slight, hard to see from far away.  But with closer inspection, its potential can be seen quite well.  So one might complain, “Wow!  Is this seed all that we have?”  But our faith knows that that seed is all that we need.  For that seed contains within it all of the instruction to pull in water and nutrients to grow exponentially.

The invisible realm is way more powerful than the visible realm. No matter what happens in the physical, God’s kingdom cannot be destroyed. Build your hope on things eternal. Don’t be stressed about the storm. Realize and recognize that He’s not just powerful. He’s ALL POWERFUL. He’s not just mighty. He’s ALL MIGHTY! He doesn’t just like you a whole lot. He loves you unconditionally. God is not just a help. He is a VERY PRESENT HELP!

Open Mic: Hold On

This Four Part Poem was written by Jeff, Joe, Vince, and William; four suitors from my novel, “An Ode for Orchid” and it highlights their relationships with the leading ladies. A little something called Hold On.    Enjoy.

Jeff:

What up, Brook? You gon’ love me. Trust me!
The way that you smiled at a brother, there must be
Something there. That coupled with the fact that you hugged me
Plus the way that you blushed when I whispered sweet lovelies
In your ear. And I don’t care about you saying I’m chubby
Stomach round like a ball. But I’m handsome and tall
That is all! Here’s my number, Shawty. Give me a call
And I promise when I answer the phone I won’t tell you to Hold On

Joe:

What’s up, Dawn. Mami, love when you laugh
Even though I do not slang hash, or live fast
I do make sufficient cash cutting grass and I’m glad
To be doing that as opposed to living life like I had
‘Cause on the real, in the past my every action was rash
Yes I spoke as a child. But I’m a grown man now
And check this out, I’m steppin’ to you and my feelings are strong
All I ask is for a chance to truly give you a home. I’ll Hold On

Vince:

Cicely, I’ve got you right where I want you
I’m gon’ run double time through your mind ‘til I haunt you
I really don’t care about the things that you’ve gone through
With your mom. You were strong, but I’ve come to disarm you
My pimp hand is strong and I going to harm you
Didn’t Mr. Inman warn you that I would put it on you?
Matter fact, shut your mouth and have a seat! What you gon’ do?
I said shut your mouth. I got my wife on the phone too! Hold On

William:

Hi Karen Cole. I’m someone you can depend on
We’ve been friends for a while and my feelings have been strong
The thing about it is you got your boy in the friend zone
On the 50-yard line. I wanna be in the end zone
It’s really hard for me, but I’ll have to accept
That you think that because you wanna wait to have sex
That I will step. But here’s the deal. I’m a man and I’m strong
And listen.  If I have to wait until the wedding band’s on, I’ll Hold On

In my novel "An Ode for an Orchids", I liken a woman to a precious flower. If you nourish her, she will blossom and beautify her surroundings. But if you neglect her, she'll wither and become less fruitful. And the world will be a lot less beautiful.

Please visit the page www.facebook.com/jamesfantbooks and Like for more info about the upcoming novel 7/4/12

Nothing New Under the Sun

The world is getting no better

The world is getting no worse

It’s just getting smaller

There’s nothing new under the sun

What does that mean? It has many connotations and I don’t have time to go into every aspect of its meaning, but I will touch on innovation. Every app, device, convenience is just an adaptation or improvement of something that was already being done. The microwave heats our food faster. The barcode allows us to track purchases, rentals, and library transactions. Indoor plumbing makes going easier and more comfortable. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. allows us to communicate in real-time no matter where we are in the world. E-books save paper and make publishing easier and more economical. Yet all of these tools only allow us to do what we were already doing either easier or faster. We’ve always prepared food for consumption. We’ve always transacted and kept records. We’ve always used the bathroom. We’ve always communicated and read. So the question becomes what can we do now to improve upon the improvements? That’s how you become innovative. You have to see a problem and find a solution for it or make an adaptation to that solution that makes it easier, faster, or more economical. I don’t know about you, but every day I’m looking to find ways to make adaptations and improvements to existing actions.

Do You Want a Wife or a Guard Dog?

“My wife honors me as king of my house and head of my tribe, submitting to me and every way. But I love her like Christ loves the church and in that way we’re submissive one to another in love. You see, people look at Ephesians 5:21-33 and get it all twisted; reading and adopting some verses and completely ignoring others. Some men emphasize the “obey” portion of wedding vows and completely ignore the cherishing, nurturing, and protective manner in which we must love our wives. But do you want a wife or a guard dog? Give me a wife and let’s read Ephesians the 5^th chapter in its entirety; with the first verse telling us to imitate God and the following verses telling us how that’s done.” – Selvin Young (from the upcoming Omar Jones Trilogy)

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Joe Suarez - "An Ode for Orchids"

Hello. My name is Joe Suarez. I want to talk to you about this beautiful young lady that I know named Dawn Williams.  I take care of her lawn.  I even trim her bushes from time to time.  It’s nothing like that. Get your mind out of the gutter.  But anyway, like I said, Dawn is beautiful in every way. I’m attracted to her.  I think she feels the same way about me because she tried to seduce me today.

