Do people still believe in organized religion?

Article written by me for The Examiner

At any given time on a Sunday, you can find me in my bedroom filling out a journal that I’ve been keeping for years.  Nestled within the pages of the journal are details of my struggles, notes of gratitude, people that I pray for and questions that I present to the almighty. I got the idea from the character of Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, a novel that I read and enjoyed immensely years ago.  I do this in addition to the quiet moments that I share with God in prayer, whether it is on my knees beside the bed, in my car on my way to work or bowing my head before whatever meal I’m getting ready to consume.

There was a time when I rejoiced in church, taking great pleasure in raising my voice in song while seated with other choir members, attending church functions, having much needed heart to heart talks with church leadership to obtain spiritual guidance and overall just enjoying the camaraderie of people that believed and worshiped just like me.

Without going into the specifics of why, I found myself in the position of leaving the church.  I left with a broken heart and a new found perspective of what organized religion truly meant.  I tried to find another church to hopefully replace the one that I had lost, and after several years of searching, I realized that there wouldn’t be another church…at least in my immediate future.  I had lost my belief in organized religion as I knew it, but not in God as I understood Him/Her.

One of the things that became crystal clear to me is that in the midst of scandals and perhaps faith misplaced, people were looking for a way to get to God and enjoy a deeper, spiritual relationship with Him/Her.  For years, that meant going to church, listening to the much needed sermons, paying your tithes and with that hopefully, you came away with a better way to live your life.

Read this article in it's entirety by clicking the link below!

http://www.examiner.com/article/do-people-still-believe-organized-religion

~ J.L. Whitehead 

Don't expect a "thank you"

We all know that the literary industry is saturated with people that are driven by their own egos and nothing more.  We know that with some people, authors in particular, the conversation will come to a dead halt the moment that you mention a topic that doesn't revolve around their work.

That is a given.

And depending on what services that you provide, you may receive nothing in return once they are given.  That may leave you with bitter feelings wondering why you provided the service in the first place.  It makes it even worse when you were supposed to be paid for those services and didn't get a dime.

I've adopted the attitude of "lessons learned" when it comes to business dealings.  If you burn me once, shame on me for putting trust where trust wasn't truly earned.  But hopefully, that is what will make you a better business person.  You know that you can never do business with that individual or business again.

But what about the times when you do things for free, and the person doesn't even give you so much as a thank you?  You would think that advice, mentions on websites or promotions on various media outlets would be appreciated.  But what you find is that many times, it isn't... that indeed, many people will seek you out just to get what they want and then keep it moving!

I have a news flash for you!  Don't expect the thank you!  If you do something for someone else, realize who you're dealing with.  Understand that they may not be equipped to be appreciative of what you are doing for them.  And if they do express their appreciation, that's just icing on the cake.

And with that being said, the next time that they approach you for anything...tell them, "I'm sorry, I can't do that for you at this time." Or, you can tell them, "Sure, no problem."  Because you know at the end of the day that they place value on what you've done for them.

~ J.L. Whitehead