There's one big problem, though.  Dawn is a kept woman.  And her keeper is this guy named Corey Mack, a big time drug dealer from Greenville.  She lied to me; gave me this story about her husband being away on business. She says he's never home. He neglects her.  But I’m not stupid. At least I don’t think that I am.  I want Dawn to be my woman. But who am I kidding? I cut grass for a living and Corey Mack is a kingpin. I could never compete with that.  So I have to get Dawn Williams out of my head.  But that's hard to do when I think about her day and night.

Hear more from Joe Suarez and the rest of the crew in the upcoming novel titled “An Ode for Orchards” which will be released July 2012.                        

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Excerpt from “An Ode for Orchids” – Chapter One

“What is it that every girl has that every guy wants?” Cicely asked her three cousins, Karen, Brook and Dawn.

They all playfully shrugged. Then Cicely twisted her hips around and wagged her backside to reveal the answer.

“You are so nasty,” Karen said to her.

“But it is so true,” Cicely replied. “It’s like my momma always said, ‘You have to use what you’ve got to get what you want from a man.’ ”

Of course her mother never really said those words to her directly. Surely that is not something a mother would tell her 12-year-old daughter. Besides, how many 12-year-old girls would know the meaning of that phrase if they happened to hear it?

It was the beginning of June. The sun was sitting colonially in the center of a cloudless sky, pitilessly showering the girls with piercing rays of radiation as they walked up Big Cagle Street toward the basketball courts. The heat enveloped them. So much so, that sweat started to accumulate on Cicely’s top lip. She quickly wiped it away; for she also remembered overhearing her mother say, “Never let them see you sweat.”

“My feet are hurting,” Dawn complained. She was not a big fan of walking. Every now and again, she would stop and rub the arches of her feet, which were throbbing as well as itching.

“You shouldn’t have worn those jelly shoes,” Cicely said to Dawn with disapproval. “Jelly shoes are so middle school.”

“But I am in middle school,” Dawn replied, matter-of-factly. “And why are we out here in this heat anyway?”

“It’s not that hot to me,” Karen responded as she skipped up the sidewalk. “I love being out in the sun.”

“You should love being out in the sun, as pale as you are,” Cicely replied, quite annoyed at Karen’s joviality. “And why are you skipping. Stop skipping! You’re 12 years old!”

“Why are you so snappy all of a sudden?” Brook asked. “First it was Dawn’s jellies and then it was Karen’s skipping.”

But Cicely gave no response. She became quite serious in fact. And as the girls cleared the mesh of great oaks and bushes and the basketball courts became visible, they knew why Cicely’s demeanor had changed.

Boys.

The basketball court was full of boys.

High school boys.

Experienced boys.

It was the beginning of the summer and Cicely Shaw had arrived. There was no time to waste.

***

An Ode for Orchids is a story about four young women and the challenges that they face, such as making bad choices in men, dealing with infidelity, struggling with promiscuity, and dealing with rejection. But perhaps the most daunting challenge is dealing with the animosity that one woman can have for another woman. Time will reveal whether or not each of them will be strong enough to face the challenges that life will offer them.

The Grudge Holds You

I wrote Close the Door for two reasons which are really the only two reasons that I write anything; for entertainment and edification. The story is entertaining, starting off with the fast and powerful line: “I hit him as soon as he stepped out the door.” It’s also entertaining to see the tension between two friends who may or may not take their relationship to the next level. Then there’s the amusing yet poignant tombstone epitaph, the one that everyone laughs at when they read it. But the story is also edifying because the reader can see, albeit through a fictitious account, the effects of holding a grudge for too long. The grudge actually holds you, keeping you stuck in the past while everyone else is have fun and finding love. So check out Close the Door, and be entertained and edified.

Midnight Writing

It’s one o’clock in the morning. The house is quiet. Well the house isn’t completely quiet. It’s never completely quiet. There’s always a hum, or a noise in the background that prevents total quietness. Don’t quite know why that is.
But anyway. Where was I? Yes. It’s one o’clock in the morning; the hour of the third-shift worker, the party person, and the insomniac. I am none of those things. I am up because I’m writing. I could write earlier and indeed I do the majority of my writing in the early evening. But every now and again, I stay up late and let my fingers tap the keyboard at will. I like to see what I come up with in the haze of sleepiness. Sometimes when I get up in the morning, I’m pleasantly surprised by what I wrote.

Writing in the middle of the night is challenging and rewarding.  It’s challenging because I’m sleepy. I’m not thinking as clearly as I would at eight pm. But then it’s rewarding because I really have no inhibitions. My mind is more alert at eight pm and it guards what I write to a greater extent. There are some words, phrases, plot twists, and endings that my mind would definitely tell me to avoid if I’m writing earlier in the evening. After midnight, I write with my heart primarily and include every intimate detail of my experiences and thoughts. I usually come up with something pretty cool. Or I end up writing something really crazy, get a real good kick out of it, and file it away in a folder named DO NOT USE.

I do have a job to go to in the morning so I must lay it down. Sometime tomorrow, I’ll review what I wrote in the wee hours of the morning. Then I’ll see if it’s something great, something scary, or something that will give me a really good laugh.